Royal Birkdale: 9 Things to Know About the Open's Fairest Test

Royal Birkdale Returns as The Open's Stage

Royal Birkdale hosts its 11th Open Championship, cementing its place among the game's most storied venues. Here's a breakdown of what makes this Lancashire links so distinctive.

From Nine Holes to Open Rota

Founded in 1889 as a modest nine-hole course, Royal Birkdale relocated to its current home in the Birkdale Hills in 1897, where George Lowe laid out the 18-hole layout. Despite its long history, it is actually the newest club on the current Open rota, hosting its first major in 1954 when Peter Thomson claimed his first Claret Jug.

The 'Fairest' Test Explained

Ranked 42nd on GOLF's Top 100 Courses in the World, Royal Birkdale earns its "fairest" reputation through relatively mellow fairway contours, few blind shots, and a natural amphitheater created by towering dunes — all before stadium courses became a trend. Yet its revetted fairway bunkers, steep and cunningly placed, remain a fearsome defense.

An Art Deco Icon

The 1935 clubhouse, inspired by the lines of an ocean liner, stands as one of the most recognizable buildings in championship golf — a sharp contrast to the Victorian clubhouses at other Open venues.

A Champion's Gallery

Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Padraig Harrington, and Jordan Spieth have all won here. The near-misses are equally legendary: a teenage Seve Ballesteros in 1976, 17-year-old amateur Justin Rose holing out from the rough in 1998, and Spieth's 2017 rules saga that turned into one of the Open's greatest finishes.

A Redesigned Challenge for 2026

The course Spieth conquered has changed significantly. A new par-3 15th — stretching to 240 yards — replaces the old 14th and features what Sir Nick Faldo calls an "optical delusion" bunker. The 5th hole is now a drivable par-4 after a large dune was removed, though a pond lurks right of the green.

Strokeslab Takeaway

The new 15th will be a critical SG: APP differentiator. Long par-3s at major venues consistently expose distance and trajectory control weaknesses — watch how leading players manage this hole across four rounds.