Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Top 20 Golf Courses in Lancashire 2015 Lancashire Best in County rankings updated With more than 140 golf clubs located in Lancashire, there’s absolutely no shortage of good golf courses to play in the Red Rose County. Pride of place goes to the dozen or so mainly links layouts that line the coastline between Bootle and Blackpool, where twenty Open championships have been held since 1926 at Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham & St Annes. Of course, there’s a lot more to golf in Lancashire than the top tracks strung out along “England’s Golf Coast” so our Top 20 chart for this area features many of the inland venues that might otherwise get overlooked. As we’ve just concluded our biennial re-ranking exercise for this region, we’re now presenting the latest edition of our listings for this county. Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham & St Annes remain at number 1 and number 2 in the new Top 20. And because both courses enjoy such a high profile in our World rankings, don’t expect to see either of them ousted from their current positions in the county chart anytime soon. The Open returns to Birkdale in 2017 and the Walker Cup was held very recently at Lytham St Annes, cementing the credentials of these two courses as top golfing venues. Formby climbs one place to number 3, swapping position with Hillside in the revised county listings. Formby is set out with a 470-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest where a number of respected course architects have had a hand in its design. Hillside celebrated its centenary in 2011 and the course was extensively remodelled in the 1960s when Fred Hawtree fashioned a new back nine for the club. The remaining places in the upper half of the Top 20 are as they were last time, except for the number 10 position which Ormskirk now occupies, having risen one spot from number 11. This fine 18-hole layout, designed by Harold Hilton in 1903, has undergone a couple of extensive reconstructions since it was first built, evolving into an engaging tree-lined parkland challenge. Three other courses make upward moves in the county chart. The first of these is Manchester (up one to 12) which Harry Colt designed in 1912. Described by one reviewer as “a big, strong golf course” with “great greens, fast fairways and tough rough,” this 18-hole layout is set out on open moorland to the north of Manchester, where the wind is a constant factor. The course at Formby Ladies Golf Club advances two places to number 13. Set in the centre of Formby Golf Club’s expansive property, this 18-hole layout extends to almost 5,400 yards, with golfers of both sexes permitted to play a very entertaining track. Opened as a 9-hole affair in 1896, the course was expanded to a full 18-hole configuration within twelve years of its inauguration so it’s been in play for over a century now. The third and final chart climber is Lancaster (up three to 17), designed by James Braid in 1932, which is laid out close to the estuary of the River Lune. It’s actually the fourth course that the club’s used. Their original layout was formed in 1889, the second one was built in 1901 and the third 9-holer – now used by Lansil Golf Club – was established in 1905 before the club moved to its current location. There’s only one new entry in the Top 20, with West Derby making way for Preston at number 20. The club dates back to 1892 but the layout is a 1923 redesign by James Braid, the most prolific course designer in the first half of the 20th century. Officially opened with an exhibition match between Abe Mitchell, Ted Ray, Arthur Havers and the architect, the course is famed locally for the excellence of its USGA-spec greens. We’re grateful to everybody who helped with our re-ranking process for this region. To view details of all the courses in our Lancashire Top 20 rankings click the link. If you have extensive experience of playing across the northwest region of England and would like to contribute to our next re-ranking exercise then please email Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter at keith@top100golfcourses.com. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

The purpose of the Review of The Month feature is twofold. Top100GolfCourses has always aimed to salute and encourage those who are putting admirable effort into reviewing the world’s great golf courses. Moving forward, we are also looking to learn from these experts! We’ll be chatting with the month’s star authors and discussing topics such as golf in their area, what they like to see in a strong course review, and of course dig a little deeper into their own winning review. August 2023’s Review of The Month comes from Bill “BB” Branch, whose signature, offhand irreverence can’t hide his pleasure at dodging Royal Lytham & St Annes revetted bunkers, reminiscing on his wild youth whilst providing keen analysis of this World Top 100 course. You can read all of Bill’s winning review below, and find other takes on Royal Lytham & St. Annes here. Royal Lytham is a links set back from the sea. Depending on your point of reference, it may lack stunning vistas & impressive dunes. Also dependent on mood, it is an oasis from, or a prisoner to, the urban environment. It actually reminded me a little of Royal Worlington & Newmarket (without the absurd greens and characters torn from a page of a PG Wodehouse novel). Perhaps not a true links then, but nevertheless something unique on the sliding scale of fantastic variety offered up by English Golf. The Sacred Nine disguises their average land with eccentric greens. Lytham decided that Bunkering would be their memorable feature. Mission accomplished, for their are rumored to be 2,167 of them here on the front nine alone. They are plentiful, ominous, cavernous, & beautiful. The tactic of the day is to carefully choose where you place your tee shot as you plot your way around the land mines. Any false step is likely to invite disaster, so you tread carefully and don’t get too far ahead of yourself. The demand is more for accuracy than imagination, so it’s not particularly strategic golf. But it isn’t penal golf either and I found avoiding the Sandy traps an enjoyable challenge akin to teenage memories of evading capture whilst sneaking into the house and tip-toeing unsteadily up the stairs after a night on the cider. Adam Scott might have won an Open if only his youth was a little more misspent. In addition to the bunkering, the green complexes help elevate the course far above the quality of the land itself. They are “Open Championship quality”, compensating for the variety in options occasionally absent on the tee-green journey. The putting surfaces themselves themselves are reasonably flat and devoid of significant undulation, with fairly subtle breaks. You may have heard of half-par holes, but at Royal Lytham you also get half-width holes. One or two on the outward stretch feel like a fairway was sliced in half running tee to green, with trees then planted along the incision. At times the turf didn’t feel so sandy in these areas. You become very aware that there is less room on the right side, so I found myself aiming left like I was playing the Old Course. The routing improves significantly after the early holes & the way the intensity & quality builds is exceptional, with finishing holes becoming more difficult & interesting than those that have preceded them. At the turn the land does get interesting with 8-10 a strong stretch, and despite a lull on the 11th - no doubt exacerbated as they’d sold out of the signature culinary delight at the halfway house - the course has a famously rousing finish. I don’t need stunning vistas & dune-scapes to enjoy my golf, but I would prefer a bit more room on the early holes & increased internal contouring on greens. Royal Lytham is therefore a solid 5-baller for me due to its unique engaging challenge & quality holes. I suspect it may sneak another half-ball when I go back and unearth more of the course’s architectural subtleties. That and a sausage roll.

Greatest Open Championship players in the modern era by M. James Ward Assessing golfers from across different time lines is no easy task. But the fun in doing so makes for interesting discussions. Case in point. This coming week's 147th Open Championship at Carnoustie. Golf's oldest major is perpetually played on a links course. The intersection of unpredictability is often a given. The vagaries of the host course, the uncertain weather and the sheer luck of the bounce of ball are all elements golfers need to face and overcome in order to hoist the Claret Jug as "Champion Golfer of the Year". The Open has been contested since 1860 and the game of golf has clearly evolved greatly from the earliest of times. Who have been the best links players at The Open in the post World War II time frame? A number of factors clearly must be weighed. Victories are no doubt important. But being a sustaining force in a series of championships over the course of time and against the best of competition are all parts needing to be weighed carefully and ultimately decided upon. #5 – BOBBY LOCKE (South Africa) / 1946-1957 The name Bobby Locke starts the roll call as a golfer who made his mark following the conclusion of World War II. Cited as the best putter of all time, the South African was an early standout in his home country. For 20 consecutive years Locke never lost a 72-hole tournament in South Africa. In a 16-match exhibition held at different courses in South Africa in 1946 against American sensation Sam Snead, Locke was victorious by the margin of 12-2-2. Locke's most notable triumphs came in only one major -- The Open Championship but the impact he provided was considerable. His first win came in 1949 at Royal St. George's -- where he routed Ireland's Harry Bradshaw by 12 strokes in a 36-hole playoff. In 1950 he defended his title with a win at Royal Troon and in 1952 beat his main adversary at the time – Peter Thomson – by one stroke at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. His final win would come at The Old Course at St. Andrews in 1957 but controversy took place at the final hole when Locke failed to correctly replace his marked ball on the final green. Needing only two putts from five feet to win, the R&A elected to allow the final outcome to stand when possible disqualification could have happened. One can only surmise what would happen if a similar situation were to occur in today's global social media world. During the period between 1946 and 1957, Locke won The Open four times, with seven top fives. In that period there were two years when he did not compete and only once during that time frame did he miss the cut. Locke relished the opportunity to meet key challenges and at The Open he showed a remarkable resolve to raise his game to the highest level. But beyond the likes of Thomson, were the wins coming against inferior competition? #4 – NICK FALDO (England) / 1982-1996 Although he is now a golf television commentator with CBS-Sports, Nick Faldo at his best was an extraordinary player. After retooling his game with David Leadbetter, the Englishman proved to be a formidable presence in The Open. His first win came with 18 consecutive pars in the final round to overcome American Paul Azinger at Muirfield. Three years later Faldo torched the Old Course with a 270 four round total. The highlight coming in the 3rd round when paired with Greg Norman. Faldo obliterated Norman with a 67 to the Aussie's 76. Two years after that win Faldo once again triumphed at Muirfield. Trailing by two strokes to American John Cook with just four to play. Cook did stumble but what is often forgotten is how Faldo played the final four holes in two-under-par to snatch his 3rd and final Claret Jug. During the 1982-1996 period beyond the three wins Faldo also placed 2nd once in 1993 behind Norman, had eight top five's and 11 top tens with no missed cuts. While Faldo was not as flamboyant as Spain's Seve Ballesteros, the main differential is the overall consistency that the Englishman demonstrated over a considerable period of time. #3 – JACK NICKLAUS (USA) / 1963-1980 There’s a very hard call to make between 3rd and 2nd. The Golden Bear demonstrated superior consistency against the deepest of fields throughout the measured time frame. True, Nicklaus only won three Claret Jugs, but consider that he finished second seven times and only finished out of the top ten once during those 18 years. This includes 15 top five placements with no missed cuts. In short, the Bear was always on the prowl. Among those Nicklaus bested who were clearly in their prime during that time frame included Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Tony Jacklin, Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, to name just a few. One additional victory would have pushed Nicklaus to the runner-up position. Alas, golf's greatest player has to settle for the bronze medal. #2 – PETER THOMSON (AUSTRALIA) / 1951-1971 The recent passing of Peter Thomson on June 20 made many give pause to the extraordinary contributions this gifted man provided on so many levels. From 1951 to 1971 the Thomson golf file at The Open is utterly impressive. The Aussie claimed the title five times, with three in succession between 1954-56. His final triumph came in 1965 when Palmer, Nicklaus and Player were all competing in their prime. During that time frame Thomson made every cut and was only out of the top ten three times. In the period between 1952-58 he either won or came in second. The downside to Thomson’s accomplishments was that the fields were not exactly top tier and often contained mediocre depth. There is no way to say for certain if American stars such as Sam Snead and Ben Hogan had competed in those years that they would have been as successful given their advancing ages. The American contingent was comfortable in remaining on its side of the pond until a golfer named Arnold Palmer reinvigorated the event with his presence in 1960 at St Andrews. Nonetheless, Thomson's Open record speaks for itself and cannot be easily dismissed. #1 – TOM WATSON (USA) / 1975-1989 Tom Watson claims the top spot for one specific reason. At age 59 the man from Kansas City, MO nearly claimed a record tying 6th Open Championship. A victory at Turnberry would have meant a repeat win on the Ailsa Course – 32 years after his epic "Duel in the Sun" mano-a-mano with Jack Nicklaus. Even though Watson would fall to Stewart Cink in a playoff, his near triumph still resonates to this day. Consider that the oldest man to have a major is Julius Boros at age 48 when winning the 1968 PGA Championship. No senior golfer has come remotely close to doing what Watson did and given the nature of today's professional game featuring younger and younger stars the likelihood of something of that sort ever happening again is remote. During the time frame of 1975-1989 Watson had seven top five and eight top ten finishes. But what separates Watson is the top tier competition he beat time after time in lifting five Claret Jugs. One other thing to keep in mind – foul weather did not impact Watson's capacity to relish the challenge. Even losing the 1984 Open to Seve Ballesteros at The Old Course at St Andrews made for great theater. Watson wishes he had one mulligan to play when deciding to play a high risk 2-iron to The Road Hole during the final round. Initially, Watson did not relish links golf when first exposed to it, but his sheer grit and determination made him the champion golfer he became. If only that 8-iron approach to the 18th at Turnberry in 2009 had not bounced over the green. No matter. Watson earns the top spot. Honourable mentions… Tiger Woods (USA) / 1998 to 2013 Three wins, six top fives, nine top tens along with just one missed cut are the statistics. But consider the highlights – winning by 12 shots in 2000 at The Old Course at St Andrews and in the course of 72 holes never playing a shot from the numerous bunkers that dot the famed landscape. Fast-forward to 2007 when Woods defended his title at Hoylake and in this event used his driver just once. His gifted long and middle iron play was beyond peer. The Woods who won three Claret Jugs by the age of 30 could have achieved far more if numerous surgeries and personal issues did not compromise his skills. Can Tiger still add to his resume? Carnoustie could certainly be an epic storyline should Woods rekindle some of his past magic. Seve Ballesteros (SPAIN) / 1976 to 1988 The superbly talented Spaniard who left this world too soon at age 54 was a maestro on the links. His skills at escaping from one pitfall after another displayed a gift few have ever seen in golf's long history. In 1976 Ballesteros nearly claimed the championship at 19 and tied for second with Jack Nicklaus behind eventual winner Johnny Miller. Three years later he would capture the first of three Open wins at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, made famous by his ability to play from an adjoining car park. In 1984 the Spaniard upended Tom Watson down the stretch to win a classic battle at The Old Course at St Andrews. His fist pumping exclamation with a final birdie at the closing hole is a golf moment seared in the memory banks. Ballesteros would win his final Open in 1988 with a sterling final round 65 in overcoming a stiff challenge from Nick Price – again winning at Lytham. Links golf, at its heart, is being able to invent shots when others confine their thinking to ordinary efforts. Ballesteros conjured shots that made him golf's Houdini.