The Open 2026: Which Holes to Watch at Royal Birkdale

The Open starts at Royal Birkdale on 12 July. If you have a ticket, you have a decision to make: follow a group around the course all day, or position yourself at specific holes and let the field come to you. Both approaches work. Here is how to think about each, and which holes are worth prioritising if you are staying put.

Follow or Position: The Fundamental Choice

Following a marquee group is exciting early in the round and exhausting by the back nine. You spend most of the time walking and waiting. You see the same players from behind for 18 holes. You miss everything else happening on the course.

Positioning yourself at two or three key holes means you see dozens of players play the same shot, read the same wind, make and miss the same putts. You understand the course rather than just one group. For a first Open, positioning is the better approach.

The 18th: Non-Negotiable

The grandstand behind the 18th green is the heart of a major championship. Every player finishes there. The roars carry from the green back down the fairway. If you have time at only one hole, spend it at 18. Arrive before the leaders are due in: the grandstand fills quickly and standing room on the mounds around the green goes early on a busy afternoon.

The grandstand at 18 also gives you a view of the approach from the fairway. Royal Birkdale's 18th is a long par 4 with an elevated tee and a closing green flanked by the clubhouse. The approach shot into the wind is one of the defining shots of any Open at Birkdale.

The 1st Tee: Morning Only

The 1st tee is worth your time in the morning when the first wave of players is going off. Watching players tee off at a major at close range, hearing the sound of the driver in person, is qualitatively different to watching on television. Get there early enough to be at the rope when the first groups go. By mid-morning the novelty has reduced and the 1st tee is less compelling than the action elsewhere on the course.

Mid-Course: The 9th and 10th Area

The middle of the course at Birkdale gives you a chance to see the field spread across multiple holes from a high dune position. The 9th and 10th area involves a change of direction on the course and the dune ridges between them offer elevated viewing positions that are not always obvious on a first visit.

This part of the course is typically less crowded than the 1st, 17th, and 18th areas, which means you can often get a better position and stay in it for longer. A two-hour stint here in the middle of a round day gives you more golf than fighting the crowds at the signature holes.

The 17th: The Climax Hole

Birkdale's 17th is one of the most significant holes in championship history. It is where finishes have been made and broken. On the final day especially, the 17th green area is where the emotion of the championship concentrates before the walk to 18.

Arrive at the 17th well before the leaders are due. The mounds around the green fill quickly. A position on the right side of the green gives you both the approach and the putting surface. Sunday afternoon at the 17th with a tight leaderboard is as intense as major championship golf gets.

Practical Notes

Move between holes during the gaps between groups rather than trying to cross in front of players. R&A marshals will stop movement at rope crossings when a player is playing. Plan your route in advance using the course map in your programme.

Food and drink on site is expensive. There are corporate hospitality areas and public concession stands. The queues at lunchtime are long. Eat before the main lunchtime rush or accept that you are going to wait.