The Open Championship is one of golf's four major championships. Our knowledgeable Tournaments Team have compiled a list of tips and FAQs to help you get the most out of your bucket-list trip to the Open.
Here's all you need to know before booking your bucket-list experience to The 153rd Open with Golfbreaks.
For even more tailored advice, please get in touch with our Golf Travel Experts.
The 153rd Open will be hosted on 13th–20th July 2025 at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland.
The Ticket Ballot for the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush has closed. However, Golfbreaks still have tickets available as part of our packages including accommodation.
Take a look at our packages available for The 153rd Open, here.
Due to such high demand for the 148th Open when it returned to Royal Portrush in 2019, the R&A created a ticket ballot system that allows fans to apply for tickets in advance, providing a fair opportunity for attendance. Since then, the ticket ballot system has remained in place. For The 153rd Open, the ballot has already closed.
Fans can apply for up to 4 tickets per day, made up of a combination of Adult, Youth, Junior, and Carer tickets. All tickets, including complimentary Junior and Carer tickets, must be applied for as part of the process and within the 4 tickets per day limit.
The Open Championship was first played in 1860, making it the oldest of golf's majors. The first Open Championship was played over three rounds of a twelve-hole course at Prestwick Golf Club, with Willie Park of Musselburgh beating Old Tom Morris by two strokes to claim the first Open Championship.
In 2025, the 153rd Open will be hosted, with only four years being missed since 1860.
Xander Schauffele won the 152nd Open at Royal Troon Golf Club in 2024 with a total of 275, a two-stroke margin over Justine Rose and Billy Horschel.
The 153rd Open will be hosted at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. This will be the third time that Royal Portrush Golf Club has hosted the Open, the first time in 1958, and then 61 years later in 2019.
The 154th Open in 2026 will be hosted at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, which will be the tenth time it has staged the Open.
The venue for The Open in 2027 has not been officially announced yet BUT it's rumoured to be at St Andrews..
There are ten courses on the current Open rota:
However, there are an additional 4 courses that have fallen off the rota due to different reasons:
Prestwick – Prestwick plays a HUGE part in the Open’s long history, however, due to the tight layout of the course, there is simply not enough room for the number of spectators that The Open brings.
Musselburgh – Similar to Prestwick, Musselburgh plays a large part in the Open’s history, hosting 6 of the early Open Championships between 1874 and 1889. However, when Muirfield opened in 1892, Musselburgh fell off the Open rota.
Royal Cinque Ports – Royal Cinque Ports (Deal) hosted the Open twice in 1909 and 1920 and had a further three Opens scheduled. Two of them were moved to Royal St Georges due to flooding, and the third was canceled due to World War II.
Prince’s – Now the Open has returned to Royal Portrush multiple times, this leaves Prince’s as the only venue to have hosted The Open just once in 1932, when Gene Sarazen took the win. During WWII, the land was then requisitioned by the army which led to the near devastation of the course.
‘Links golf’ is considered the purest form of golf and represents the origins of the game first played in Scotland. The Open is traditionally played on links courses to preserve the tournament’s heritage and challenge players with the unique conditions these coastal courses present, such as undulating terrains, deep bunkers, and variable weather.
Yes, children are welcome at The Open. The Open offers free entry for children under 16 years of age when accompanied by a paying adult but must be included in your 4 tickets per day if applying in the ballot. Youth tickets for those between 16-24 years old, are offered at 50% of the full retail price and follow the same process as children’s tickets.
Ticket prices vary depending on the type of access and experiences chosen. Tickets can range from $45 for a Sunday practice day, to $160 for a final Sunday ticket. Upgraded tickets and hospitality pricing can range from approximately $250 a day to over $2,450 a day.
The Open offers various hospitality packages, including Origins, Champions, Scorers, Engravers and Caddies. Hospitality for the Open 2025 is now largely sold-out with demand for Portrush being extremely high.
The Open Merchandise Tent typically offers a wide range of branded apparel, accessories, memorabilia, and souvenirs related to The Open Championship. Our advice would be to go to the Merchandise Tent earlier in the week as many sought-after items sell out quickly.
The spectator village has many different food and beverage outlets, a dedicated kids' play area, and giant TV screens offering a great viewing spot if the sun is out. You can even have a free 15-minute lesson with a PGA professional at The Open Swingzone.
Golfbreaks recommend staying in Belfast for your trip to The Open 2025. This gives you easy transport links to Portrush daily but also allows you to enjoy a city break by staying in the vibrant capital.
Golfbreaks is an Authorized Provider of the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, allowing us to secure our tickets in advance with the R&A. All tickets with Golfbreaks are guaranteed, as we do not have to enter the ballot for tickets. To purchase tickets from Golfbreaks, they must be included in an accommodation-inclusive package.
Yes, Golfbreaks are an Authorised Provider for the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in 2025 and have been annually since the Authorized Provider Program began back in 2019.
Golfbreaks packages include official Open tickets, accommodation, tournament transportation as well as being hosted by the Golfbreaks Team throughout. After your day at the golf, head back to your hotel to receive free drinks vouchers and meet like-minded Golfbreaks clients.
Click here to see our selection of packages and get yourself booked today!
The Open Championship has 156 players. Players can qualify for the tournament in three different ways, exemptions, qualifying tournaments, and local qualifying. Players, past champions, major winners, or top-ranked players will gain an exemption.
To help ease road traffic congestion and lower the Championship's carbon footprint, The R&A encourages spectators to use public transport, which will be significantly improved for convenience, or to carpool with others in their group.
No public parking will be available at Royal Portrush or in its immediate vicinity. Instead, all public parking will be provided at designated Park & Ride locations.
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Tournaments Manager
Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, regarded as the leading golf vacation specialists worldwide, provide an award-winning service at unbeatable prices. Whether that be a bucket list vacation to Scotland, winter sun in the Dom Rep, a buddies trip within the USA or perhaps a tournament experience, Golfbreaks have you covered.
