The Birkdale was founded in 1889 but it wasn’t until it was re-modelled in the 1930s by F.G Hawtree and J.H Taylor that it reached Championship standard. The club was given the Royal status in 1951 and has hosted all the major tournaments, including 10 Opens, the latest in 2017, the Ryder Cup and the Walker Cup.

Birkdale is amongst other things famous for its fairness, the fairways are fairly flat and you are unlikely to get any strange bounces. Unlike some other seaside courses, you don’t get a nice warm up as the 1^st hole is a tricky double dogleg! There may not be as many bunkers here as at other Open venues, but they are strategically placed, and several are obscured from view, and a round without having to use your sandwedge would be an enormous achievement.

If the weather is pleasant you will find as you approach the 18^th green that you have an audience, the whitewashed clubhouse has a small patio in front of the green where both members and visitors like to sit and watch people play! The Royal Birkdale is not cheap to play, but in our opinion, it should be on every golfers’ bucket list.