default-cbs-image

The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale for a 10th time. Birkdale is located in Southport, England, and is one of 10 courses currently in the Open rota. Most of the other nine courses have hosted more Opens. By this championship's standards, Birkdale is still fairly young as a host.

Birkdale has provided some tremendous Open (and non-Open) moments, though. There was the famous shot Arnold Palmer hit out of a bush in 1961 to win that year. There was the hole-out Justin Rose made in 1998 to nearly win as an amateur. And there was a non-shot moment in 1969 when Jack Nicklaus gave Tony Jacklin a putt that meant the Ryder Cup would end in a tie.

This course is not as famous as some of its other brethren in the rota, and it is part of the less popular England swing, but it has also given us some world-class moments in the history of this sport. With the class of players heading to Southport playing at such an outrageous level, I'd expect more of the same this go around. Here are a few things you need to know about Birkdale.

1. Keep it straight: It's no secret that you need to be a terrific driver of the golf ball to win major championships these days. But Royal Birkdale requires that you are a straight driver of the ball more than a long one. Hilly rough areas line nearly every fairway and put a premium on finding the short stuff.

"The big thing about Birkdale is that it's surrounded by those dunes and long grass," Johnny Miller told Golfweek recently. "It's actually pretty hard to scramble if you hit it wildly, unlike Troon or some of those other courses where you can hit it out in the car park. Birkdale, if you hit it wildly, it's pretty penal. It doesn't seem to have the Scottish cache as much as a St. Andrews or a Carnoustie or Muirfield or whatever. But hole for hole, it doesn't have to take a back seat to any of the rotation."

2. Par has changed: After the brouhaha that broke out at Erin Hills earlier this year, it's worth revisiting what par looks like at Royal Birkdale. In 1954, when Peter Thomson won the first Open here, he shot 283 but finished 9 under. In 2008, the last time it was here, Padraig Harrington won by shooting 283 but finished 3 over. 

3. Birkdale is not elite: Just like Joe Flacco, this course is not considered among the giants of the game by many. For whatever reason, it doesn't stand with St. Andrews, Carnoustie or Royal Troon despite its strong list of former champions. That list includes: 

  • Peter Thomson (1954 and 1965)
  • Arnold Palmer (1962)
  • Johnny Miller (1976)
  • Tom Watson (1983)

Those three alone are a who's who of Open champions, but Birkdale still does not get the bonafides you might think. Maybe it's because the list of winners only included Americans and Australians until Padraig Harrington won it in 2008. Maybe not, but it's not likely to change at any point in the near future. 

4. Flat fairways: Links courses are known for their severe undulation and slope. This is part of the charm, the difficulty and the terrain. Royal Birkdale is not among these courses for reasons unknown. Even though it is set near the water, much of its layout is shockingly flat. Here is Ron Whitten of Golf Digest.

At Birkdale, the fairways, not the greens, are the dance floors, metaphorically speaking, and for generations, writers and critics have rationalized, euphemized, even apologized for the glaring flaw in an otherwise marvelous layout. "The decision to choose the relatively flat areas of Royal Birkdale on which to place the fairways means that the traditional vagaries of links golf are absent," said one writer. "The flattish fairways -- there is very little undulation -- prompt neither freak bounces nor awkward lies," wrote another. The fairways "...were not the adventurous exercise they might have been," wrote a third.

This works against players like Jordan Spieth who are incredible undulating fairway-playing players. Spieth especially is incredible at places like Augusta and Kapalua where you get sideways and downhill lies on every single shot.

5. What about the wind? As is almost always the case at this tournament, Birkdale is susceptible to strong gales. It is like St. Andrews in that if it doesn't blow, the course can be had. But if it does? Look out. 

Tiger Woods shot a 77 in the 1998 Open at Royal Birkdale and somehow went on to finish third. Nobody broke par that day, but several golfers shot in the 80s. So that's something to keep an eye on. What little protection the course once had in 6,000 trees was removed in 1998. Now, the course is laid bare to whatever Mother Nature might bring.