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Royal Birkdale Golf Club

NORTHERN ENGLAND, ENGLAND

Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Valley fairways beneath towering dunes define Royal Birkdale's honest links test.

  • NORTHERN ENGLAND Location
  • LINKS Course type
  • 18 HOLES Holes
  • PAR 72 Par
  • TOP 100 IN THE WORLD Recognition

Beyond the Scorecard

  • Course established: 1889
  • Course designer/s: George Lowe; later remodelled by F.G.
  • National ranking: #8 in England
  • Known for: Eleven-time host of The Open Championship
  • Defining feature: Fairways routed through towering dune valleys

Fairways Through the Dune Valleys

The golf course at Royal Birkdale Golf Club traces its origins to 1889, when the club began on a nine-hole course at Shaw Hills. It moved to Birkdale Hills in 1897, where George Lowe laid out 18 holes. From the 1920s, F.G. Hawtree and J.H. Taylor reshaped it for championship play, choosing routes along valley floors instead of forcing shots over the dunes. This decision gave the course its clear sightlines and fair reputation.

The opening stretch is demanding, with three strong par fours establishing the tone. Elevated tees reveal landing areas, while buckthorn, dwarf willow, and visible bunkers punish drives that leave the intended corridor. The ground remains exposed to Irish Sea winds, so firm conditions can bring low approaches, controlled flights, and careful use of the contours into play.

The par-three 12th asks for a carry across a hollow to a narrow green guarded by four pot bunkers. At the par-five 17th, players drive between two large dunes before approaching a green shaped by run-offs and deep sand, the setting for Padraig Harrington's decisive eagle in 2008.

Why Add This Course to Your Golf Experience

Royal Birkdale brings major-championship stature and one of golf's most recognisable clubhouses to a Northern England itinerary. Its 1935 Art Deco clubhouse overlooks the closing green, while the club's record also includes Ryder Cups, Women's Opens, and eleven editions of The Open, most recently won by Ryan Fox in 2026.

Kinfern can place the round alongside Hillside or Southport & Ainsdale, creating a compact Southport stay where each day offers a different links character without long transfers. 

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