Royal Birkdale needs no introduction, host to The Open, Ryder Cup, The PGA Match-Play and the Women’s British Open, ranked 3rd in the whole of England, Birkdale is one of the finest links in the world. Designed by Hawtree and Taylor this Par 72 championship course measures up to 6,900 yards. The course consists of forgiving flat fairways, rarely will your ball be thrown off the fairway, like many links, each hole is set between valleys of towering dunes meaning missing the middle, you can expect a high score. The greens are a great defence for the course, extremely difficult to read, and in immaculate condition all year round. Overall Royal Birkdale is a must play course for any keen golfer, and fantastic links course.
It was originally designed in the late 1890s by George Lowe before being raised to championship quality and status in the 1920s by Hawtree and Taylor. Their very fair design philosophy was to route the holes though the dunes rather than over them. The result is a perfectly honest test that will reward good strategy and execution. The course naturally features at the top of the lists of the best links courses in the UK and of course the best golf courses in Lancashire.
The club hosted its first Open Championship in 1954 and has now staged the tournament on ten occasions, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won in a thrilling climax. Although the individual holes play along generally level ground, the course is also blessed with some of the most impressive dunes in England. These frame and separate the holes beautifully for the golfer, while also serving as perfect vantage points when important championships are being staged.
