Clubhouse of Royal Troon
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Clubhouse of Royal Troon
Royal Troon's clubhouse dates back to 1886, but has since been expanded multlple times. Getty Images
Clubhouse of Royal Birkdale
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Clubhouse of Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale's iconic art deco-style clubhouse was built in the 1930s by architect George Tonge. Getty Images
Old Course in St. Andrews - R & A
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Old Course in St. Andrews - R & A
The exclusive R&A clubhouse sits right behind the first tee box on the Old Course in St. Andrews. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
The Old Course in St. Andrews - Links Trust Clubhouse
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The Old Course in St. Andrews - Links Trust Clubhouse
Daily-fee players of the six St. Andrews links courses do not check-in at the R&A clubhouse, but the new Links Trust clubhouse, which sits next to the second hole of the Old. Brandon Tucker/Golf Advisor
Royal St. George's Golf Club - clubhouse
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Royal St. George's Golf Club - clubhouse
The clubhouse at Royal St. George's Golf Club has a nice patio to enjoy on summer days. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Prestwick Golf Club - Old Course - hole 14
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Prestwick Golf Club - Old Course - hole 14
The original host of The Open, Prestwick's clubhouse is filled with historical artifacts inside. Jason Scott Deegan/Golf Advisor
Muirfield clubhouse
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Muirfield clubhouse
The home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, Muirfield's clubhouse was built in 1891 as an Elizibethan design with a half-timbered main gable. Getty Images
Royal Liverpool Clubhouse
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Royal Liverpool Clubhouse
The clubhouse at Royal Liverpool was built originally in 1895, and was extensively renovated prior to the 2006 Open. Getty Images
Carnoustie - No. 18 and clubhouse
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Carnoustie - No. 18 and clubhouse
Prior to the 1999 Open, Carnoustie built a 91-room hotel, adjacent to the clubhouse, located behind the 18th hole. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Lytham & St. Annes - Clubhouse
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Royal Lytham & St. Annes - Clubhouse
Royal Lytham & St. Annes' clubhouse has a dormy house, where golfers can stay overnight on site during their visit to the links. Getty Images
Clubhouse - Trump Turnberry golf course
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Clubhouse - Trump Turnberry golf course
Trump Turnberry's clubhouse sits beneath the hotel beside the 18th green and putting green. It was refurbished in 2015 as part of Donald Trump's revamp of the property. Courtesy of Trump Turnberry
Royal Portrush - Clubhouse
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Royal Portrush - Clubhouse
Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush returns to the Open rota in 2019. Getty Images
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Tour the clubhouses of The Open rota golf links

Unlike Augusta National or many of the private venues of the U.S. Open or PGA Championship, golfers can step foot into just about all of the clubhouses that have hosted The Open (with the main exception being the R & A clubhouse in St. Andrews, which is by invite only).

Even the more formal Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield (which was recently removed from the rota by the R & A for their exclusionary membership practices), allows those who play the links on Tuesdays and Thursdays to come inside (as long as they wear a jacket, of course).

All of these clubhouses are filled with historic artifacts, like old hickory clubs, trophies, photos and much more.

The collection of clubhouses of The Open range in styles, from Royal Birkdale's ship-like, art deco-style clubhouse, to the more uninspired architecture of 1951 and 2019 Open host Royal Portrush. Many of these clubhouses are among the finest in Great Britain and Ireland, because they are often updated prior to staging the Open. Carnoustie, in fact, added a brand new hotel to the property prior to the infamous 1999 Open, which was won by Scotsman Paul Lawrie (and lost by Jean Van de Velde). The most recent upgrade was at Trump Turnberry (which last hosted the Open in 2009, prior to the purchase by Donald Trump).

Have you been to or inside any of these clubhouses set beside these iconic links? Tweet us your photos @GolfAdvisor or use the hashtag #LivingtheGreen on Instagram.

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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Tour the clubhouses of The Open rota golf links