Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Royal Birkdale Golf Club has been voted the number one golf club in England. It is one of the top five clubs in the UK and amongst the top 35 in the world.

The holes are threaded over rows of high dunes and across intervening valleys and so offer spectacular vistas. The 1st hole is as challenging as any on the course, with a constant crosswind, a bank and a bunker on one side and other hazards on the other.

As on any links, the powerful ocean breezes are frequently in play, a classic case of this phenomenon being the 2008 Open Championship, where Padraig Harrington managed to tame the exceptionally strong gusts. The course is located in the coastal resort of Southport, County Merseyside about 17 miles north of Liverpool.

It hosted its first major tournament with the English Amateur Championship, then the Curtis Cup in 1948, the Walker Cup in 1951 before being included in the rotation of the British Open. For many players, this is the best of all hosting the Open Championship.