Just like in tennis, in golf, the major tournaments of the calendar year are 4, starting the first full week of April with The Masters, followed in May by the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open in June, and The Open in July, the only one of the 4 held outside the United States.

Of the 4 Majors, the only one played every year on the same course is the Masters, at Augusta National Golf Club; the other 3 have a rotation logic through different venues. Now, we are going to talk about the venues of the Open, the oldest Major in our sport.

The British Open is organized by The R&A, the governing body of golf worldwide along with the USGA (United States and Mexico).

"The Open" was first held in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club, Scotland, and since then, it has all been history. In this first edition, the prize was not the current Claret Jug, but a red leather belt adorned with a silver buckle and emblems. Willie Park was the first champion with a score of 174 strokes. The tournament was played over 3 rounds of 12 holes.

Old Tom Morris. One of the greatest influences making golf what it is today; and also a 5-time Open champion.

The Open was played for 10 years (1860 to 1870) at a single venue: Prestwick Golf Club, the club where Old Tom Morris was greenkeeper.

In 1870, the legendary Tom Morris Jr. (son of Old Tom Morris) won the Open for the 3rd consecutive time and kept the belt permanently, which left the Open "without a prize."

Two local clubs near Prestwick were willing to collaborate with the prize but only if the tournament was also held on their courses: these were Musselburgh and St. Andrews. The delay in the final decision meant the Open was not held in 1871 and returned only in 1872, when the 3 clubs finally agreed.

The 3 clubs contributed no more than £15 each and decided that the prize would no longer be the old belt. This is how the current Claret Jug emerged.

Tom Kidd would be the first Open champion to win the Claret Jug in 1873, at St. Andrews, which would be a host for the first time in its history.

Prestwick Golf Club, The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Musselburgh), and The Royal & Ancient Golf Club (St. Andrews) were the first 3 venues of the Open.

Over the years, there were new venues and the Open stopped being played exclusively in Scotland, moving also to England and Northern Ireland. In total, the Open has been contested at 14 venues, but currently, it rotates only among 9 of them, venues known as "The Open Rota".

Below we list the 14 venues of the Open:

1. Prestwick Golf Club, Scotland
Prestwick was designed with an unusual layout, featuring many blind shots and unusual angles to test the unsuspecting golfer. Under Old Tom Morris's direction, these playing characteristics were maintained when the course was extended to 18 holes. Although Prestwick no longer hosts The Open, its record for hosting is only surpassed by St Andrews (31 times). Both Old and Young Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr., and Harry Vardon won at the Ayrshire venue.

2. Musselburgh, Scotland

Musselburgh Links played a critical role in the early development of the Open, with the tournament's first-ever champion, Willie Park Sr., being a club professional. It initially hosted "The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers." Documentary evidence proves golf was played at Musselburgh since March 2, 1672; however, it has been said Mary Queen of Scots played at Musselburgh even earlier, in 1567. Its original holes have changed little since then, and it is the only course of the 14 venues that has only 9 holes.

3. Old Course St. Andrews, Scotland (current venue)

Willie Park Sr. and Old Tom Morris could never have imagined what The Open would become when they played in the first Championship at Prestwick in 1860, with a field of just eight players.

162 years and 149 Opens later, the home of golf hosted the 150th Open on the Old Course, St Andrews, with Cameron Smith's victory in a historic Championship played in front of record crowds.

4. Royal Troon, Scotland (current venue)

The Old Course at Royal Troon was founded in 1878, expanded to 18 holes 10 years later, and redesigned by five-time Open champion James Braid before its first Open in 1923. It will host the Open for the tenth time in 2024.

Designed following the traditional out-and-back style of the Old Course at St Andrews, the Troon test begins on the front nine through some of the most stunning links holes found at any Open venue and concludes with a back nine as difficult as any finish in the world. Troon most recently hosted the Championship in 2016, when Henrik Stenson prevailed in a stunning duel with Phil Mickelson.

5. Royal St George's, England (current venue)

Located on the Kent coast, Royal St George's has hosted the Open 15 times, with victories at the spectacular and undulating venue including figures like J.H. Taylor, Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Henry Cotton, Bobby Locke, Sandy Lyle, and Greg Norman.

The last champion was Collin Morikawa, who delivered a magnificent performance to win the 149th Open as the Championship returned to Sandwich for the first time since Darren Clarke was crowned "Champion Golfer of the Year" in 2011.

6. Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland (current venue)

68 years passed before The Open returned to Northern Ireland, but the wait was more than worth it as local favorite Shane Lowry emerged triumphant at Royal Portrush in a most exciting Open. The Open will now return to the County Antrim coast in 2025 for the 153rd Open.

7. Royal Lytham & St Annes, England (current venue)

The Lancashire course could hardly have had a better introduction to the championship than the victory of legendary American amateur Bobby Jones when The Open was first played there in 1926. In 1979, Seve Ballesteros ignited European golf with a brilliant short game display, plus the remembered recovery shot from the parking lot, to finish three strokes ahead of Jack Nicklaus and Ben Crenshaw. Seve returned in 1988 to win his third Open.

8. Royal Liverpool, England (current venue)

The site of the 151st Open in 2023, which was convincingly won by Brian Harman, Royal Liverpool has hosted history's first Major on 13 occasions. The picturesque links at Hoylake have evolved over the years, with a spectacular new 17th hole - 'Little Eye' - as the most recent addition. Royal Liverpool champions include greats like JH Taylor, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Peter Thomson, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy.

9. Royal Birkdale, England (current venue)

Birkdale was established in 1889 but was extensively redesigned in 1922 to create the current layout, which winds through the sand dunes that rise above each fairway. Since first hosting The Open in 1954, the course has been the most regular venue for the championship after St Andrews. Peter Thomson won his first and last Open at Royal Birkdale, which will host the 154th Open in 2026.

10. Muirfield, Scotland

Muirfield hosted the first of its 16 Opens in 1892. It was the first Open played over 72 holes. The course is famous for being perhaps the fairest test of all Open venues, with two nine-hole loops rotating in opposite directions, the back nine intertwined within the front nine, ensuring golfers never face the same wind direction on two consecutive holes.

11. Carnoustie (Championship), Scotland (current venue)

In 2018, The Open returned to Carnoustie for the 8th time, where Italy's Francesco Molinari was proclaimed champion. Golf has been played on the Angus links since the early 16th century, and in that time Carnoustie has earned a well-deserved reputation as one of the hardest courses in the world. Great champions like Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Tom Watson tasted success at The Open at Carnoustie. Rory McIlroy was also low amateur here in 2007. We also all remember the 1999 edition and Jean Van De Velde as the 2nd most remembered of all time.

12. Turnberry (Ailsa Course), Scotland

Turnberry first hosted the Open in 1977, an event that would become famous as one of the greatest golf spectacles in history: the famous "Duel in the Sun." Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson went head-to-head during the final two days, with Watson finally finishing one stroke ahead of his rival, and 11 strokes ahead of the rest of the field. Another notable Open was the 2009 edition, when Watson (a 5-time champion) was close to winning at the age of 59, finally losing to Stewart Cink in a playoff. Cink later confessed, "Not even my family wanted me to win this prize" because of the favoritism for Watson. That would be the last time Ailsa hosted the Open, and there are no intentions within the R&A to return there, at least for now.

13. Royal Cinque Ports, England

A "traditional" links course with large sand dunes, undulating fairways, and an out-and-back route that demands players finish their rounds facing the strong prevailing southwest wind. The first Open held by Royal Cinque Ports was won by J. H. Taylor, who finished six strokes ahead of his nearest rival. George Duncan recovered from being 13 strokes back to win the last Open held at Royal Cinque Ports.

14. Prince's, England

In 1932, The Open visited Prince's for what would turn out to be the first and only time, as Gene Sarazen set a new scoring record for the Championship with 283 strokes, using the newly invented sand wedge. The current 27-hole layout is the result of a 1950 reconfiguration after wartime damage to the original design, which was redesigned and rebuilt by Sir Guy Campbell and John Morrison.

This year, for its 152nd edition, the Open returns to Royal Troon, one of the best links courses in Scotland and the venue that gave us one of the best "battles" of recent years with the duel between Mickelson and Stenson in 2016.

A particular characteristic, unlike the other Majors, is that all the courses in the "Open Rota" are playable for any amateur. It is not always easy to get Tee Times, but very achievable if planned with enough anticipation.