Golf Majors Circuit

The stops run in calendar order. Dates shown are the next edition of each stop; a dashed status means the organizer has not yet confirmed.

01Who follows it

Members of the host clubs and their guests, the corporate hospitality market, the equipment and apparel trade, the professional tours' sponsors, and a public that travels: the Masters' patrons, the Open's links-course regulars, the American crowds at the PGA Championship and the US Open. The Ryder Cup in odd years draws a different and louder crowd than any of the four majors, and Augusta in the second week of April remains the single hardest ticket on the calendar to obtain by ordinary means.

02Why these events connect

Four championships in a fixed order from April to July, with the team events and the tours' finales around them. The Masters is always the second full week of April at Augusta National; the PGA Championship moved to May in 2019; the US Open is Father's Day weekend in June on a rotating course; the Open Championship is the third week of July on a links course in England or Scotland. The Players Championship in March is the tours' own major in all but name. The Ryder Cup in late September of odd years and the Presidents Cup in even years, the Genesis Scottish Open the week before the Open, the Dunhill Links at St Andrews in October and the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November complete the year.

Numbered in stop order; the dashed line follows the sequence.

03The typical progression

Sawgrass in mid-March for the Players. Augusta in the second week of April. The PGA Championship in the third week of May on a rotating American course. The US Open in the third week of June, on a course announced years ahead. The Scottish Open and then the Open Championship in the second and third weeks of July. In odd years, the Ryder Cup at the end of September; in even years, the Presidents Cup. The Alfred Dunhill Links over three courses at St Andrews in early October and the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai in mid-November to finish.

04Geography

The American South in spring, a different American course each May and June, the British coasts in July, and the tours' ends in Scotland and Dubai. Augusta is fixed; the other three majors rotate among a published list of courses, so the circuit's geography changes each year and the host towns (Pinehurst, Oakmont, Shinnecock Hills, Royal Portrush, Royal Birkdale, St Andrews) matter as much as the cities near them.

05Suggested timing

Augusta in April, if a badge can be obtained through the patrons' lottery or the hospitality market, is the stop that stands alone. The Open Championship week, with the Scottish Open the week before, is the natural fortnight for a visitor to Britain in July. The Ryder Cup requires planning a year ahead and a tolerance for crowds. Practice days are the least expensive way onto any of the courses and are where the best access is.

06Important overlaps

The Masters coincides with Watches and Wonders in Geneva and the Monte-Carlo Masters. The PGA Championship falls inside Cannes and beside the Preakness. The US Open golf shares its week with Royal Ascot, Art Basel, Le Mans and the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, which is the busiest week of June. The Open Championship overlaps the Goodwood Festival of Speed in some years and the Cowdray Gold Cup final. The Ryder Cup, in odd years, shares its weekend with the Monaco Yacht Show and Milan Fashion Week.

07Where people go afterward

After Augusta, the American spring: the Kentucky Derby three weeks later. After the Open, to Scotland's west coast or south to the Mediterranean. After the Ryder Cup, to Paris or London for the October fairs. After Dubai in November, the golf year is closed and the Gulf's winter season has begun.