St Andrews every 5 years?

Bunkermagnet said:
One thing everyone seems to overlook is the members of the club hosting The Open.
How do they feel about having their course altered or changed? What about the inability in them being able to play there as a result of the infrastructure and setting up hosting The Open brings?
There is a course near me that used to be one of The Open qualifiers, and a fair amaount of members hated it as it meant they lost the ability to play for about 3 months prior to the event. Yes, the club got help in the setting up in the way the R&A wanted, but that didn't help the fee paying members who couldnt play there as a result.
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Are you sure about your figures? I played Notts as a visitor 2 weeks before they hosted Open qualifying. Portrush has been open for the members, they just had to play off mats.
 
Keeping the Open at St. Andrews every 5 years is important as far as I am concerned.

Portrush was a great success so hopefully they will get another visit.

Muirfield will hopefully get another hosting as they now admit women members.

I wish Turnberry would drop the Trump name. I doubt it will get the Open whilst the owner still has such a negative and public image - rightly so in my view.
 
I find it strange some think that certain courses won't get the open because they don't have the infrastructure, road network etc, I'm guessing these are the same people who have never been down Carnoustie's main street.
 
Q
Bunkermagnet said:
I am only repeating what 2 ex members told me.
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I'm intrigued by what course that is BM considering where you play, only venues in that area I can remember being used was Rochester & Cobham. With the outlying ones further down the coast being Littlestone, RCP & Princes. Am I missing which course it is🤔
 
KenL said:
I wish Turnberry would drop the Trump name. I doubt it will get the Open whilst the owner still has such a negative and public image - rightly so in my view.
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Everybody who ever signed a contract with Trump got conned. I can’t see an organisation doing so going forward.
Paying green fee and getting your value the same day might be one thing, but signing something years in advance and hoping he does what he says?
 
drive4show said:
Are you sure about your figures? I played Notts as a visitor 2 weeks before they hosted Open qualifying. Portrush has been open for the members, they just had to play off mats.
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If I recall the documentary I saw correctly, Portrush has been closed for three months, and prior to that, members were playing off mats for 9 months. Yes it may be prestigious to host the Open, but it's got to be darn inconvenient to members. But then, if you are a member at an Open venue, I dare say you are member at several different courses and won't be too put out...
 
backwoodsman said:
If I recall the documentary I saw correctly, Portrush has been closed for three months, and prior to that, members were playing off mats for 9 months. Yes it may be prestigious to host the Open, but it's got to be darn inconvenient to members. But then, if you are a member at an Open venue, I dare say you are member at several different courses and won't be too put out...
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Not sure about Portrush, but RSG is going onto mats in November ahead of next year's Open.
 
Wolf said:
Q
I'm intrigued by what course that is BM considering where you play, only venues in that area I can remember being used was Rochester & Cobham. With the outlying ones further down the coast being Littlestone, RCP & Princes. Am I missing which course it is🤔
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It was R&C.
As I said, I am only repeating what 2 ex members told me. The R&A had very specific course requirements as regards green speeds, condition, fairway condition, length of fairway gress, width of fairways, rough length etc. All that takes time to achieve, and obviously not everyone is going to pleased about it.
 
Bunkermagnet said:
It was R&C.
As I said, I am only repeating what 2 ex members told me. The R&A had very specific course requirements as regards green speeds, condition, fairway condition, length of fairway gress, width of fairways, rough length etc. All that takes time to achieve, and obviously not everyone is going to pleased about it.
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I find that quite interesting, I know a couple lads that were members there and even one the ex pros there who qualified for the Open and they were always able to play it even when the prep was being done. I remember playing a match there back in the late 90s a couple weeks before the Qualifiers as well they changed the routing of how we played the course but never stopped us playing.

Perhaps they changed it after that to look after the place more. Never really a big fan of the course though to be fair.
 
Bunkermagnet said:
It was R&C.
As I said, I am only repeating what 2 ex members told me. The R&A had very specific course requirements as regards green speeds, condition, fairway condition, length of fairway gress, width of fairways, rough length etc. All that takes time to achieve, and obviously not everyone is going to pleased about it.
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Very strange. Understand why there are restrictions on the course hosting the Open, but the qualifying venues?

I used to be a member at a regional qualifying venue and we had no restrictions. And I've played final qualifying venues days before the event with no restrictions either.
 
My club hosted final qualifying in 2013.
Only impact was that the course was closed for 2 days. The Monday to allow people to practice and get to know the course and the 36 hole event on the Tuesday.
 
Jacko_G said:
Obvious one for me that could be added would be Royal Aberdeen.

I've never played at Porthcawl but I can't imagine that it has the infrastructure.
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Aberdeen? No need for another remote venue hundreds of miles from population centres. At least Porthcawl is reachable from several population centres.

I've been told that RSG would always be the best attended - but there are limitations due to the road network, Sandwich can't handle it. Princes and Deal would have the same problem. I think there is demand for another venue in the south.
 
Liverpoolphil said:
The problem is the Open must be play on a Links course and needs to be on a course that has the facilities to host it both in terms of access and having the space to keep the fans so straight away it limits the amount of courses that can host it

Looking around the country that doesn’t leave many courses outside the rota as it is
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Why must it? Genuine question, I'm curious. And don't just say because it always has. :LOL:
 
Maninblack4612 said:
Take it out of the UK! Have you been at the illegal substances?
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The Tour de France often visits other countries, even the UK, so why not take the Open overseas! It is "the" Open after all and not just the British open.

Imagine if they took it to one of the links courses in the Netherlands or France. Some quality Harry Colt layouts over there.

(ps I know it's not going to happen)
 
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