Royal Lytham and St Annes Gallery

Royal Lytham & St Annes is 9th in Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland golf course rankings 2015/16

Royal Lytham & St Annes
Looking up Lytham's closing hole where Adam Scott came a cropper in 2012
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Royal Lytham & St Annes is 9th in Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland golf course rankings 2015/16

Royal Lytham & St Annes is 9th in Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland golf course rankings 2015/16.

It drops two places from our 2013/14 standings, with the likes of Carnoustie and Royal Dornoch moving ahead.

Royal Lytham and St Annes has staged no less than 10 Open Championships, with Ernie Els claiming a second Claret Jug here in 2012.

It is the third-highest English course in our rankings and widely regarded as one of the toughest courses in the country.

All pictures: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

The par-4 18th sits infront of the famous clubhouse. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Trouble lurks short of the green on the tough par-4 15th. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Trouble lies in wait to the left of the par-4 18th fairway, as Adam Scott found out in 2012. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Humps, hollows, bunkers and penal rough make Royal Lytham one of the toughest courses in the UK. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Natural features abound on the appraoch to the green of the par-5 7th. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Lytham was first laid out by the club's first professional, George Lowe. Picture: Getty Image

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Bunkers are one of the course's main defences. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Harry Colt made significant modifications to Lytham after the First World War. Picture: Getty Images

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Lytham has hosted ten Open Championships, the last in 2012. Pciture: Getty Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x