The Best 1st Holes in Golf Across the Pond

Unforgettable Opening Holes in Scotland, Ireland, and Beyond

Whether it’s a casual Saturday morning at the club or a dream round at one of The Open Championship venues, no golfer is immune to the paralyzing fear of the first tee jitters.

Even the most dominant player of all time constantly had trouble on the opening tee, as the spectators on Augusta’s 9th fairway know all too well.

The day I don’t feel nervous on the first tee is the day I quit. ~Tiger Woods

The best first holes at golf courses in Scotland, Ireland, and England take on a variety of forms. Some are daunting, others are picturesque, and many are both... But all are memorable.

For those embarking on U.K. and Ireland golf trips, here are a few of our favorite 1st holes to explore along the way.

Machrihanish Golf Club

When Old Tom Morris staked the first hole at Machrihanish Golf Club, he gifted the golfing world with one of its truly unforgettable sights.

Depending on the tide, a drive pulled left will either find the beach or the waves of the Atlantic, while a bailout to the right makes an already long par-4 even longer.

If “The Battery” doesn’t raise some degree of fear, then we’d advise having the caddie do a check of your pulse.

Prestwick Golf Club

At just 345 yards, the 1st hole at Prestwick Golf Club should make for a relatively gentle welcome to the birthplace of The Open. Put a red brick wall and a railway right up against the edge of the fairway, however, and suddenly that easy hybrid is anything but straightforward.

Now would be a good time to avoid the power slice off the tee, or else your ProV1 may catch the express train up to Glasgow.

The Old Course at St. Andrews

Without question, the Old Course at St. Andrews is home to one of the best 1st holes in golf. But with 129 yards of fairway to work with, and nothing more than a fairway wood in hand, it should also be one of the easiest holes in golf.

Try telling that to someone who has dreamed of hitting that opening shot for much of their life, and now must do so with a small crowd and the R&A clubhouse looming.

Ballybunion Golf Club

If you happen to find the graveyard that borders the first fairway at Ballybunion Golf Club, re-tee and call that first ball a loss. The game is hard enough as it is, without the negative karma of playing with a ball that was retrieved from a cemetery.

That is unless you happen to bounce off one of the gravestones and back into play... What the caddies refer to as a "Lazarus."

Ballybunion Golf Club 1st Hole Graveyard

Ardglass Golf Club

Standing in the shadow of the 13th century castle turned clubhouse, the proposition off the first tee at Ardglass is really quite simple: The Irish Sea is left, all 42,000 square miles of Ireland are right.

And yet, an enterprising golfer with some scuba gear could build a highly profitable business by frequenting the waters along those jagged cliffs.

Royal Liverpool

The prospect of hitting 3 (or even 5) off the first tee at Royal Liverpool Golf Club is very real, thanks to the out of bounds that flank both sides of the fairway.

The tendency here is to try and steer this one down the middle, but at 427 yards one needs every spare yard they can find. Whenever The Open Championship returns to Hoylake, the players are certain to resurrect an old debate about the - as they call it - “quirky” internal out of bounds found on this hole.