Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Located on England’s Golf Coast in the Northwest of the country just south of the seaside town of Southport, Royal Birkdale is arguably the most decorated golf club in the country having held more Championship and International events since World War 2 than any other course in the world.

Founded in 1889 and given ‘Royal’ status in 1951, Birkdale consistently ranks amongst the top 10 courses in the UK and top 50 worldwide and hosted its inaugural Open Championship in 1954 when the great Australian golfer Peter Thomson won his first of five Claret Jugs. It’s interesting to note that number five was also won at Royal Birkdale.

Curtis Cups, Walker Cups and Ryder Cups have all been held at this magnificent golf club, which has notably been a big advocate of ladies’ golf since day one. Well ahead of its time and a shining example to the rest of the world.

Royal Birkdale Golf Course overview

Royal Birkdale is a magnificent links course that is widely recognized for its fairness. With fairways laid out in the flat-bottomed valleys between the towering dunes, rarely will the ball be thrown off course if you hit them. This too is reflected in many survey results stating Birkdale to be the favorite English course on The Open Championship rota.

A par-70 measuring just over 7100 yards from the tips, it is difficult without being overly penal however it can be a torrid experience when the wind is up. The course boasts multiple great golf holes with testing carries from tee to fairway and extremely difficult greens to read.

Signature Holes

There are so many to choose from. Perhaps the 183-yard par-3 12th hole where you are required to hit from a raised tee across a hollow onto a raised green protected by tussocky sand dunes and four deep pot bunkers. Maybe the par-5 15th which is Birkdale’s longest hole and one of the most heavily bunkered, or the monstrous 18th which is a 476-yard par-4 that requires the best two shots in your bag.

Did You Know?

Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Mark O’Meara and Jordan Spieth have all won Claret Jugs at Royal Birkdale – quite a club!