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High above the stands that surround the 18th green at Royal Portrush, four skeletal metal towers stretch 82ft into the sky above County Antrim. Wires extend from the top of them, high above the putting surface, running into a giant black camera at the centre of them.
Spidercam, as it’s known, has long been used in football and cricket to give television spectators a fresh view on the sporting action below but is being used this week for the first time in Open history.
The camera swoops down from its position at the back of the green as players approach and hovers just above them as they make their putts. ‘It’s pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings,’ said Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, from Rory McIlroy’s hometown of Holywood, who went out in the first group of the day.
It cost about £300,000 and is just the latest way that golf’s oldest major has taken another step into the modern world.
More than 250,000 spectators will descend on Royal Portrush this week but millions more will be watching from the comfort of their living rooms. That’s why more than 100 television cameras and 80 miles of cables — about as far as the crow flies from here to the previous Open venue at Royal Troon in Scotland — will provide footage for broadcasters around the world.
The Open last came to these shores in 2019 when Shane Lowry lifted the Claret Jug. Back then, groundskeepers cut the greens by hand. This time, they are done by three-wheel mowers. Last time, the machinery ran on diesel, now it’s vegetable oil. The cars that ferry the players around are now solar powered.
Enjoying the action at Royal Portrush is an exclusive preserve - the nearest accommodation will set you back thousands and tickets are priced in triple figures
Around 30,000 spectators are choosing to camp overnight for as little as £55
Four pints of Guinness will set back fans a hefty £31, working out at a total of £7.75 per drink
Giant double-decker trucks belonging to golf’s biggest club manufacturers are also dotted around the course, packed full of club heads, grips, driver heads and beyond for the players to go and get equipment tweaked and changed during the week.
‘They are all in quite a bit,’ Callaway’s head technician Paul Monks tells Mail Sport. ‘It’s a bit of a sanctuary for them. If you’re not playing well you will try anything to get the scoring down so generally it’s the players that are struggling.’
A superstitious world No 1 Scottie Scheffler likes to watch as the Taylormade technicians put grips on his clubs and spent much of last year’s championship at Royal Troon standing over the guys in the truck on his way to another top-10 finish.
It’s not just the technology that’s moving with the times but also the town itself. The Open is expected to add more than £213million to the local economy.
At the current prices around Portrush, that’s no surprise. The only remaining accommodation left on booking website Hotels.com when Mail Sport checked on Thursday was a self-catering apartment five miles away costing £4,500 for a three-night stay until Sunday.
That’s why the chap in the queue for the megastore who had flown in from Boston was staying in Ballycastle — some 18 miles from Portrush — or why Alex, the young lad from Indianapolis in dungarees in the colours of the American flag, is renting an AirBnB near Lough Neagh and driving an hour to the park and ride.
It’s also why nearly 5,000 spectators, from more than 30 countries, have opted to sleep in the great outdoors at the nearby Open camping village. An Australian called Ryan, who is staying there, describes it as like being at a ‘civilised festival’.
Those who booked are paying as little as £55 a night. Yes, having just a tent and a sleeping bag to guard you against the onslaught of rain that struck Portrush on Thursday may not be the most glamorous way to spend a week but at least you’ll have a bit more cash to spend.
Spectators will have to pay for the 'most expensive pint in Northern Ireland' at Royal Portush
The conditions will see many investing in umbrellas and towels as they camp in the elements
A Spidercam has been installed for around £300,000 to enhance the coverage of the play
If you could stretch to £80 a night, you could stay in the more high-brow ‘glamping’ tee-pees. Either way, you’ll have more in your pocket to splash on food, drink and merchandise because, boy, you’ll need it. That’s after paying between £100 and £345 a day on an adult ticket.
Mail Sport found that a round of four pints of Guinness — for research purposes, of course — will set you back £31. It’s the same price for cider or beer, around £3 more per pint than what fans paid at the Masters.
Organisers predict around 180,000 pints will be served this week. Meanwhile, a burger and chips on course starts at £14.50. Still, even that’s cheaper than some places outside the grounds who have been trying to cash in more than others.
As the rain beat down on Portrush on Thursday afternoon, many felt it was a good time to have a browse in the spectator village shop. Mail Sport joined them as patrons queued for half an hour to get inside the welcome shelter of the Open treasure trove — £45 for an umbrella (needs must), £20 for a towel, £15 for a pack of three ball markers and £12 for a pitch-mark repairer.
If you really want to look the part, it’s £160 for a fancy quilted zip-up golf top and £695 for an Open tour golf bag. For those on a budget, maybe just stick to a pack of tees for £7 — about the only thing still cheaper than a pint around here.
