How The R&A helps spectators plan their journey to The Open and the AIG Women’s Open, a new venue every year.
The Open and the AIG Women’s Open are two of the biggest events in the golfing calendar, each held at a different venue every year. Since 2025, spectators at both Championships have planned their trip with official ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ travel assistants, built for The R&A and hosted on its own websites. Spectators get one trusted place to plan the day, from Park & Ride and shuttle buses to entrances and accessible travel.
Two Championships. A new venue every year.
One official place to plan the trip.
The Challenge
The Open and the AIG Women’s Open move to a new venue every year. Each Championship brings new transport links, new local roads, new parking areas, and many spectators travelling there for the first time. Both are often held at coastal venues with limited public transport, and much of the transport, from Park & Ride to shuttle buses, is temporary. All of it must be communicated clearly to every spectator, in a short window before each Championship begins.
The Solution
The R&A partnered with ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ to deliver bespoke, white-labelled travel assistants for both Championships, hosted on its own websites. Every spectator receives a personalised travel plan, with real-time Park & Ride and shuttle information, low-carbon options such as HVO shuttles, entrance guidance for each ticket type, and accessible travel options. Each year, the travel assistant is rebuilt around the new venue, with its own site map, parking overlay, and access points.
The Result
The R&A partnered with ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ to deliver white-labelled travel assistants for both Championships, hosted on its own websites. Every spectator receives a personalised travel plan, with real-time Park & Ride and shuttle information, low-carbon options such as HVO shuttles, entrance guidance for each ticket type, and accessible travel options. Each year, the travel assistant is rebuilt around the new venue, with its own site map and access points.
A New Course Every Summer
Golf Championships bring tens of thousands of spectators to one place, often to venues they have never visited before. At The Open and the AIG Women’s Open, the travel assistant gives every spectator the same official information, whatever their ticket, wherever they travel from, and however they choose to get there. It also gives The R&A a clearer view of how its audience plans to arrive.
What the case study uncovers
- What the first year showed. How one email day became the busiest day for travel planning.
- Communication made the difference. What changed when the travel assistant was promoted on every key touchpoint.
- How spectators travelled. Two years of travel choices at The Open.
- Data in action. How live travel data helped add shuttle services where they were needed.
- Following the carbon. Where The R&A can make the biggest difference next.
- Looking ahead. What’s next for The R&A’s Travel Assistants.
”“With us moving around so much, it’s about our audience understanding that we can be the team that helps them get there.”
Owen JamesSustainability Manager, The R&A
What This Means for You
When travel information is built around the event and promoted where spectators already look, people arrive with confidence, organisers understand demand, and lower-carbon options become the easy choice. The full case study shows how that worked across two of golf’s biggest Championships.
Based on the ‘You. Smart. Thing.’ travel assistant deployments at The Open and the AIG Women’s Open, 2025 and 2026.
Case Study: Almost on the 18th Green
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