Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Southport, England
Course Layout
435 features mapped — fairways, greens, bunkers, tees, water. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Course by the Numbers
Calculated from 435 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.
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
Play for the fat of the green and take bogey off the table. Build your pre-round plan →
Three good shots beats two heroic ones. Bogey here is a solid result for anyone above 10 handicap.
Attack the pin — if your wedge game is on, this is where strokes get gained back.
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
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.
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
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.