Elite Traveler January-February 2019

From top Hole 8 (aka “The

Postage Stamp”) at Royal Troon; The Old Course at St Andrews

AN OPEN INVITATION: PLAYING EVERY BRITISH OPEN VENUE Unlike golf’s US Open, which has been contested at more than 50 courses (most of them private and prohibitively exclusive), the British Open’s rotation of host venues is far more concise. Only 14 courses have welcomed the world’s best golfers as they competed for the Claret Jug, and all provide at least some access to the public. Leveraging that access — and understanding that amateur golf enthusiasts yearn to play famous courses that have hosted milestone championships — Carr Golf has created a two-week journey that allows participants to play every course that has hosted a British Open. This British Isles golfing adventure begins in Scotland, where you play revered courses such as Carnoustie Golf Links and The Old Course at St Andrews. You’ll also play less-famous layouts, including Prestwick Golf Club, which hosted the first British Open in 1860, and Musselburgh Links, the world’s oldest course, which rents hickory clubs to visitors that wish to embrace nostalgia. You then play through England, stopping at five courses with “royal” designations, as well as Prince’s Golf Club, which hosted the British Open only once, in 1932 when Gene Sarazen debuted the sand wedge. The trip concludes in Northern Ireland with a round at Royal Portrush, which will host The Open later this summer. “The British Open resonates with everybody, and all the venues are recognizable,” says Marty Carr, CEO of his namesake company. “If you look down the list of courses and think of how old the Open Championship is, you feel privileged to be associated with that history and the great players who have stepped on those courses.” From $14,000 per person, contact Mark Byrne, sales manager, enquiries@carrgolf.com, +1 855 617 5701, carrgolf.com

Photo John McLachlan