We had the pleasure to spend a couple of days at the Open Championship in Hoylake this past week and, just as it has always been, this is one of the greatest and best organised tournaments you could ever hope to experience.

With the event coming back to Ireland at Portrush in 2025, those are tickets that you really should be looking to snap up.

The organisers begin their preparations for each venue years in advance and are on site from months out. That lead time was extended in 2019 at Portrush because of concerns over Brexit at the time, but all the time that goes in is reflected in an incredible experience.

Here are (par) five takeaways on why it is one of the greatest events you can attend.

Access

Every grandstand is open to the general public with only 5 percent of the seats reserved for those with more expensive ticket packages.

You can have a ringside seat on the 18th green for the price of your ground admission, so long as you are patient and get there well in advance.

Branding

It is only gorgeous to see the detail that goes into creating the look and feel of The Open Championship.

The colour palette of Navy and Yellow extends from the flags and the grandstands to the hospitality areas and the ropes that cordon off the playing area.

Every marshall is easily identified by wearing not a hi-vis bit a designer top created exclusively each year by Hugo Boss.

Atmosphere

Golf tournaments are unusual in sport in that everyone there is happy to support whatever the best shots are. In the US it can be a bit more tribal but for the most part this is just about cheering on whoever is in front of you at the time to deliver great shots.

LIV golfers got as much of a welcome around the fairways as anyone else and while there was an extra loud welcome for local hero Tommy Fleetwood and perennial fan favourite Rory McIlroy, it is as supportive a sporting event as you can find.

Value

Each Daily ticket for the Open is capped at £95 on Day One through to £110 on the Final Day, for what can be 12 hours or more of live sporting action. Better still 16-24 year olds can get in for half price and those under the age of 16 are free.

A ticket ballot operates each year with the initial phase for next year closing tomorrow. There have been no walk-up ticket sales for the past few years, with total crowds over the past four days in excess of 250,000.

Merchandise

The Shop which sits in the middle of the Village erected for the Championship is the biggest you will find at any major sporting event.

Last year over 400,000 items were bought ranging from commemorative balls to high-end fashion, limited edition golf bags and everything in between including teddy bears, caps, flags and t-shirts.

Again the pricing, while not cheap is reasonable for an event of this scale and the collectible nature of the goodies all adds into the branding of the event.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

The demographic that is engaged by golf was always towards the older end and in traditional clubhouses that likely remains the same but the age profile of those attending last week was much lower than you would expect, the vast majority with real knowledge of the sport.

Go to any driving range across Ireland, Britain or the US and it is like walking into the gym at the local football club with youth to the fore.

When you get golf it is the most addictive of sporting pleasures, allowing you to play on the same ‘pitch’ as the elite of the game and in that sense ironically becoming one of the more egalitarian ways of following a sporting passion.

The KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle and the Horizon Irish Men’s Open at the K Club will take place here in consecutive weeks at the end of August and the beginning of September. If you’ve never been to a professional golf event, mark those dates in your diary for a real sporting treat.