Links Championship Venue Open Championship Rota

Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Q: Which hole is hardest at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

Hole 6 has stroke index 1 — the hardest hole on the scorecard.

Southport, England

Par

Holes

Yards

6,761

Par 3 / 4 / 5

4 · 11 · 3

Image: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Course Layout

435 features mapped — fairways, greens, bunkers, tees, water. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Fairway Green Bunker Tee Water

Hole-by-Hole Strategy

Dogleg and layup calls derived from hole centerline geometry. 22 doglegs · 14 layup holes.

#	Par	Yards	Plays Like	Shape	Call
1	4	446	396 -50y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
1	4	395	396 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	4	419	525 +106y · -10ft	Slight dogleg left (15.8°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	5	528	525 -3y · -10ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 528y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
3	4	455	416 -39y · +0ft	Slight dogleg right (23.1°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
3	4	395	416 +21y · +0ft	Moderate dogleg right (26.0°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
3	4	416	416 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
4	3	197	354 +157y · -7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
4	3	205	354 +149y · -7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
4	4	356	354 -2y · -7ft	Slight dogleg right (12.3°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
5	4	341	442 +101y · +0ft	Sharp dogleg right (50.5°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (50.5°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
5	5	565	442 -123y · +0ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 565y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
5	4	442	442 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
6	5	502	442 -60y · -3ft	Sharp dogleg right (45.5°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 502y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
6	4	443	442 -1y · -3ft	Slight dogleg left (22.9°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
7	3	172	177 +5y · +13ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
7	3	173	177 +4y · +13ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
8	4	455	397 -58y · -20ft	Slight dogleg left (24.9°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
8	4	403	397 -6y · -20ft	Moderate dogleg right (32.0°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
9	4	413	407 -6y · -23ft	Moderate dogleg right (39.0°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
9	4	414	407 -7y · -23ft	Slight dogleg left (23.3°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
10	4	402	177 -225y · +10ft	Sharp dogleg left (67.9°)	LAYUP Sharp left-hand dogleg (67.9°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
10	3	174	177 +3y · +10ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
11	4	430	430 +0y · -7ft	Slight dogleg left (14.8°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
11	5	502	430 -72y · -7ft	Slight dogleg left (21.5°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 502y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
11	4	432	430 -2y · -7ft	Slight dogleg left (13.9°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
12	3	186	415 +229y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
12	4	400	415 +15y · -3ft	Moderate dogleg right (36.2°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
12	4	416	415 -1y · -3ft	Moderate dogleg right (37.2°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
13	4	503	504 +1y · +3ft	Slight dogleg right (12.2°)	LAYUP 503y par 4 with a slight dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
14	3	200	397 +197y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
14	4	398	397 -1y · -3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
15	5	540	340 -200y · -7ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 540y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
15	4	427	340 -87y · -7ft	Sharp dogleg left (56.0°)	LAYUP Sharp left-hand dogleg (56.0°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
15	4	342	340 -2y · -7ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
16	4	433	522 +89y · +7ft	Slight dogleg right (18.2°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
16	3	225	522 +297y · +7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
16	5	520	522 +2y · +7ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 520y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
17	5	564	557 -7y · -20ft	Moderate dogleg left (25.3°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 564y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
17	5	563	557 -6y · -20ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 563y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
18	4	476	510 +34y · +3ft	Slight dogleg right (22.4°)	LAYUP 476y par 4 with a slight dogleg. Treat as a three-shot hole unless you carry 280+ off the tee.
18	5	509	510 +1y · +3ft	Straight	LAYUP Par 5 at 509y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
Total	169	16,777	Distances from OSM centerlines; elevation from SRTM (Open-Meteo).

Course by the Numbers

Calculated from 435 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.

241 bunkers

5,383 sq yd of sand — 13.4 bunkers per hole on average.

568 sq yd avg green

Classification: Mid-size greens (~4,500 sq ft avg) — typical modern design. Standard target size — club selection matters more than shape.

987 sq yd

Largest green on the course — a three-club difference front-to-back is possible.

5.14 ha of fairway

Total groomed playing surface across 12 fairway zones.

22 doglegs

4 sharp, 18 moderate. Plotting a line off the tee matters more here than pure distance.

14 layup holes

Best played as three-shot holes for anyone outside single figures — chasing them turns pars into doubles.

Hole 5: 565y

The longest hole on the card — par 5. Know your layup number before you tee off.

241 bunkers · 50 greens · 12 fairway zones · 129 tee boxes · 2 water hazards.

About Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a golf course in the United Kingdom in North West England, located in Southport, Merseyside. It is one of the clubs in the rotation for both the Open Championship and Women's British Open and has hosted the Open Championship ten times from 1954 through 2017. Winners of the Open at the course include Pádraig Harrington, Mark O'Meara, Ian Baker-Finch, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer, Peter Thomson (twice) and Jordan Spieth. The course is scheduled to hold the Open Championship again in 2026.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tournament History & Records

Events Hosted

The Open Championship — Hosted 10 times — most recently 2017

What Should You Expect to Shoot?

These expected scores use the World Handicap System formula: your handicap index × slope ÷ 113, plus course rating. Use them to set a realistic target before you tee off.

Championship

Rating 74.0 · Slope 140 · Par 72 · 7,000 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	8	82	+10
10	14	88	+16
15	21	95	+23
20	27	101	+29
25	33	107	+35
30	39	113	+41

Medal

Rating 72.0 · Slope 132 · Par 72 · 6,500 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	6	78	+6
10	12	84	+12
15	18	90	+18
20	23	95	+23
25	29	101	+29
30	35	107	+35

Club

Rating 70.0 · Slope 125 · Par 72 · 6,000 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	4	74	+2
10	9	79	+7
15	15	85	+13
20	20	90	+18
25	26	96	+24
30	31	101	+29

Ladies

Rating 73.0 · Slope 130 · Par 72 · 5,400 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	7	80	+8
10	13	86	+14
15	18	91	+19
20	24	97	+25
25	30	103	+31
30	36	109	+37

Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	5	4	4	3	4	4	3	4	35	4	4	3	5	4	4	3	4	5	36	71
Yards	409	543	418	388	150	424	369	171	447	3,319	390	428	168	549	422	361	178	413	533	3,442	6,761
Stroke Index	7	3	13	11	17	1	9	15	5		8	4	16	2	10	6	18	12	14

Holes That Decide Your Round

Hardest Hole · SI 1

Hole 6

Par 4 · 424 yards

Play for the fat of the green and take bogey off the table. Build your pre-round plan →

Longest Hole

Hole 13

Par 5 · 549 yards

Three good shots beats two heroic ones. Bogey here is a solid result for anyone above 10 handicap.

Scoring Opportunity

Hole 5

Par 3 · 150 yards

Attack the pin — if your wedge game is on, this is where strokes get gained back.

Easiest Hole · SI 18

Hole 16

Par 3 · 178 yards

Expected par or better. If you drop a stroke here, it's usually a mental mistake — which is trackable.

Pre-Round Checklist for Royal Birkdale Golf Club

Know your average distance off the tee — budget for 11 par-4 tee shots. Check 4 par-3 yardages — pick your go-to clubs now, not on the tee. Plan hole 6 (hardest) for bogey — don't chase birdie there. Hole 13 is long — know your layup number. Arrive 45 min early — 15 range, 10 short game, 10 putting, 10 to the tee.

Your Game Plan for Royal Birkdale Golf Club

The scorecard tells you the course. The Grand Plan assessment tells you you — which part of your game is actually bleeding strokes. Pair both, and you have a pre-round strategy tailored to this course AND your weaknesses.

Take the 2-min Assessment Try the App Free for 30 Days

Tee Sets

Championship

Yards:: 7,000
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 74.0
Slope:: 140

Medal

Yards:: 6,500
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 72.0
Slope:: 132

Club

Yards:: 6,000
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 70.0
Slope:: 125

Ladies

Yards:: 5,400
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 73.0
Slope:: 130

Play the Open Championship Rota

The rotating venues of golf's oldest major — St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Turnberry, and friends.

See the full Open Championship Rota guide →

Other Notable Courses near Southport

Royal Liverpool Golf Club

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Par 72 ·18 holes ·7,312 yd

Mapped Strategy

Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake)

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Par 72 ·18 holes ·6,907 yd

Mapped Strategy

Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

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Par 71 ·18 holes ·6,913 yd

Mapped Strategy

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Lytham St Annes, England

Par 71 ·18 holes ·6,762 yd

Mapped Strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the par at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

Royal Birkdale Golf Club is a par 71 course with 18 holes measuring 6,761 total yards. Front nine par 35 (3,319 yards), back nine par 36 (3,442 yards).

What is the longest hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

The longest hole is hole 13, a par 5 playing 549 yards.

Which hole is hardest at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

Hole 6 has the lowest stroke index (1). It's a par 4 playing 424 yards.

What tournaments have been held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

The Open Championship — Hosted 10 times — most recently 2017

What should I shoot at Royal Birkdale Golf Club?

Use the expected-score table above — it's calculated from your handicap and this course's official WHS rating and slope. A 15 handicap typically shoots mid-80s to low-90s depending on the tee set; a 25 handicap mid-90s to low-100s. Track your actual scores against these targets to see how your game travels.