Royal Birkdale - Lancashire - England

Magnificent golf course with great bunkering, dunes, greens and overall design. Most holes played in isolation and goes very close to the top of my list. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more outrageous dips and hollows on the greens ala St Andrews Old.

Misses out a bit with not a great deal of natural undulations and it would be best if the club got someone else in the pro shop instead of the bloke who looks like he quickly sucks a lemon before dealing with paying visitors.

I will allow myself a rant here….I did just pay 210 pounds afterall. I go into pro shop and the lemon sucker and a mate are chatting away for a few minutes, ignoring me as I stand 2 metres away. The mate walks away and then the pro goes to a shelf, looks at something, walks back to his desk, gives me a once over, lingering on my 5 year old golf shoes and then types something into his computer. Then he looks at me and asks can I help you. On paper it may not sound too bad but it was ridiculous.

Anyway, after forking out another 5 pounds for a simple trolley (plain rude), getting told that yes there is a range behind the putting green, walking 300 metres to it , then realising it needed a token which he did not mention. Preposterous. Put the starter behind the front facing counter as he was a nice bloke.

This poor start does not detract from the obvious 6 balls this course deserves. I know there are various arguments on this website about whether value for money should be taken into account when ranking. I don’t consider cost or the approach of staff or the way I am playing, I base it on the course itself and Birkdale is top class. The back 9 is not as great and there are 2 average holes on the front 9, the par 3 fourth hole and the 5th but the rest of it is up there. If I could find a member to play it for 30 pounds (I say we start a petition for this fantastic website to include a social page) I would be there every holiday playing it and the equally magnificent Hillside. Warren from Australia.

Host venue down the years for the Curtis Cup, Walker Cup, Ryder Cup and the Open, Royal Birkdale stands head and shoulders above just about every other course in the British Isles. You can understand why so many prestigious events have been held here as, in the words of author James W Finegan in his book All Courses Great and Small “the flattish fairways – there is very little undulation – prompt neither freak bounces nor awkward lies... This is a remarkably fair and straightforward test. ”

And there you have it, you can understand why the top professional golfers love the course as it’s more of a manicured links, largely shaped by the hand of man (or three generations of the Hawtree family, to be more precise) instead of a rugged course like some of the supporting cast of links layouts that line the same stretch of coastline. Shots that are properly executed will normally receive an appropriate reward at Birkdale and not unduly suffer a bad bounce off a rippled fairway into a bunker or into the rough.

I played the course last week, almost ten years since I was last here, and was lucky enough to catch it on a sunny day with hardly any wind, which is the sort of weather you dream of when you’re visiting one of the top tracks. After a quick look at the golfing memorabilia in the various display cabinets around the clubhouse, it was time to get my golf shoes on, register with the pro shop then head out onto the first tee where scorecards (and complimentary sandwiches) were dispensed by the starter.

What a start with a double doglegged par four – so much for easing yourself into the round! In fairness, the next two holes are pretty straightforward par fours, followed by the two weakest holes on the card for me, the par three 4th and sharply right doglegged par four 5th. The other short hole on the outward half is wonderful, played downhill to a green surrounded by seven deep bunkers, one of which is doughnut-shaped. And the 9th hole, with a forced carry to a hidden fairway that swings right and up to the green is just a brilliant way to end the front nine.

On the back nine, the only disappointing hole for me was the par three 14th – then again, I suppose any short hole that follows so soon after the fabulous par three 12th will look weak in comparison! Three of the final four holes are rated as par fives from the regular yellow tees but forget about thoughts of finishing with a birdie blitz as this finishing stretch is as tough as old boots, especially with the narrowness of the 17th fairway, all the way from tee to green, including the putting surface. And the kink in the fairway short of the home green is very devious!

Royal Birkdale’s one of only 13 courses awarded a perfect score of 100 out of a possible 100 in The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses book and it’s also one of only three courses in the latest Top 100 chart for GB & I to currently score an average 6-ball mark. That tells you how highly regarded it is in the world of golf. Donald Steel once stated: “Birkdale, because of its many virtues, will remain in heavy demand to decide golf’s weightiest issues” and I fully expect that to be the case when the European Tour pitches up here again next year.

Oh, and I don't think there's a better view from the lounge in any clubhouse that I've been in of the 18th green, which lies virtually within touching distance of the bay windows - what a place to view next year's Open Champion hole the winning putt...

Jim McCann

Royal Birkdale is indeed a special place and a round here is a wonderful experience. A few of the things I noticed about the course that could be slight criticisms would be that even though I believe most of the dunes are natural and this is pure links land the routing gives the feeling of some of the more modern courses in how it seems to always play through (in-between) the dunes. One prevalent aspect is how the dunes are used to showcase the greens almost like little amphitheaters. This makes for beautiful pictures, however it’s a strong reoccurring theme. The greens and surrounds are excellent and challenging when you miss the greens.

One other mild criticism I would have on this great course would be the fact that nearly all the fairways seem very flat. This aspect didn’t feel natural to me. It felt more like the bulldozer operator got a little carried away with having things nearly perfectly flat. This is the only real disappointment I had with the course. I just feel if the course had more rugged feeling of the dunes with uneven lies and more undulations the course would be tremendously better to me.

My favorite holes were the par 4 5th with a hard dogleg right and an approach into a back to front heavily tilted and bunkered green set into the dunes and the par 3 12th. Which is a great mid length par 3 with a raised quarter moon shapped green protected by 4 bunkers and tucked into the dunes. I must admit to also enjoying the par 5’s on the day as for the first time in my golfing life I managed to birdie all 4 of the par 5’s on a course.

I realize I’ve been a little critical of what is by most considered the best course in England and a great championship course but I can just imagine it being that much better. Personal preference no doubt and I even managed to play my best round of the year, not to mention birdying all par 5’s (first time ever for me) so have great memories from that respect.

I am lucky enough to have played Royal Birkdale around a dozen times and each time it never fails to impress. The layout is complete mix of holes, both short and long, turning left and right facing in constantly changing directions providing a new test on every tee. Each hole is framed by the dunes and, other than between holes 2 and 3, it’s very difficult to meet any fellow golfers playing on the ‘wrong fairway’ – so most of the time you feel you have the place to yourself. The are no weak holes at all, but my favourites are the double dog-leg opener at 450 yards (a rather difficult S.I. 11!), the beautiful par 3 12th (set on the outer edge of the course where I still remember sitting with my Dad behind the green and watching Lee Trevino in the 1975 Open) and the par 5 17th with the most intimidating drive to be threaded through 2 mountainous dunes. To get a taste of what the Pros have to cope with, I suggest detouring to view the Championship tees on 7 and 18. On the short 7th, the Open is played from an elevated tee to the left of the 6th green, set at right angles to the normal yellow tees which gives a completely different view of the heavily-protected green and forces the Pros to carry over the course’s only ‘doughnut’ bunker. The Championship tee on the final hole is set on top of a dune directly behind the 17th green and has a long carry towards a distant fairway below with only a small thin stick fence stopping a fade drifting out of bounds onto the neighbouring Hillside course. Imagine standing on that tee with a left-to-right wind trying to get a par 4 to win the Open! Much easier for us mortals to play from further left and lower down and for us it’s a Par 5. The only criticism I can find is the lack of sea views - the back of the yellow tees at the 7th being one of the few glimpses of the sea over the coast road. The best view is reserved for the upstairs dining room in the clubhouse with a wonderful West-facing panorama of the whole links with the Irish Sea in the background. All in all, as a golfing experience, Royal Birkdale has everything. Of the top courses I have played, it is not as spectacular as Turnberry, it does not have the atmosphere and history of St. Andrews, it is not as tough as Carnoustie but I prefer Royal Birkdale above all of these illustrious courses. The only course where I’ve experienced the same level of ‘golfing perfection’ is Muirfield, which I need to experience more than just the once to reach a firm opinion! RdD

The Birkdale (as it was originally named in 1889) was my second stage of The 3 Royals Adventure in 3 days. The trip was planned several months ago and I was certain that it would not be possible to play here but until the last moment I kept my illusion alive. The alternative plan was playing Hillside which is not bad at all, but I wanted to play the best English Course of the Open Rota. The day started early in the morning with my friend Andy at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s and I was not supposed to play at Birkdale despite Andy had made many tries with no success. My disadvantage was not only the not availability of tee times, but the sharp times as Lytham is almost 45mins away, but once we finished the round we called the proshop and we were encouraged to make the try. We arrived 4.30pm and with almost no time the Proshop Manager told me “Get your driver and fire it”. I had not time to spend at the Shop and only bought a flag, but at least I could play the course on my own. It was tough as I had no caddie, no yardage book, I was not that familiar with the course and although sunny it was windy. But it was a super experience, I got to know and play the course and under an amazing twilight sun I enjoyed one of those great golfing experiences. The Course was in pristine shape, maybe even better than Lytham and Hoylake, greens rolling extremely true and fast, fairways hard and like carpets, rough dense and tough, all in one in brilliant condition. I loved all the holes, but especially 1st, 4th, 6th, 9th and 17th – 18th. It was nice to finish birdie on 17th and then holing a 30 footer for eagle on 18th for a great 74 from the tips. Once I made the putt some members on the terrace clapped at me and I felt really happy, as they invited me to join them for a beer. A complete golfing day ended walking another special Club House with history. One last note: I cannot believe the Senior Open lost by Bernhard Langer in 2013, I walked into that bunker and the shot is not that difficult for a player of his status. It is unbelievable what pressure or lack of concentration can do, but he lost it. If I have to value the 3 Royals I would say: Birkdale is the nicest, Hoylake is the one that I felt more traditional and Lytham was the toughest to score. But loved them all 3 and hope to return in the future, it is really worth to be played again.

Wonderful club, wonderful course, wonderful atmosphere, wonderful welcome to visitors. Really a place of superlatives. Even when it's blowing a gale like on the day I played, everything about the place is top notch. The "temporary member" mark on the green fee ticket sums it all.... Cédric

I played this early March 2014 on a wonderfully sunny day. A lovely course beautifully maintained as you would expect and a proper fair test of golf. I felt if I had played better then there would have been a good score out there but bad shots are certainly punished as they should be. My only issue with the course was the lack of 'Wow' factor with any of the holes hence only 5 balls. Having played Pebble Beach last year I couldn't in all honesty put this in the same league. Lovely friendly staff in the pro shop, the spike bar staff were a bit slow with service but helpful. Overall a great day out at a lovely course.

For a special day myself and a friend played Royal Birkdale today for his 50th Birthday treat, and what a treat. I played shocking and found most of the bunkers on the course which just swallow a rolling ball that dares to pass within a yard or two of them, so I could go on about the course being rubbish or bad because believe me I was. But it is stunning and I appreciated every bit of it and you are able to put yourself in the shoes of the greats as you follow it round, particularly with the recent Seniors Open still fresh in mind. This course is a must do from the hospitality to the perfection of the track itself. I will go back when I'm feeling on top of my game and my self esteem has returned, but beware it is very very tough, Having played some of the others on the Open rotation this is the tester.

Royal Birkdale is a serious test, playing hard and fast, exposing the joys of true links golf with knee-high hay lining the bumpy fairways. There are numerous back tees added to the course for tournaments, many of which you hesitate to turn around to look at for fear of heart failure amongst the endless waves of dunes. Sometimes you just have to trust your host when they tell you “there’s another tee back there which you can’t see from here”. The thought of adding length to some of these already daunting holes just makes you tremble. Click the link to read Fergal’s full report on Royal Birkdale Golf Club.

Quite simply a spectacular golf course and it is easy to see why the pro’s love playing here. Made the trip to Southport on a rare sunny day and couldn’t resist paying the sizeable green fee to enjoy playing ‘the best golf course in England’. I watched the open here twice as a young lad and the holes came back to me as I played every magnificent one of them. The course is extremely challenging but rewards good shots and punishes bad ones. This was summed up by the fact I had 3 birdies but lost 5 golf balls!?! Bit nervous playing 17 and 18 with my last cherry! There really isn’t a ‘weak’ hole on the course and as many have said already, the par 3 collection is sublime (12 my personal favorite for both layout and aesthetics). Not normally a fan of blind tee-shots but the 9th won me over as well - a par 4 leading to the welcoming halfway house. People very friendly, clubhouse wonderful, balls provided before playing to warm-up. Can’t wait to return to the area to play Hillside and the other smaller brothers of this this great links.