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Cabinet discussing The Open at Portmarnock

awec

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2024/07/24/open-championships-proposals-to-bring-golf-tournaments-to-dublin-considered-by-cabinet/

Minister for Tourism and Sport Catherine Martin is expected to bring proposals on Wednesday morning to Government on potential bids to bring the two high-profile golf competitions to Dublin.

I am on the fence about this to be honest. Obviously, it would be amazing to see The Open come to Ireland.

But I think I'd prefer to see it go somewhere other than Portmarnock. Correct me if I am wrong, but they never hold opens / get involved in GI, and are very much the old style pretentious club. I'm not sure I'd support taxpayer money being thrown at this because I'm not sure if this would really benefit golf in Ireland, or just benefit Portmarnock members in the long run. I would also hope that Golf Ireland don't throw their resources at this, for the same reason.

Curious to know other's thoughts on this, maybe I'm just being unreasonable.

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callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122423902#Comment_122423902

https://www.theopen.com/latest/why-it-is-the-open-not-the-british-open

'The confusion surrounding the Championship’s correct title is long running and yet in essence the explanation is simple.

Initially, in 1860, there were no other Opens for it to be confused with.

Only as the sport grew in stature and influence around the world did nations introduce national Opens. The U.S. Open was born and, in time, the French, Spanish, Italian and many others followed.

Perhaps the key point is what happened next. In response to the new Opens, defined by nationality, the R&A was clear and unequivocal: The Open was not the British Open.

At no stage in the Championship’s history have the minutes, entry forms or programmes of the R&A ever referred to it as the "British Open".'

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422567#Comment_122422567

It's not the British Open, it's The Open. It might be known as the British Open, but it won't be held in Britain next year, Portrush is in Ireland/Northern Ireland. It's no more in Britain that Portmarnock.

Ottoman_1000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122422567#Comment_122422567

What? Its not The "British" Open. Only a uneducated yank would refer to it as that….its just The Open, plain and simple. Actually, it was only held in Scotland for many years until the R&A eventually started hosting it in England every few years.

If the R&A wanted to play it in Australia next year, there's noting stopping them.

TheCitizen

Silly idea. We have an Open Championship, it’s called the Irish Open. Plenty of ways of funding good sporting ideas with the taxpayers money. This government has been in power since forever and this is the stuff it’s coming up with?

Shank Williams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122421208#Comment_122421208

they are trying to ease muirfield (I think) out of the rota as it can’t take big crowds, fusty they may be but The Open is their moneymaker and they will follow the money (to an extent)

big_drive

My own opinion is that it shouldn't be played in Republic of Ireland. I was in Troon last week and really enjoyed it. To me it should be played in either Scotland or England. Also Wales if there was a course good enough to host. Portrush is stretching it a bit I think even though it's Northern Ireland.

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122421076#Comment_122421076

Is your yardstick to measure their contribution to golf in Ireland is to host an open for a few mediocre golfers? They have just hosted an elite ladies amateur event.

Opens were originally to allow non-members an opportunity to play courses not offering green fees. Portmarnock offer green fees, so you are not prevented from playing it. Since the financial crash (largely I can see), clubs have started offering them as a way of generating revenue and they become part of some clubs operating model. Let's not kid ourselves that the non-elite clubs are offering opens (1 or 2 times a week) for golf altruistic reasons, it's purely a revenue generator for them.

These conversation are about cheap green fees at the end of the day. The conversation is done to death as over and over. The green fee is 350, if they offered an open comp with 350 entry would you play?

From my perspective (and is controversial), if they did offer open comps it should be for better and elite players (a la Portmarnock Links Winter Series). Fcuk growing the game of golf etc…. at this point, all that has done is reward mediocrity and allow people to compete without putting any effort into the game. We should be rewarding the better golfers that do have talent and put in the effort, hence getting low enough or qualifying to play elite courses opens should be encouraged. Otherwise if you really want to play and are sh1te, pay the green fee.

Besides if they do host it, there is nothing stopping you from trying to qualify for The Open if you want at least 2 days (and practice days) free rounds.

There are plenty of valid reasons why potentially it shouldn't host one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. Yes, it's completely irrational to even bring the lack of Open comps into the discussion over those reasons.

coillcam

@awec I'm open to correction but Portmarnock has moved on a bit from the past and you can play opens. All big name courses have big name price tags and will look out for themselves #1. I think Royal Troon is around €400 per round iirc and that's kind of the range you're in. Any prestige or high-end course is mad money now in the states.

It's great that Ireland could host some big sporting events. One off or single venue events are about all we can manage so The Open would fit in there nicely. Portmarnock is one of few realistic options tbf.

Forgetting Portmarnock for a moment and the local economic uptick in Dublin. There would be benefit to golf across the country for up to 3 weeks around the event. People will travel as a bucket list trip and make the most of it. The week before and after should see plenty of tourists teeing up across the country.

A big thing against this from the R&A perspective is that you're now outside the UK. Does this mean then they'll have set a precedent and look at European links style venues in future. Again highly unlikely.

I expect the government to offer a sweetheart deal for the R&A to attract the event. Ultimately it'll come down to what the R&A decide. They have a set rota of venues and a long tradition - the hint is in the name Royal & Ancient. Surely it could only be a one-off disruption and then back to the normal rota, not to mention the really unlikely chance of an existing host being dropped. It's tough to see The Open come to Ireland but money talks...

Shank Williams

do Troon, Carnoustie etc do 25 euro opens?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420723#Comment_122420723

I am fully aware that Golf Ireland don't host The Open. Yes, of course there are economic benefits, but those benefits will exist no matter what course hosted the event. The benefits aren't exclusive to it being held in Portmarnock, though to be fair, Portmarnock may be the only show in town.

If Portmarnock did host it I'd obviously very happily go watch it, it would be great, no doubt about that. The Open in Ireland would be huge, no arguments there from me. But part of me would still be a bit frustrated that a club that contributes to little to golf in Ireland would get a big pay day out of it.

Before they host The Open it would be great if they could just start hosting opens. It would be great if they offered to other GI members what they themselves are happy to take from the other members of GI when they visit other clubs.

This is not about getting cheap green fees, nobody is looking for 20 quid green fees, but it's about giving and taking and contributing to golf in Ireland and the wider local community.

Maybe I was unreasonable in my opening post but I don't think my point is entirely irrational.

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420793#Comment_122420793

I'm not obfuscating. The question being discussed is Portmarnock hosting the Open.

You don't know what the taxation arrangement will be but I would be surprised if the money pumped into the Irish economy (It's estimated around 350 million euro) from the event would far outweigh any "supposed profits the R&A are taxed on". I suspect the profits before tax are negligible as the revenue is pumped back into the game (which seems to be 10 million from roughly glancing at their annual review).

Portrush is in Ireland and hosting it there has benefited both jurisdictions economically and with R&A grants.

BigChap1759

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058361194/cabinet-discussing-the-open-at-portmarnock

Sounds like a perfect fit for The Open……

ec18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420758#Comment_122420758

You know what I mean you're choosing to obfuscate. Northern Ireland while part of the island of Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Any revenue generated from the event is collected by HMRC not the Irish revenue and such as no benefit to the Irish state that the cabinet here is concerned with.

The question being discussed is the Open being hosted in Republic of Ireland saying it's in a colocated but different jurisdiction is not Ireland hosting the open

Apologies for the diversion. Any premier event that's held here is a good thing. Personally I usually prefer events to be outside Dublin if possible to spread resources and benefits around a bit.

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420676#Comment_122420676

Neither would the Scottish or English golf unions then?

Does that mean that all money pumped into the local economy by the tourism has to be collected for the R&A? I don't get your argument.

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420299#Comment_122420299

There would be a number of economic and tourism benefits for the local and wider economy from hosting but your main argument for Portmarnock not getting it would be because they don't host opens? It's irrational as there are a number of arguments that could be made for not having it but yet you picked that even though it's the R&A that runs The Open and not Golf Ireland.

There is no such thing as Golf Ireland rates per se. It's at the discretion of the club/course whether they offer opens and eligibility criteria, and set their entry or greens fees. You are not prevented from playing Portmarnock, you just don't want to pay the rake rate (which is fair enough).

Also, Portmarnock host elite amateur events and just had The Women's Amateur a few weeks back. Members would lose the course for approx. a week at least, so I think people need to be cognisant of that fact. If they were to host a few opens, I suspect they would be geared (and correctly IMO) toward the better and elite golfers.

ec18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420572#Comment_122420572

yeah but from an economic point of view / hosting point of view it's not the Irish societies / institution that receive any of the economic benefits

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420265#Comment_122420265

Ireland is the island and Portrush is on the island of Ireland.

JVince

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420140#Comment_122420140

why does it not make sense? Its not the British Open - its The Open Championship and the R&A can decide where to hold it. I believe the only stipulation is that it has to be a links course.

At one point it was only held in Scotland.

But no reason and no blocks for The Open Championship to be held here or even on a mainland European course.

SimpleDimple

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420439#Comment_122420439

you can also sneak into it from the beach

blue note

Portmarnock is a perfect location for it. You've the airport and hotels, it's accessible by DART, the national road network points to it, I can walk to it from my house. I can't think of a better location for it in the world.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420257#Comment_122420257

Well yea, I literally said this in my post.

Portmarnock members can play Opens elsewhere and avail of Opens elsewhere and GI rates but there is no reciprocation. Is it not a legitimate complaint to have?

I don't see how it's "irrational".

ec18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420260#Comment_122420260

Northern Ireland…..not the same

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122420140#Comment_122420140

It's being hosted in Ireland next year.

bustercherry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058361194/cabinet-discussing-the-open-at-portmarnock

I think you're talking nonsense. Your irrational biases are based on the fact they don't offer cheap green fees through an open competition.

FixdePitchmark

I just don't get The Open being in Ireland...

It makes no sense...