Royal Birkdale Golf Club
The Royal Birkdale Golf Club is located in the north west of England at the coastal resort of Southport.
Many golfers consider Royal Birkdale to be one of the finest links courses in the world.
Near neighbours to Royal Birkdale, are fellow Open Championship golf courses Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham St Annes.
Royal Birkdale has staged an impressive tally of golf tournaments which include two Ryder Cups, the Walker and Curtis Cups and eight Open Championships.
It will soon be 9 Opens as The Open Championship 2008 will be staged there in July.
The Course
Hole 1
The first hole is a left-hand dog-leg. The drive must be placed between a mound on the left with a bunker in the face, known locally as “Jutland”, and Out of Bounds to the right. If the drive is good then the flag can be clearly seen over an intervening mound on the right. But is still a very demanding second shot.
Hole 2
A straight hole played into the prevailing wind with two new bunkers on the right of the fairway. The green is well protected by bunkers and rough banks.
Hole 3
To get a clear second shot to the green the drive needs to favour the left side of the fairway, however with two new bunkers on the left this has made this demand the most accurate of drives. The green is protected by bunkers and the re-contoured surround will leave a challenging recovery from any wayward approach.
Hole 4
The first of the splendid short holes. The tee is elevated and the green has been generously endowed with bunkers so that the tee-shot must not be off-line if the green is to be reached. A bold stroke is absolutely essential. A well-bunkered green does not gather the ball on this, the longest of the par threes on the course.
Hole 5
This hole is a dog-leg right. No bunkers to worry you with your drive but deep rough on either side awaits those who fail to hit the fairway. The second shot must be firmly hit. The long narrow green is well protected almost surrounded by strategically placed bunkers and sloping from back to front with difficult borrows.
Hole 6
The drive must avoid the bunkers on each side of the fairway. The hole requires a long second shot to an elevated green protected by bunkers to the front and surrounded by dunes. The green is large and well contoured with various difficult pin positions.
Hole 7
This hole requires a firm shot over some rough country to an up turned saucer-shaped green closely protected by pot bunkers.
Hole 8
The new and remodelled bunker flanking the fairway demand a very accurate drive, then the second shot is played to quite a large green protected by deep bunkers. The putting surface possessive some very deceptive borrows.
Hole 9
The blind tee shot needs to be placed correctly to find the fairway which has been moved 25 yards left. The green is slightly elevated making club selection important, anything short will be gathered by the bunkers at the front and there is lots of trouble over the back.
Hole 10
The move of the left hand bunkers and the introduction of a new bunker on the far right of the fairway requires a well placed drive to open up the green to this relatively short par four.
Hole 11
This relatively straightforward hole has been made more demanding by tightening the fairway and introducing a new bunker on the left. Pin position makes the landing area on the green quite small and club selection is vital.
Hole 12
A great short hole once again played to a plateau green. There is little margin for error as there are bunkers on either side of the green and sand-hills covered in scrub tower over either side. A very attractive short hole, long enough to make the green look quite tiny. Deep bunkers and banks of rough grass protect the target.
Hole 13
This is a testing hole made more difficult by the changes to the bunkering at a drive length. It requires a long and accurate tee shot to allow a second shot to reach a beautiful green with its background of tall sand hills.
Hole 14
This is the last of the par 3’s played from an elevated tee which is protected from the prevailing wind. The green surround has be re-shaped and several deep greenside bunkers wait to collect a misdirected shot.
Hole 15
This is the longest hole on the course and one that is difficult to attack. There are now 15 bunkers to be negotiated on this long narrow hole. Any play-off would start here and continue over 16, 17 and 18.
Hole 16
The members’ medal tee is now in line with the Championship tee and both demand a long carry over some very rough ground. The second shot is played to an elevated green that is well protected by very deep bunkers and hollows.
Hole 17
Drives have to be hit between two large sand dunes avoiding the two new bunkers on the right of the fairway. With the ground here firm the correct drive will normall get some run shortening the hole. The new and re-modelled two tier green has been pushed back some 30 yards and is well protected by some severe bunkers and dramatic contouring.
Hole 18
One of the most famous finishing holes in the country. There is a tendency to push the ball out to the right here and that makes the shot to the green very difficult. There are three bunkers guarding the green, affording a narrow entrance to the putting surface. An excellent birdie opportunity to finish the round on this demanding links.
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