The Open Championship

Commonly referred to as “The British Open”, The Open Championship is heralded as the oldest championship golf tournament in the world. Like the US Open, The Open Championship is theoretically “open” to all who can either be invited or qualify, comprising its field of the world’s very best golfers. 

The Open began in 1860 when eight professional golfers in Prestwick, Scotland banded together to determine who was the best and most worthy of “The Challenge Belt”. Thirteen years later in 1872 was when the Old Course at Saint Andrews first hosted The Open, and Tom Kidd first hoisted the original Claret Jug. Much later in 1927, this Claret Jug was agreed to be retained so that future champions would be presented with a replica, and in 2022, Champion Golfer of the Year Cameron Smith would discover that the Claret Jug fits “exactly two” beers. 

The Old Course at Saint Andrews

The Old Course at Saint Andrews is affectionately referred to as the “home of golf”. I had the great fortune to play The Old Course during my solo trip to Scotland following my graduation from the Sustainable Innovation MBA program in August 2019. 

This course is special to me and special to the world of golf for many reasons:

• It is the oldest golf course in the world (originally founded in 1552)

• It is considered the birthplace of golf

• It is a municipal golf course that closes to become a publicly open park every Sunday

• It hosts the Open Championship every five years

• It is the home of the R&A

While easily one of the shortest major championship layouts today’s touring professional will encounter, The Old Course tests its hopeful champions through creativity, commitment, and cunning as they brave the conditions of wind, penalizing bunkers, and massively undulating greens. While I played it just once, I have been told that your romance with The Old Course simply grows and grows the more you play it. Players and architects often remark about its variety of playable shots that inspire a childlike openness to possibilities. That sense of wonder, playfulness, and gratitude was exactly what I felt upon my first visit. Despite little sleep, windy conditions, and sideways Scottish rain, I shot a 77 that I had seemingly no business scoring as an 8-handicap at the time. Just being there filled my awareness with flow and gratitude. Those feelings are my favorite part of any golfing experience, and I hope to help many more golf venues recreate them.

Recap of the 150th Open Championship held at The Old Course in Saint Andrews, Scotland

This year’s 150th Open returned to Saint Andrews (which hosts the Open every five years), where Aussie golfer Cameron Smith would match the Old Course’s challenges with his excellent short game and putting along with world class ball striking to win by one stroke and shoot twenty-under-par (-20). The Old Course modeled fast and firm conditions that upheld sustainability standards while also yielding exciting golf. Yes, the 350-yard 18th hole played like a par 3 to most of the top pros, but it made for exciting golf nonetheless, as the game of golf ultimately tests each player’s ability against his own potential. It is agnostic to “par” in that sense. 

This championship and venue in particular stand out as celebrations of golf history, which has its literal roots in municipal ownership. Saint Andrews is a small town (resident population of under 17,000) that still hosts over a million bed nights per year, largely due to its roots in golf. The Old Course is thus a classic example of the synergy that Driving the Green imagines possible between sustainable golf, open green spaces, and municipalities.

Sustainability Initiatives of The 150th Open Championship

This year’s Open built on recent efforts of the R&A (and its subsidiary GEO Foundation) to make the Open Championship not only the world’s oldest golf championship, but also one of its most environmentally friendly tournaments. Key initiatives included: 

• All core carbon emissions were offset through Gold Standard accredited climate projects

• Single-use plastics were reduced or eliminated from catering options in compliance with Scottish law and GEO Foundation’s OnCourse program

• Reusable water bottles were sold, raising proceeds to plant over 20,000 trees

• Biofuel generators provided tournament operation energy needs

• For the first time, electrified fleets were used for transportation and mowing

• Local and ethical produce was sourced in catering

• Renewable grid energy and solar panels supplemented tournament operation energy needs

History of Sustainable Golf through the R&A and GEO Foundation

The R&A launched a GreenLinks climate action initiative in 2016 to minimize the environmental and social impacts of The Open while enhancing spectator enjoyment. One such example is The Open Water initiative, established in collaboration with Bluewater to provide spectators with reusable metal water bottles that encourage hydration, reduce marine plastic pollution, and promote an important behavioral change, all while commemorating the spectator experience and leveraging The Open brand to build environmental awareness.

The Old Course in Saint Andrews is host to the global headquarters of the R&A, which subsidizes the Golf Environment Organization (or GEO Foundation) of North Berwick, Scotland through the proceeds raised by The Open Championship every year. The Open tournament thus supports global sustainability “in and through golf” with the work that GEO undertakes for other golf tournaments, golf operations, and golf course developments.