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Golf Course Review: Royal Birkdale Golf Club, host to the 2008 Open Championship

Posted by admin under Buyers Guide, Golf Courses

Royal Birkdale, one of Britain’s finest golf clubs has been voted the No 1 course in Britain, and is among the best in the world. Having previously hosted two Ryder Cups, the Walker and Curtis Cups, the Women’s British Open and on 8 occasions the Open Championship.

This year it plays host to the world’s best when it is the host to The Open 2008 Championship.

The stunning coastal resort of Southport is host to the finest links courses in England. This is the home of Royal Birkdale, for many golfers, quite simply, the best of all the great golf courses to have staged The Open Championship.

Where is Royal Birkdale Golf Club situated? In the north west of England.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club, is situated on the same stretch of coastline as fellow Open
Championship venues Royal Lytham St Annes and Royal Liverpool.

For more information and detailed map how to get there click here
Warm Welcome

Visitors to Royal Birkdale are assured a warm welcome. The Managing Secretary, Mike Gilyeat and his staff are the people to contact for general enquiries or bookings. Brian Hodgkinson succeeded Richard Bradbeer as the club professional on 1 January 2002 having been Assistant Professional under Richard for 22 years. The greenkeeping staff is led by Chris Whittle, the Course Manager, who joined the club in 1994 having supervised the Muirfield links for six years.

General Information:Reservations

Unless personally introduced as a member’s guest, visitors must make a reservation and obtain a starting time prior to arrival. Reservations may be made by telephone, letter, fax or email to the Secretary’s Office. Handicap Certificates will be required from all visiting golfers. Whilst visitors are encouraged, they must respect restricted tee-off times. Golfing Societies, Company Days and Prestige Golf Days are programmed to take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Gift Vouchers

The Club will be happy to provide you with a personalised voucher for a round of golf, which will make an ideal and extremely welcome gift for any enthusiastic golfer. We can send it to you or direct to the recipient with any message that you require. Please contact the Secretary’s office to discuss your requirements.

Professional’s Shop

Private tuition from the Professional or his Assistant can easily be arranged. The Professional can also quote for video tuition and golf clinics.

Dress

On the course - smart attire is essential, golf shoes are to be worn; shorts may be worn but only with knee length socks. In the clubhouse - smart casual wear is accepted in the Spike Bar and the Mixed Lounge. Jeans, track-suits, T-shirts and training shoes, for example are not permitted either in the clubhouse or on the golf course. A jacket and tie is required in the dining room after 6.00pm.

Previous Open Champions at Royal Birkdale

Peter Thomson won the first and last of his five Open titles and where Arnold Palmer’s victory in 1961 marked the virtual re-birth of golf’s oldest championship.

In 1954 Thomson won the first Open to be played at Birkdale, finishing just one shot ahead of a three-way tie for second place between Bobby Locke, Syd Scott and Dai Rees. Thomson returned in 1965 to round off his collection of Open wins, this time by two shots from Brian Huggett and Christy O’Connor, in what he believed was his greatest win.

No less than 13 players were in a position to win over the closing holes when Thomson settled the issue beyond doubt with a second shot that hit the pin at the 510-yard 17th. He described Birkdale as man-sized but not a monster”.

“Royal Birkdale has endeared itself to all of the world’s top golfers,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. “And we must remember that with his win there in 1961, Arnold Palmer is rightly credited with starting the renaissance of The Open. We are delighted to be returning in 2008.”

David Hill, the R&A’s Director of Championships, said: “Royal Birkdale is a venue which, in addition to setting a rigorous examination of the abilities of all golfers, also has a first-class infrastructure which is capable of coping with large numbers of spectators.

“Almost 200,000 people watched Mark O’Meara winning in 1998 and we are delighted that the golfing public in Lancashire and the surrounding areas will again be given the opportunity of viewing 156 of the world’s leading players in 2008.”

Graham Haywood, Chief Executive of Sefton Council said: “The event is very special and of enormous benefit to the area, particularly our marketing of the area as England’s Golf Coast. It was a tremendous success in 1998 when it was last at Royal Birkdale and I am sure 2008 will be even better.”

Lee Trevino won the first of his consecutive British Opens in 1971 at Royal Birkdale.

Other players to have won at Birkdale are Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch and Mark O’Meara, pictured below.

Royal Birkdale was founded in 1889 and eight years later, in 1897 moved to its present home at Birkdale Hills. Much of the present layout was modelled on a design by Hawtree & J H Taylor Ltd in the 1920s and the present-day clubhouse was constructed in 1935 on elevated ground behind the 18th green. In preparation for the 1965 Open the clubhouse was extended, a new par-three12th hole was built into the massive dunes and the closing holes considerably changed.

Previous Winners at Royal Birkdale: 1954 - Peter Thomson (72, 71, 69, 71 - 283); 1961 - Arnold Palmer (70, 73, 69, 72 - 284); 1965 - Peter Thomson (74, 68, 72, 71 - 285); 1971 - Lee Trevino (69, 70, 69, 70 - 278); 1976 - Johnny Miller (72, 68, 73, 66 - 279); 1983 - Tom Watson (67, 68, 70, 70 - 275); 1991 - Ian Baker-Finch (71, 71, 64, 66 - 272); 1998 - Mark O’Meara (72, 68, 72, 68 - 280).

Opening Hole

The opening 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.