Royal Lytham and St Annes is one of the most unique courses on the Open rota. Exposed to the elements, the few trees on the course permanently lean sideways, with the wind often proving a formidable competitor in the homeward five holes of the course.
Royal Lytham opens with a par-three, the only major championship course to do so. Hole 16 was the scene of Seve’s famous ‘car park’ shot of 1979.
The legendary amateur, Bobby Jones won the Open here in 1926, while Tiger Woods holds the amateur record on the course with a 66.
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club is situated within one mile of the centre of St. Annes on Sea. Leave the M6 motorway at junction 32 and join the M55 which goes to Blackpool. Turn left at roundabout toward Blackpool South and St Annes from where the course will be signposted.
Venue: Open Championship, Ryder Cup, Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Ladies British Open
Royal Birkdale has consistently been voted as the number one course in Britain, and is ever-present within the British Open rota.
The course runs through a network of high dunes with wind stiffening the challenge and the rolling, firm terrain making clever shot-making essential.
In addition to hosting the Open on eight occasions, Royal Birkdale has also been the stage for many other great golf championships including the Ryder Cup in 1969, when Jack Nicklaus famously conceded Tony Jacklin’s final two-foot putt to ensure the overall match finished tied.
Tiger Woods holds the amateur course record here with a 65!
The club is 1½ miles south of Southport town centre on the A565 - Waterloo Road between Southport and Ainsdale. The nearest railway station is Hillside on the Liverpool to Southport line.
Drivers approaching from the North should use the M6, exit at Junction 29, Leyland, to the A582, A59 and A565. Drivers from the South, via the M6, M62, M57 and A5147. Traffic from Central Lancashire should use the M58, exit at Junction 3, Rainford, to the A570. Traffic from Wales and the Wirral should use the M53, Queensway Tunnel to the A565.
Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) Golf Club is among the toughest and most demanding of the great seaside championship links. Built in 1869, on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, Hoylake is the oldest of all the English seaside courses with the exception of Westward Ho! in Devon, which pre-dated it by only a few years.
Hoylake is synonymous with British golf history - in 1885 the first Amateur Championship was held here, in 1902 the first International match between England and Scotland, and, in 1921, the first International match between Great Britain and the United States of America, which we now know as The Walker Cup.
It was also at Hoylake in 1930 that the legendary Bobby Jones won the second leg of his famous "Grand Slam" when he won the Amateur and Open Championships of both Britain and the United States in the same year. Shortly afterwards he retired from the game at the age of 28.
The British Open returned to Royal Liverpool in 2006, with Tiger Woods winning.
Hoylake Golf Club is situated on Carr lane off the A553 between Hoylake and West Kirby, 10 minutes from Junction 2 of the M53 and less than 1 hour from Manchester International Airport.
Royal St. David's links course is wonderfully situated on the north coast of Wales, overlooked by Harlech Castle with sand dunes and the Irish Sea to the west, and the Snowdonian Mountains adding a dramatic backdrop.
A classic links that has hosted Professional and top level Amateur tournaments. The course is a succession of long testing par fours with two par fives plus five short holes, which vary in length.
Royal St. David's is indeed royal - Edward VII gave the club his patronage and the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) captained the club in 1934 while he was Prince of Wales.
"I love links golf and it doesn't get much purer than here at Royal St. David's.” Sir Bob Charles (Open Champion 1963)
“What you need for the Ryder Cup is drama, and they’ve done a great job with the design of the Twenty Ten course. There’s water, driveable par-fours and a fantastic finishing stretch.” - Ian Woosnam
The new Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor features nine spectacular new holes that have been developed along the floor of the Usk Valley, as well as nine holes from the former Wentwood Hills Championship Course that have been extensively remodelled.
The course’s signature hole is the par-4 14th, which brings classic risk-and-reward dilemmas with lakes on both sides of the fairway.
“The whole place has exceeded my expectations. I was told it was going to be great, but it’s even better than I had anticipated.” - Butch Harmon
Ascot golf tours featuring Celtic Manor - Twenty Ten
Royal Porthcawl is a historic links on the south coast of Wales between Cardiff and Swansea.
The course has hosted many top amateur and professional events such as the Amateur Championship, the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup, the European Team Championship, the Ladies British Open Amateur Championship and some early European Tour events.
Visitors can enjoy impressive views of the sea from every hole, with views south to Somerset and Exmoor, and northwest across Swansea Bay to the Gower Peninsula.
