Nine years ago, Jordan Spieth spent 20 minutes weighing his drop options for the Claret Jag. The wait seemed to last forever. Time passed quickly after that.
And just like that, the British Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for the club’s 11th venue. Before play begins, there are a few things you need to know about one of golf’s great championship venues.
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Born as a 9-hole course
The club first welcomed play on what was then a nine-hole course in 1889. Eight years later it moved to its current home in Birkdale Hills, with 18 holes laid out by George Lowe, head pro at nearby Royal Lytham & St Anne’s.
Located in a zip code where golf is popular.
Public tea times were banned at Royal Birkdale this week. However, there are many other places to play nearby. An hour’s drive along the Irish Sea coast brings you to great courses such as Royal Lytham, Royal Liverpool, Wallasey, Formby, West Lancashire, Hillside and Southport & Ainsdale.
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I’m a relative newcomer to Rota.
Of all the clubs on the current open rota, Royal Birkdale is the newest. Although founded in 1889, the first Open was not held until 1954 when Peter Thomson claimed the Claret Jug.
The title “Royal” increased its reputation.
Not all great links receive noble treatment. Royal Birkdale obtained its designation in 1951 when King George VI granted the club permission to add the coveted prefix to its name. The timing was no coincidence. In 1946 and 1948, Birkdale shone by hosting the British Amateur Championship and the Curtis Cup respectively. And in 1951, six months before the monarch gave his formal approval, the club proved its mettle and an even bigger tournament still awaited.
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Before that became popular, it was stadium golf.
Long before the advent of man-made stadium courses, Royal Birkdale provided a natural example. Ranked 42nd on GOLF’s list of the world’s top 100 courses, this layout runs through a landscape of towering sand dunes. Despite these dramatic features, the design itself is relatively modest, with mostly gentle contours and few blind shots. This test is often referred to as the “fairest” open test, but don’t tell that to anyone who spends time in steep, riveting fairway bunkers, the centerpiece of course defense.
A clubhouse that breaks the boundaries of rinks
Unlike the stately Victorian or Tudor-style clubhouses seen at some open venues, Royal Birkdale’s headquarters looks almost futuristic. This impressive Art Deco building opened in 1935 after architects Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor rerouted the course, moved the opening holes and abolished the old pavilion.
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Architect George Tonge won a design competition for a building inspired by ocean liners. As he later explained, “I imagined the lines of a liner at sea. I imagined the perfect balance of the ship, no matter what angle or side you looked at.”
Almost a century later, it remains one of the most famous clubhouses in championship golf.
Carrier Booked by Birkdale
Thomson’s victory in 1954 was the first of three consecutive British Open titles in a career that would eventually include five. Royal Birkdale also hosted the 1965 Open, the last time Thomson lifted the Claret Jug, capping off an impressive run.
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We have created many award winners and unforgettable moments.
Royal Birkdale’s roster of champions is like a Hall of Fame ballot. Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington and Jordan Spieth have all lifted the Claret Jug here.
The near misses are nearly as memorable.
In 1976, 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros burst onto the international stage with a precocious performance punctuated by a deft chip from Fescue that bounced between the bunkers and into tap-in range on the 18th hole, securing him a tie for second place with Jack Nicklaus.
Twenty-two years later, it had another blockbuster showing. This time it was 17-year-old amateur Justin Rose who holed out of the rough on the final hole to finish fourth, a shot that created one of the meme-worthy celebrations of the British Open.
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Then, in 2017, Spieth arrived.
This championship is remembered for the 20-minute rules discussion following his outburst on the 13th. But what happened next was even more surprising. Spieth held off a bogey and played the remaining five holes at 5 under, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 15th and a holeout from a greenside bunker on the 17th, turning the Open’s strangest detour into one of its best finishes.
Not the same as Birkdale Spieth conquered.
Championship courses often have a structure that corresponds to a sandwich between major events. Royal Birkdale has undergone something close to a makeover.
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Since Spieth’s win in 2017, the club has made some significant changes. The old 14th hole is gone, but the new 15th hole is an absolutely wild par 3 that stretches out to 240 yards. After a reconnaissance visit, Rory McIlroy said the new hole was attractive, but suggested it could be “funky” if you put the tee in the wrong place, and that he might play better if he advanced to perhaps a 6 or 7 iron range.
The fifth hole also transforms from a partially blind tee shot into a driveable par 4 after a large sand dune is removed, giving players a clear view of the green. Be careful as there is a pond lurking on the right side.
As for the new 15th, the first bunker beside the green can be confusing. Sir Nick Faldo described this as an “optical illusion” because it appears to be located directly in front of the putting surface when viewed from the tee, when it is actually offset to the left.
The post 9 things to know about Royal Birkdale, the ‘fairest’ open test appeared first on Golf.
