I have been fortunate to play Birkdale after this years Open. The sun was shining and the course was in immaculate condition, there was simply nothing to fault, the tees, the fairways and the greens were just superb, or was it being 4 under my handicap? Just don't go in the rough. Still the lady who Aced the 7th may have had a better day! A worthy top 10 course, brilliantly presented.

Believe the hype. This course deserves it's ranking as the finest in England. I was lucky enough to play here on a relatively benign day. I would hate to play the brutal par-four first on a windy day! From the moment you approach the iconic clubhouse, everything speaks quality (it's worth noting that a certain brand of sat-nav will direct you to neighbouring club Hillside). The overall service is friendly and the people are down to earth. There's none of the stuffy pretence associated with some famous old clubs. The course itself is simply magnificent, which makes it difficult to identify specific highlights but here goes: the part-four 9th is superb, the par-three 12th is one of the great short links holes, Arnold Palmer's 16th is everything you could reasonably want from a long par-four, and the 17th, the hole that will now be forever associated with Padraig Harrington, is wonderful, despite a controversial green that probably does need a little flattening out.

One small gripe: the 18th is played as a par-five, not a four as in the Open. I would like to see the visitor's tee brought forward a little and play it as a four. This hole is too impressive to be played as a short par-five. It's a long-iron green, not a wedge.

Do yourself a favour check-in to one of Southport's many inexpensive B&Bs and spend three days playing Birkdale and its very near neighbours Southport and Ainsdale and Hillside. The golf isn't cheap around this part of Merseyside but it's worth every penny.