Birkdale and beyond: the greatest golf links in the world

    By Rob Hodgetts, CNN

    Updated 0943 GMT (1743 HKT) July 17, 2017

    The British Open rotates around 10 of the best links golf courses in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. St. Andrews (pictured) is known as the "Home of Golf" and its Old Course is arguably the game's most hallowed turf.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    The British Open rotates around 10 of the best links golf courses in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. St. Andrews (pictured) is known as the "Home of Golf" and its Old Course is arguably the game's most hallowed turf.
    Hide Caption
    1 of 22
    <strong>St. Andrews:</strong> Golf has been played over the dunes and linksland of St. Andrews since the 15th Century. The clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club stands sentinel over the unique layout which starts and finishes in town.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    St. Andrews: Golf has been played over the dunes and linksland of St. Andrews since the 15th Century. The clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club stands sentinel over the unique layout which starts and finishes in town.
    Hide Caption
    2 of 22
    <strong>St. Andrews: </strong>There are six courses squeezed onto St. Andrews' links, with the Old Course at their heart. The Road Hole 17th and 18th form an iconic finishing stretch.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    St. Andrews: There are six courses squeezed onto St. Andrews' links, with the Old Course at their heart. The Road Hole 17th and 18th form an iconic finishing stretch.
    Hide Caption
    3 of 22
    <strong>St. Andrews:</strong> The Old Course is known for its blind drives over seas of gorse, vast greens, and swales, humps and hollows which require imagination and the ability to use the ground to your advantage.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    St. Andrews: The Old Course is known for its blind drives over seas of gorse, vast greens, and swales, humps and hollows which require imagination and the ability to use the ground to your advantage.
    Hide Caption
    4 of 22
    <strong>Royal Birkdale:</strong> The 2017 Open Championship will take place at Royal Birkdale in Lancashire, northwest England. It has been in existence since 1897 and is easily recognized by its 1930s art-deco clubhouse.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    Royal Birkdale: The 2017 Open Championship will take place at Royal Birkdale in Lancashire, northwest England. It has been in existence since 1897 and is easily recognized by its 1930s art-deco clubhouse.
    Hide Caption
    5 of 22
    <strong>Royal Birkdale:</strong> This powerhouse of a links features flat fairways and fair greens with holes framed by towering dunes.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    Royal Birkdale: This powerhouse of a links features flat fairways and fair greens with holes framed by towering dunes.
    Hide Caption
    6 of 22
    <strong>Turnberry: </strong>Perhaps best known now for being owned by US President Donald Trump, Turnberry on Scotland's west coast is a spectacular Open venue which underwent a recent revamp.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    Turnberry: Perhaps best known now for being owned by US President Donald Trump, Turnberry on Scotland's west coast is a spectacular Open venue which underwent a recent revamp.
    Hide Caption
    7 of 22
    <strong>Turnberry: </strong>The Ailsa course occupies a sublime location overlooking the Firth of Clyde with sweeping views to the Ailsa Craig rock and the Isle of Arran.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    Turnberry: The Ailsa course occupies a sublime location overlooking the Firth of Clyde with sweeping views to the Ailsa Craig rock and the Isle of Arran.
    Hide Caption
    8 of 22
    <strong>Royal Troon: </strong>The classic old links on Scotland's Ayrshire coast last hosted the Open in 2016 when Henrik Stenson won a famous duel against Phil Mickelson on the final day. Scotland's Colin Montgomerie (pictured) is a Troon native.
    Photos: Best Open golf courses
    Royal Troon: The classic old links on Scotland's Ayrshire coast last hosted the Open in 2016 when Henrik Stenson won a famous duel against Phil Mickelson on the final day. Scotland's Colin Montgomerie (pictured) is a Troon native.
    Hide Caption
    9 of 22
    <strong>Royal Troon:</strong> The course is famed for its devilish par-three eighth hole, dubbed the "Postage Stamp." It's only 123 yards long but provides a stiff test in the wind, with deep bunkers and a thin green.