The Open Championship
The Open Championship takes place Jul 15 - 18, 2027 at St Andrews (the 155th Open) in Southport, England. The dress code is No spectator dress code, but dress for links weather rather than fashion: waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, and flat comfortable shoes for walking dunes and uneven turf. Typical cost ranges from 900 to 5000 EUR per person.
The oldest championship in golf, first played in 1860, whose winner lifts the Claret Jug and takes the title Champion Golfer of the Year. The 155th Open returns to the Old Course at St Andrews in 2027, the game's spiritual home, where the town itself functions as the grandstand and the wind decides the scoring. Royal Birkdale hosted the 2026 edition; the St Andrews years are always the hardest ballot of the rotation.
- When
- Jul 15 - 18, 2027 at St Andrews (the 155th Open)
- Where
- Southport, England
- Dress code
- No spectator dress code, but dress for links weather rather than fashion: waterproof jacket and trousers, warm layers, and flat comfortable shoes for walking dunes and uneven turf.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 900 to 5000 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 14 - 20C, breezy with sun and showers in the same hour
- When to book
- The R&A ballot opens the autumn before; register interest at theopen.com now and secure St Andrews or Dundee accommodation 12+ months out
- Getting there
- EDI (Edinburgh), 1 hr 30 min drive to St Andrews; Leuchars is the nearest railway station, 10 min by bus
- Where to stay
- Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, Rusacks St Andrews, Ardgowan Hotel, St Andrews
- Official site
- https://www.theopen.com
How to attend
The R&A runs a public ballot through theopen.com, typically opening the autumn before with a general sale afterwards for whatever remains, and St Andrews years are heavily oversubscribed. Under-16s enter free with a paying adult, and Ticket Plus and hospitality packages are the fallback if the ballot fails. Register your interest on the site now so you are notified when the 2027 ballot opens, and note the town's accommodation sells out well before the tickets do.
Insider tip
St Andrews is the one Open venue where you can watch for free - the Old Course's 1st and 18th holes run alongside public land, so the walk over the Swilcan Bridge and the finish on the road hole side can be seen from outside the ropes.
Get inside The Open Championship
Booking matters here: the R&A ballot opens the autumn before; register interest at theopen.com now and secure St Andrews or Dundee accommodation 12+ months out. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.