Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Royal Liverpool Golf Club, known universally as Hoylake, occupies a flat stretch of linksland on the Wirral Peninsula where the Dee Estuary meets Liverpool Bay. The club was founded in 1869, making it one of England's oldest seaside courses, though the present layout largely reflects modifications by Harry S. Colt in the early twentieth century. The course sits on former racecourse grounds, and remnants of that history remain visible in the internal out-of-bounds areas that define several holes—a quirk nearly unique among championship links. The routing runs out and back in traditional links fashion across relatively level terrain, with the wind and the firm, fast-running turf providing the primary defenses. The opening stretch moves away from the clubhouse along the practice ground, while the inward nine returns alongside the estuary, where tidal marshes and distant Welsh hills form the backdrop. The bunkering is deep and strategic, and the greens are subtly contoured, rewarding precise approach play. Several holes play along or across the internal boundaries, demanding both accuracy and local knowledge. Hoylake has hosted The Open Championship numerous times since 1897, with winners including Bobby Jones in 1930 during his Grand Slam year, Peter Thomson, Roberto De Vicenzo, and more recently Tiger Woods in 2006 and Rory McIlroy in 2014. The course also stages the Amateur Championship regularly and remains a fixture in British championship golf. The club maintains a traditional members' culture, and the modest Victorian clubhouse reflects the understated character of one of the game's historic venues.