Posted by & filed under Golf Equipment.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”

Of course, these are the words of iconic author Alfred Wainwright, first penned in his 1973 book Coast to Coast. But given the advances in clothing performance, they’re arguably even more relevant today—and they’re certainly relevant when it comes to golf.

Best golf waterproofs guide

Gone are the days when it was 50-50 whether your ‘waterproof shoes’ would actually keep your feet dry on a wet day, and when the guarantee of a suit repelling rain came with the downside of you feeling like you were in a sauna—or worse, a bin bag.

Now, there are no excuses for not staying dry when it’s wet out on the course. In this article, you’ll find a round-up of the best golf waterproofs on the market and what makes them so.

 

Best golf waterproofs: table of contents

Best waterproof golf jackets
Best waterproof golf trousers
Best waterproof golf shoes
Best waterproof golf gloves
Best waterproof golf cap
Best waterproof golf bag

 

Best waterproof golf jackets

Galvin Green Albert
RRP £369

best golf waterproofs

There’s only one place to start: the King of waterproofs—Galvin Green.

GG’s use of Gore-Tex is the key to its genius gear. In terms laymen can understand, the tiny pores in the Gore-Tex are too small to let raindrops in but big enough to let sweat out. So you stay dry but don’t get the classic sauna experience.

Galvin Green’s gear is also always super-lightweight and super-functional, too. The Albert has a full zip, which is handy when you’re trying to put it on or take it off quickly, plus Velcro straps on the side of the chest to allow you to tighten or loosen it.

The stretch Gore-Tex fabric gives full freedom of movement, and the lightweight mesh lining allows for a pocket of air between the body and the jacket to maintain body heat on cold days.

It’s machine washable and comes in sizes S-XXL with three modern designs.

 

Best cheap waterproof golf jacket

Callaway Stormlite
RRP £100

best golf waterproofs

Part of Callaway’s Weather Series™, the Stormlite is made from 100% polyester and waterproof to 10,000mm. It boasts adjustable cuffs for neatness and is a good-looking jacket with contrast detailing on both colour options, with the Callaway Tour logo on the right sleeve.

It’s available in caviar (black) and quiet shade (grey) from sizes S-XXL and is also machine washable.

 

Best waterproof golf trousers

FootJoy HydroTour
RRP £179

best golf waterproofs

What FootJoy doesn’t know about fighting the elements is probably not worth knowing anyway, and these lightweight, stretchy trousers with superb waterproof protection are another winner.

And here’s their USP: they can either be worn over another pair of trousers or just on their own, with a belt loop to ensure they fit properly.

The super-lightweight material on these trousers means you’ll never even think of taking them out of your bag—they’re super handy for those ‘just in case’ days.

They can handle 20,000mm of water column pressure (that’s a lot) and even have a three-year waterproof warranty.

 

Best super-premium waterproof golf trousers

Galvin Green Andy
RRP £229

best golf waterproofs

For the ultimate performance, pair your Galvin Green Albert jacket with the Andy, the Swedish company’s top-selling pair of trousers.

It’s part of the DRYVR™ rain gear collection, and, yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s also lined with that magical Gore-Tex material.

As well as being completely waterproof yet breathable, it’s also windproof, so they’re great to have on dry but breezy days, too.

The elastic waist and drawstring add to their comfort and functionality—and getting them on quickly when rain arrives unexpectedly!

Related: The best waterproof golf trousers

 

Best waterproof golf shoes

Ecco Biom G5
RRP £220

The Danish shoe company’s move into golf was a huge success, and the Biom G5s are the latest smash hit. Their comfort and performance levels lead the market.

The G5 has the look of the Biom family with the performance of a premium leather upper combined with a Gore-Tex membrane that makes them breathable and 100% waterproof.

Ecco’s own tanneries produce the leather for the shoes, but it’s the combination with Gore-Tex (AKA the kryptonite to rain) that makes it so exceptionally good in all weather.

It goes without saying, but these golf shoes are extremely comfortable and offer good support through the swing—Ecco shoes always do. The soles also provide sufficient traction, even on those slippery, wet days.

There is also a BOA option, a laceless system for closing the shoe around your foot.

 

Best cheap waterproof golf shoes

Puma Ignite Elevate
RRP £130

best golf waterproofs

The sporty-looking Ignite range has a waterproof Exoshell upper that keeps the elements out while providing the feel of a mesh shoe. Plus, a seven-cleat traction pattern provides 72 points of grip while still maintaining the outlook of a traditional spike shape.

The durable yet lightweight Exoshell is reinforced with underlays to keep the foot in place no matter how hard you swing. The Ignite Foam midsole is also very comfortable and provides plenty of support during a round.

Related: The best waterproof golf shoes

 

Best waterproof golf gloves

MacWet Aquatic Micromesh
RRP £24.99

‘All grip, no slip’ is MacWet’s motto, and we like them a lot.

The technology in the gloves’ material impressively responds to changes in the climate, ensuring maximum grip and feel no matter how wet or humid it is. They use natural ‘wicking’ properties so water is readily transported along, around, and over the gloves’ surface to the fabric face, where it quickly evaporates.

There are an impressive choice of sizes, from XS (6.5cm across your four finger knuckles) to XXL (10.5cm).

 

Best-looking waterproof golf gloves

Under Armour Storm
RRP £11

best golf waterproofs

If you want to really look the part even when it’s raining, the Under Armour Storm is your option.

Its tech repels the rain but looks cool, and also keeps you feeling cool because there’s no pay-off in terms of breathability. It’s durable and flexible with good grip, too.

 

Best waterproof golf cap

Galvin Green Argo cap
RRP £39

Yes, this really is a thing. A waterproof cap. We couldn’t do a round-up of the best golf waterproofs without one—and next time there’s a storm, you’ll be glad you bought one.

The Argo is a full seam-sealed Gore-Tex cap that’s completely waterproof and windproof. It is, naturally, breathable and has an elasticated sweatband for extra comfort. It can be adjusted from 54 to 62cm and comes in three colours—black, navy blue and grey.

Oh, and if you want to be even more protected, try the Annie, which is the Argo cap with the addition of a warm lining and ear flaps that extend all the way around the back of your neck. So, possibly not the most stylish look ever, but you’re never getting rain down your back with this on your head.

Designed for those who often play in the rain and cold, the Annie is a tenner more than the Argo at £49.

 

Best waterproof golf bag

Motocaddy HydroFlex Stand
RRP £219

The team at Motocaddy are golf trolley and bag specialists, and the HydroFlex is a diamond in their range.

It has a waterproof rain hood, a towel and accessory hook, plus an internal umbrella sleeve, which add to its waterproofness and keep you and your gear dry even in a downpour—yet it still manages to remain pretty lightweight at just 2.4kg.

Key features of this bag include five full-length dividers, an external drinks pouch and five spacious pockets with top-of-the-range YKK zips for easy access even with wet and cold hands.

It’s a stand bag but it also fits perfectly onto any Motocaddy trolley. It boasts a quick-release strap and adjustable rear stand lock. It comes in a stylish grey colour with red, blue or yellow trim.

Posted by & filed under Women's Golf.

The article below was written by Paul Miller of National Club Golfer.

What golf balls do LPGA players use? This article will take a deep dive into what golf balls the best female golfers in the world are using.

The list of the top female golfers below is based on the official world golf rankings.

Further to Lexi Thompson announcing her retirement recently, we have included her in the list in recognition of her contribution to the game of golf.

 

What golf balls do LPGA players use?

 

Nelly Korda – TaylorMade TP5x

Nelly Korda opts for the TaylorMade TP5x golf ball due to the fact it spins lower and also launches slightly lower than the TP5 model. She also plays the TaylorMade Qi10 Max driver to hit it of the tee.

Lilia Vu – Titleist Pro V1x

The Titleist Pro V1x is Titleist’s highest spinning tour golf ball which suits Lilia Vu as a lower spin golfer.

If you are looking for a golf ball that flights slightly higher and spins slightly more around the greens this might be option for you.

Celine Boutier – Titleist Pro V1x

Just like Lilia Vu, the ball of choice for Celine Boutier is the Titleist Pro V1x.

Ruoning Yin – Callaway Chrome Soft X

The Callaway Chrome Soft X performs exceptionally well across all categories. It offers a great balance of feel, distance, and control. It is the ball of choice for Ruoning Yin.

Hannah Green – Srixon Z Star Diamond

The Srixon Z Star Diamond golf ball is the ball of choice by Srixon tour professionals, and it’s easy to see why. This is the spinniest of all of Srixon’s golf balls, and with greens on tour being firmer and faster all the time, this ball is an ally in the bag.

If you’re a low-trajectory player looking for more spin and height with your shots, this ball is worth giving a go – just like Hannah Green.

Jin Young Ko – Titleist Pro V1

The Titleist Pro V1 golf ball performs exceptionally well across all categories. You get a great balance of feel, distance and control. If you are after a tour-level golf ball, it is impossible to go wrong with this.

Rose Zhang – Callaway Chrome Tour X

The Callaway Chrome Tour X offers more speed with the driver and more spin with the irons than they have ever been able to offer before, it is the complete tour ball.

This new 4 piece ball is built on the success of the Chrome Soft X ball and so for Callaway Tour players like Rose Zhang it is their ball of choice.

Charley Hull – TaylorMade TP5x

Just like Nelly Korda, Charley Hull’s ball of choice is the TaylorMade TP5x.

Minjee Lee – Callaway Chrome Tour X

Like fellow Callaway staffer Rose Zhang, Minjee Lee’s ball of choice is the Callaway Chrome Tour X.

Brooke Henderson – TaylorMade TP5x

Just like Nelly Korda and Charley Hull, Brooke Henderson’s ball of choice is the TaylorMade TP5x.

Lexi Thompson – Maxfli Tour Ball

Lexi switched to Maxfli in early 2024 after testing it and seeing it improve her game around the greens and some extra distance of the tee. Could it provide the same things for you?

Posted by & filed under Playing Tips.

Ask any group of golfers to list their biggest pet peeves, and you’re likely to hear ‘slow play’ mentioned a handful of times at least.

There’s no doubt that knowing how to avoid slow play in golf will likely win you more friends out on the course. In fact, the R&A actually has a Pace of Play Manual, which cites results from a 2015 survey showing that 60% of golfers would enjoy the sport more if it took less time.

The 56,000 survey respondents played golf on average twice a week, demonstrating that even those who play fairly regularly have a desire to play in less time—and it would be fair to assume that golfers who play less than this face even longer rounds. 

We’ve been hearing about slow play in golf for decades and, were it not for what is happening in the professional game these days, we’d be hearing a lot more. Headlines back in 2020 suggested the Tours were clamping down on golfers guilty of slow play, but since then, we’ve had a pandemic and a huge split in the game thanks to the emergence of LIV. 

Although there’s no concrete definition of what constitutes as slow play, we can all do our bit to avoid it at club level. The ‘common-sense’ measures below, again, have been around since the beginning of time, but a large chunk of golfers could do with a timely (pun intended) reminder.

So, what can club golfers and weekend players do to ensure that everyone gets round in a decent time?

 

How to avoid slow play in golf

how to avoid slow play in golf

 

1. Play ‘ready golf’

We’ve been familiar with this phrase for a number of years, but many of us could perhaps put it to better use.

This occurs in stroke play to help speed up the game. If it is safe to do so, you can play your shot even if you’re nearer the hole than your playing partners. One player might be waiting for a par-5 green to clear, and this is the perfect opportunity for those who can’t reach to play up the fairway.

You often see players on the tee deliberating who had the lowest score on the previous hole and then playing in order. We all have different routines, but it’s much better for the overall pace of play to have the quickest player teeing off first and setting a good example.

Another good example to set is to hit your shot before looking for another player’s ball, particularly if that player already has some help. Use your common sense—if a playing partner has bladed a shot over the green, they could probably do with a breather.

Related: What is ready golf and does it help pace of play?

 

2. Pay attention

How many fourballs have you played in where one player in the group is brilliant at spotting balls and another is appalling?

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be watching your playing partners’ tee shots and, to a lesser extent, their approach shots, too. To help the pace of play, everyone needs to be aware of what is happening in their group.

 

3. Play the right tees

how to avoid slow play in golf

Obvious it may sound, but this is another familiar point when talking about how to avoid slow play in golf. Playing a longer course will mean a longer round. You’re walking back to tees, hitting longer clubs in, taking more shots and probably not enjoying it as much.

There’s so much to be said for playing a shorter course on occasion and seeing your home club through a different lens.

Don’t let vanity get in the way of enjoying your round. Likewise, playing the right format will also help matters. Most of the time, we get to choose how we play the game, so steer clear of fourballs and stroke play and entertain a format that means you can pick your ball up if you’re not in the hole. Also, where possible, play at a time of day when there might be less traffic. 

 

4. Let players through

Single golfers present an easy way to get people around the course. If you’re a fourball and you have a singleton behind you, let them through immediately.

It’s very easy to see how your group is faring in relation to the rest of the course, so if you’ve lost a hole on the group in front, speed up or let others through.

 

5. Play a provisional

There’s arguably nothing worse than trudging back to the tee or divot in the fairway having not found your tee or approach shot.

This whole charade can add 10 minutes or so to a round, but a simple provisional will take a fraction of that time. It’s not the most comfortable position to be in, having to hit another, but see it as a chance to play an extra shot and find a more positive feel, and encourage playing partners to do the same.

Amazingly, the better the player, the more often they will hit a provisional.

 

6. Don’t mark your card on the green

how to avoid slow play in golf

Well, you can—but it’s more about being aware of the group behind. You can expect a few hands on hips from the fourball on the fairway if you finish the hole by noting down your scores.

Do it on the next tee, or you risk being that unpopular group everyone moans about.

 

7. Pick up

If you have nobody behind you, then feel free to do what you want, within reason, of course. If you have a group behind you and they’re all standing there with their hands on their hips, and there’s no need to putt out, don’t.

We’re all familiar with the golfer who has just made an eight, and they continue to play out the hole. For the sake of any card, marking it doesn’t make any difference, and you’re potentially getting in the way by playing on. One of the biggest crimes here is to ‘hockey’ the ball around the hole once you’re out of it or your putt has been conceded.

 

8. Walk quicker

This point rarely gets mentioned when looking at how to avoid slow play, but pushing yourself to get to your ball that bit faster can make all the difference.

Get your heart rate and speed up, and if you’re playing in a fourball, walk in twos and mix the chat up. Be ready to leave the tee once the final player has hit and get moving.

Ultimately, eighteen holes will take a relatively long time compared to other sports, but we can all do our bit to improve the pace of play and the enjoyment of our fellow golfers.

Posted by & filed under Blog.

Golf is a repetitive, physical sport that puts a lot of strain on the body. Like in any sport, golf injuries are common.

While a golfer may not have to worry about breaking their leg as much as, say, a footballer might, there are still a range of common golf injuries for golfers to consider and try to avoid.

In this blog, golf fitness instructor Jamie Greaves explains some of the most common golf injuries, why you might be getting them, and how best to avoid them in the future.

 

The most common golf injuries

Jamie said:

Around 80% of golf injuries stem from what we call overuse.  Regardless of which part of the body gets injured, the root cause is always very similar. Golfers make the same motion over and over again, which places stress on the body. 

It’s almost like an equation. On one side, you’ve got the demands on your body, such as how many swings you’re making and how many rounds you’re playing. On the other side, you’ve got your capacity—i.e., what your body can handle.

Overuse injuries normally occur when this equation becomes out of whack, where demands on the body exceed your body’s capacity.

Whenever I’m looking at an injury—whether it be back, shoulder, wrist, or so on—that’s my first line of thinking. So, it’s often a case of managing and balancing that equation.  

 

Common golf injuries: demands on the body

common golf injuries

Let’s use running as an example. Your workload might be the number of miles you run each week. If you’re a runner, you wouldn’t want to run, say, 10 miles in week one, 10 miles in week two, and then 60 miles in week three. I view golf very similarly in that you don’t want to spike your workload too rapidly or suddenly. 

In the first Covid lockdown in 2020, many golfers bought nets for practising at home. But by the final lockdown, I suspect a lot of those golfers had become fed up with the situation and perhaps weren’t out in the garden practising as much. So, you then had your typical golfer, who had made probably zero swings for 10-12 weeks before courses reopened, and everyone went mad again. There were probably a lot of niggles and golf injuries during this period as a result.

That’s why, with my tour and elite players, I try to track how many swings they’re making. At the end of the day, you need to appreciate that golf is a stress on the body. 

 

Common golf injuries: Body capacity

On the other side of the equation, you’ve got to consider what your body can handle—in other words, its capacity.

If your body is strong and moves well, we know that strength training reduces overuse injuries by around half. Factors like your general health, fitness, and sleep pattern can also influence how well your body can cope with certain things. The stronger and more robust your body, the less likely you are to get injured.  

Another thing to consider is your swing mechanic, which can also impact injuries. The most recent example of this is Will Zalatoris, who had to take months off with a back injury. He had an excessive amount of side bend and lateral flexion in his swing, which was exerting more stress and overuse in a particular area. He’s since modified his swing with less side bend and more rotation since returning from injury.

The biomechanics are always tricky, because you can have swings that look unproblematic—say, Fred Couples, who has got a nice long, fluid swing, but he’s had back injuries throughout his whole career. You can’t just look at a swing and say, ‘That golfer is going to get injured,’ or the other way around. Golf injuries are a lot more complicated than that. 

 

The most common golf injuries

common golf injuries

The lead wrist

One of the most common areas for a golf injury is the wrists, particularly the lead wrist. These injuries can occur when a golfer tries to change the structure of their backswing or tries to get more compression on the ball.

They might be trying to get more laid off at the top and more bow in the left wrist, but the wrist isn’t used to being in that position. Then they start hitting balls, applying force, and it’s a case of capacity and demand again.

The capacity of the wrist in that position is quite low, but the demand on it has increased. That’s why swing changes can sometimes make injuries more likely, as we’re asking the body to do something it’s not necessarily used to.

 

The lower back

This is arguably the most common golf injury, as the lower back takes on a lot of stress in a golf swing. Our backs are designed to side bend to the left and right but the lower vertebrae don’t have much rotation. So, even if someone is highly mobile, we don’t really want to be asking the lower back to do any kind of rotation during a swing.  

Modern life can be rather static. We spend a lot of time sitting down, and so many people, golfers included, are somewhat restricted in their thoracic or ribcage area and may not have a huge amount of motion through their hips. So, if you’re playing a sport that involves a lot of rotation, where are you going to get that rotation from?  

I’m a big fan of getting my golfers to move their spine daily through all kinds of motion—forward folds, backwards bends, rotation side-to-side, and so on. The stronger your lower back area is, the better.  

Unfortunately, you can’t completely prevent injuries. They will happen at some point, especially given the high levels of speed and intensity on tour. However, there are things you can do to limit the amount of injuries you get and their severity. A strong, fit, mobile body will recover from injury much faster than a body that’s in a worse state.  

 

Golfer’s elbow

You’ve probably heard of ‘tennis elbow’, but golfer’s elbow is also a thing. In fact, many golfers suffer from it.

Many cases of golfer’s elbow (or medial epicondylitis, as it’s known medically) are through the lead side. When we strike the ball, we swing with quite a lot of speed and then strike the ground. Slow-mo replays allow us to see the reverberations up the club, shaft, and lead arm, and we can see there’s quite a lot of stress on that part of the body.  

We need to strengthen the wrist-forearm area to combat this by ensuring the area can move well and has a good range of motion. Again, generally speaking, the stronger and more robust these areas are, the more likely they are to cope with stress and potential injury. It’s a similar philosophy across all the common golf injuries and parts of the body.

Aim to be as strong as possible in each area and be aware of your swing volume. The key is to try to build up slowly. The body is very adaptable—and it will adapt—but not overnight. 

Related: Causes and symptoms of golfer’s elbow

 

The shoulders and neck

The neck takes a lot of force in a golf swing, mainly because the body rotates around it. Obviously, our heads don’t move a huge amount themselves, but because everything else moves around them, including the hips and trunk, it creates a rotation around the head.

I always encourage golfers to do a 5-10-minute warm-up before playing to get the body moving. I do a lot of shoulder work with golfers, too.

The main thing to be aware of is how many swings you’re making, especially if you’re making changes or putting yourself in different positions to what your body is used to. You want to get your body moving as much as possible and as strong as it can be so it can cope with more.

 

About Jamie Greaves

Jamie is a strength and conditioning coach and keen golfer, having reached a handicap of scratch at 16. He has worked with a number of tour golfers, including Charley Hull, and has his own app to ‘help golfers move better, get stronger, and swing faster’. Visit www.jggolffitness.co.uk for more.

Posted by & filed under Blog.

The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.

There’s the clubhouse, the food and beverage, even the driving range. But for most of us, the main reason we join a golf club is for the course.

It’s by far the biggest asset and it won’t surprise you to learn it’s also the biggest cost. But what do the numbers look like? How much of a club’s income, and how much of its turnover, goes into making sure those precious fairways and greens are the best they can be?

In The Price of Club Golf series, industry consultant Kevin Fish revealed almost 50 pence in every pound generated by a club is spent on the course – with the vast majority of that on salaries.

“It’s pretty labour intensive out there!” he said.

But let’s try and break down those numbers even further. Richard Penley-Martin, general manager of private members’ club Denham, said it cost the Buckinghamshire facility a basic £1.3 million to open the doors – to prepare the golf course and get the clubhouse open.

That’s before considering staffing, maintenance, and other costs. How do those figures break down for the golf course?

“The cost of materials for the golf course is about 10 per cent of our turnover and that’s without doing any special projects,” he explained.

“That’s just the day-to-day stuff – keeping the machinery going, putting new chemicals on the course, buying new course furniture and all those intangibles that you’ve got.

“Salaries are probably about 15 per cent, so 25 per cent of your cost is just providing the golf course.

“That’s without buying any machinery. Our 10-year rolling replacement programme for course machinery is £1.5 million. Effectively, you’ve got £150,000 worth of capital you are having to put aside, or spend, each year, just to keep your top-notch machinery fleet going.

“You can do it cheaper and, in the past, we did. You’d buy a machine and run it until it finally broke or became non-economic to run.

 

Golf course cost: ‘If they’re paying top dollar for a green fee they want the course the best it can possibly be’

“But [with] member expectation and visitor expectation, if they’re paying top dollar for a green fee they want the course the best it can possibly be. You can’t do that if you’re not getting a clean cut from your machines or you’re not cutting frequently enough because one is broken and you’ve not got a replacement.”

Denham carry out their own grinding, but don’t have a specialist mechanic – shelling out anything up to £70 to £80 an hour when they are required. Penley-Martin estimates the cost of maintaining the fleet is around £30,000 a year.

With aggregates such as bunker sand, and sand for topdressing, surging in price in recent years, the club have also spent close on £1 million on a project to re-bunker the course and to line those traps.

“We’ve lined the bunkers because we’re on a gravel soil. So to stop the gravel coming into the bunkers, causing inconsistency and contamination, we’ve lined the bunkers – which is why it’s cost us nigh on a million pounds.

“But a great advantage for lining the bunkers is that we won’t need to replace the sand as frequently as we were before when it was getting contaminated.

“Hopefully we will see in the long term a cost benefit because we’re not having to pay a lot of money for aggregates.”

A further course cost which must be accounted for, Penley-Martin explained, is depreciation.

He said: “If you’re running along like we do, you’ve probably got somewhere between £150,000 and £250,000 of depreciation that you have to allow for each year.

“That’s reinvesting back I the club and it’s where a lot of clubs sometimes let themselves down because they’ve tried to save money by not doing that.

“Part of it can be on machinery but, equally, it could be the fabric of your buildings. You don’t reinvest in the buildings and then, suddenly further down the line, you have to invest a whole bunch of cash to get the fabric back to decent condition.

“You’ve got to spend a lot more than you would do if you’d just been drip feeding your maintenance in as you’ve gone along.”

Posted by & filed under The Open.

The article below was written by Matt Chivers of National Club Golfer.

The ballot for tickets to the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush will open on July 1.

Running until July 31, fans can submit ticket applications with results being announced during August and September, with all having a fair opportunity to attend the event in Northern Ireland.

The ballot is available exclusively to members of the One Club which is a free-to-join digital membership programme that fans can sign up to at any time. One Club members are the first to be notified when the ballot is open, and they can also upgrade to One Club Advantage for an enhanced chance of success.

The Open was last held at Royal Portrush in 2019 when Shane Lowry won the Claret Jug in front of his home crowd. The 2019 Open set a record for attendance for the tournament outside of St Andrews with 237,750 fans present throughout the week.

 

2025 Open Championship tickets information

“The return of The Open to Royal Portrush in 2019 was a huge success and demonstrated the incredible passion that exists for golf throughout the island of Ireland. We are anticipating, yet again, record-breaking demand among fans to attend the Championship next year,” said R&A CEO Martin Slumbers.

“The ticket ballot has proven to be the fairest and most equitable way of allocating tickets and so we are encouraging fans to register this July in order to secure their place at The Open and ensure that they are part of a true celebration of golf. We are looking forward to holding another historic Championship and welcoming them to Royal Portrush next year.”

Ticket prices for the 153rd Open will start from £100 for an adult on championship days and £25 on practice days. Free tickets will be available through the ‘Kids go Free’ programme, while half-price youth tickets are available for 16-24-year-olds.

“I’m excited that The Open is returning to Royal Portrush. Becoming The Open Champion in 2019 was one of my career highlights to date and I am looking forward to playing the course again next summer. The atmosphere in 2019 was something that I will never forget and I’ve no doubt that it will be the same for The 153rd Open next year,” Lowry said.

The Open at Portrush next year will be played from July 13-20, 2025.