The Open Championship is not like watching football. There are 156 players spread across 18 holes on a course that covers several miles of dune land. There are no assigned seats on the main course. Understanding how it works before you arrive makes the difference between a confusing trudge and one of the best days you'll have this year. I'll explain it.
How the day is structured
On championship days, play starts from around 7am and the last players finish in the late afternoon or early evening. Players go out in pairs or groups, with tee times staggered every few minutes. You don't follow one match — you position yourself and the golf comes to you.
- →Morning starters: tee times from around 7am, finishing mid-afternoon
- →Afternoon starters: tee off from around 12:30pm, finishing in early evening
- →Leaders typically go out in the afternoon in later rounds (Saturday, Sunday)
- →The leaderboard updates in real time — the R&A app is essential
How to follow the golf
Download The R&A's official Open app before you arrive. It has live scoring, player tracking, real-time tee times, and a course map. This is how you know where your favourite player is at any given moment, which hole is producing the action, and when someone is making a charge on the leaderboard.
Where to stand
Royal Birkdale has some of the best natural spectator vantage points of any links course in the world. The dunes provide elevation that lets you see multiple holes at once. Some tactical options:
- →The 18th grandstand: reserve a seat early and watch the drama of finishers
- →The 1st tee: the start of each group's round, great atmosphere and player access
- →The par-3s (7th and 12th particularly): compact holes where you can see everything from one spot
- →The dunes between holes 14 and 15: elevated position, can see multiple holes
- →The 9th and 10th fairways: the middle section of the course, often less crowded
Grandstands vs roaming
Some people book grandstand seats and stay put, watching the golf come to them. Others roam the course following specific players. Both are valid. My preference is a combination: arrive early and roam the front nine in the morning, then claim a grandstand seat on the back nine or 18th for the afternoon when the leaders are coming through.
Etiquette — the important bits
- →Silence during the player's pre-shot routine and swing — marshals will signal when to stop moving
- →Phones on silent — not vibrate, silent
- →No movement while a player is addressing the ball
- →Applaud good shots, stay respectful of bad ones — the players are competing, not performing
- →Follow marshals' instructions immediately — they keep the day running for everyone
Food, drink, and facilities
There is a substantial spectator village on site with food stalls, bars, and hospitality areas. It's well-run. Expect to queue at peak times — mid-morning and after the afternoon starts. There are toilets distributed across the course. The R&A app has their locations. Use them early — queues build.
📱The R&A's Open app is essential. Download it before you arrive, create an account, and learn the interface at home. Trying to figure it out at the course while people walk around you is not ideal.
If it's your first time
My honest advice: don't try to see everything. Pick two or three holes to position yourself at and watch the golf come past. Get to the 18th grandstand for the last two hours of the day if you possibly can. That's when the champion is decided. The atmosphere in those final hours is something you'll remember for the rest of your life.
Getting to Royal Birkdale without a car is easier than you think.
Full transport guide for The Open →Where are you staying? Hotels near the course are almost gone.
Open 2026 accommodation guide →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk — Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
