Golf Central

Was it really ten years ago that Justin Rose pitched in on the 18th and Mark O'Meara hoisted the Claret Jug? Well, yes, it was... what we're getting at is that the memories from Birkdale's last Open in 1998 remain the same, but the course itself has changed a bit.

1. A brief history lesson

It was on 30 July 1889 that nine gentlemen came together to form themselves into a club that would go by the name of Birkdale Golf Club. The annual rent on the ground in Liverpool Road was £5, but four members of the club soon decided to move the club to Birkdale Hills and extend it to an 18-hole course. The original Clubhouse built  in 1897 was demolished in 1903, only to be replaced by a new one in September 1904... which lasted until 1935. The current layout was created in 1922 by architect Fred Hawtree and JH Taylor... not a bad duo to have design a course, it must be said.

2. By Royal Appointment

Birkdale was designated for distinction by the royal family and, even though the club dates back to 1889, it did not achieve 'royal' stature until 1951. On November 11, 1951, Captain H F Simpson posted a notice stating, "I have the honour to announce that His Majesty The King has been graciously pleased to Command that the Club shall henceforth be known as The Royal Birkdale Golf Club."

3. Birkdale's well ahead of its time

From its earliest days, women have played a massive part in the club's history. In December 1889, club members voted unanimously in favour of letting ladies to use the links 'on and not exceeding three days each week, but not on a Saturday or Bank Holiday.' The first lady members were elected in 1890 and one of the first tournamnets held at Birkdale was the 1909 Open Match-Play Championsip...

4. Birkdale's got a great history as an Open venue

This week will be the ninth time that Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open, the first time being back in 1954, where Peter Thomson walked away victorious. Indeed, Thomson became synonymous with Birkdale, winning the first and last of his Open titles there. Birkdale would have hosted The Open in 1940, but some war stopped that from happening. The last time Open Championship played at Royal Birkdale was in 1998, where Mark O'Meara won...

5. It's not a normal links layout

When Birkdale was created, links courses were full of blind shots, calling on golfers to play up and over sand dunes. That's not the case with Birkdale, however, because lots of the holes follow valleys running between the dunes, making it one of the flatter courses on The Open Championship rota. Birkdale's greatest virtue, however, is the fact that the only hole you'll often see at one time is the one you're playing... so there's literally an element of surprise around every corner.

6. The story of Trevino and Mr Lu...

The 100th Open Championship returned to Birkdale in 1971 and will always be remembered for Lee Trevino and Lu Liang-Huan, or Mr Lu as he's otherwise known.  With only one stroke separating him from Trevino on the final hole, Mr Lu pulled his drive on the 18th into the crowd,  where a spectator was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital as a result. Three years later, Mr Lu met up with the woman and a few years after that, she and her husband were flown out to Taiwan to holiday at Lu's hotel.

7. A quick word to spectators

If you're going to Royal Birkdale as a spectator this week, you won't go short of a decent view that's for sure. With its sandy hillocks, there are plenty of great vantage points to be had around the course and, let's be honest, it's better than plonking yourself in one of the 18,000 grandstand seats...

8. It's had the R&A treatment

Unsurprisingly, Royal Birkdale has undergone a few changes since it last hosted The Open in 1998; 20 new bunkers have been added, 14 removed, while 27 have been redesigned. If that wasn't enough, the fairway has been moved 25 yards to the left and there's a new green on the 17th with a cunning slope that may well pose a threat. Sounds easy to us...

9. What's Bernard Darwin got to say?

In his book, Golf Between Two Wars, the great Bernard Darwin wrote of Royal Birkdale, 'J.H Taylor was the architect and he has unquestionably made of Birkdale a 'big' course on which it is good fun to see the big men stretch themselves... no bad player is going to win over Birkdale, and yet it is no slogger's paradise.' So that's Philip Walton to win at 2500/1, Bern?

10. Signature holes

Currently the 16th best golf course in the world (the highest ranked English course), it's a pretty difficult feat to pick a signature hole. It's hard to overlook the 183-yard par three 12th, but then again, the par five 15th is pretty special as well. And what about the gargantuan 18th; a heavily-guarded hole which has seen its fair share of drama over the years? Forget it... we'll let you decide.