Major honours
Royal Birkdale is a links set among huge sand dunes in Southport on England's north-west coast and represents England in The Open rotation. Founded in 1889 and relocated to its present site in 1897, it received its royal title in 1951. Unlike many links, fairways sit flat in valleys between dunes, so tee shots tend to hold their line and luck plays less of a role — professionals rate it highly for that fairness. Par 70 at roughly 7,150 yards, it hosted The Open ten times from 1954 through 2017. Arnold Palmer's 1961 win helped draw American stars back across the Atlantic, and at the 1969 Ryder Cup Jack Nicklaus conceded Tony Jacklin's two-foot putt on the last hole for a tie, an act of sportsmanship that still defines the event.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
In England's north-west links triangle it competes with Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool for Open dates. All three rotate, but Birkdale is chosen most often for the natural amphitheatre the dunes create and its fair test off the tee.