Naturally it includes Stamps, Roads, & Railways, but what else made the cut
Dornoch's 2nd. Tom Watson described the second shot at this par 3 as the "hardest shot in golf"-
#1 – MACHRIHANISH –
424 yds, Par 4, ‘The Battery’
#2 – ROYAL DORNOCH –
184 yds, par 3, ‘Ord’
#3 – PRESTWICK –
533 yds, Par 5, ‘The Cardinal’
The opener was a relatively easy selection. The 2nd we struggled with before alighting on Dornoch. We wanted to include the Cardinal as our 3rd, a grand old hole of contrast and tactics
#4 – TRUMP ABERDEEN –
515 yds, Par 5, ‘Blairton Burn’
#5 – TURNBERRY –
498 yds, Par 4/5, ‘Fin me Oot’
#6 – CRUDEN BAY –
505 yds, Par 5, ‘Bluidy Burn’
'Foxy' - 445 yds
With no bunkers and precious little clues elsewhere in the landscape to offer sighting lines, Foxy has been described as "the most natural hole in golf" with another plinth green It's just damn difficult.!
Bruce's Castle - 248yds
Previously a strong par 4 playing in land, the hole is now a challenging par 3 playing across the rocky cove and waves, to a green perched near the lighthouse above it
'Blairton Burn' - 515 yds
We're probably guilty of over-rating aesthetics, but with a riparian burn running its length to the right, a phalanx of bunkers, and a green complex embedded in a dunes system, we like this one
Machrihanish 1st - Biting off a dog-leg isn't a new challenge from the tee. When the penalty is a beach however, you begin to realise why the Battery is considered by many to be golf's finest opening hole
#7 – ASKERNISH –
410 yds, Par 4, ‘Cabinet Minister’
#8 – ROYAL TROON –
123 yds, Par 3, ‘The Postage Stamp’
#9 – TURNBERRY –
235 yds, Par 3, ‘Bruce’s Castle’
Even though it meant playing back-to-back par 3’s, the choice of holes 8 and 9 was relatively straight-forward. We struggled with hole 7 though. The field wasn’t as strong as some others. Gullane was considered, but we eventually decided to go for the bleak beauty and rugged terrain of Askernish out on the Isle of South Uist
#10 – TURNBERRY –
562 yds, Par 5, ‘Dina Fouter’
#11 – ROYAL TROON –
490 yds, Par 4, ‘The Railway’
#12 – KINGSBARNS –
606 yds, Par 5, ‘Orrdeal’
This trio was one of the easier ones to select. Turnberry’s 10th now has claim to be one of the best par 5’s in the world since it was extended. Troon’s 11th is the ultimately score wrecker. No hole on the Open Championship rotation accounts for more quadruples or worse. Kingsbarns 12th is just one great par 5 arching round the bay
#13 – NAIRN –
428 yds, Par 4, ‘Crown’
#14 – ROYAL DORNOCH –
445 yds, Par 4, ‘Foxy’
#15 – NORTH BERWICK –
190 yds, Par 3, ‘Redan’
We struggled with the 13th, eventually going for the tough uphill par 4 at Nairn with its magnificent vista back-down the fairway to the Moray Firth. North Berwick’s quirky 13th was certainly considered. North Berwick’s original ‘Redan’ won the vote for the 15th though pipping Kingsbarns when two superb par 3’s shared the same hole number
#16 – CARNOUSTIE –
245 yds, Par 3, ‘Barry Burn’
#17 – ST ANDREWS –
445 yds, Par 4, ‘The Road Hole’
#18 – MORAY OLD –
408 yds, Par 4, ‘Home’
Along with the 7th and 13th, the 16th was another hole we struggled a bit for. Carnoustie can be considered unlucky to have missed out for the 6th and 18th, so perhaps the hardest par 3 on the Open rotation can uphold her honour. The 17th was the easiest assignment to make of the lot. The 18th was a battle between the Moray Old Course and Carnoustie. It could have gone to either
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