Designed by George Low, Royal Birkdale opened in 1897 and was subsequently renovated to championship standard by FW Hawtree and JH Taylor in the 1930's.
Royal Birkdale has hosted all the important events - the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, and Ladies British Open Championship. The Open Championship has been hosted at Birkdale no fewer than nine times (most recently in 2008).
​The fairways are routed in the valleys between the towering dunes, which results in mostly flat lies, a rarity in links golf. Always in immaculate condition, Royal Birkdale is a very tough course with greens that run fast and are difficult to read.