Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 1

A guide to the opening hole at Royal Birkdale ahead of the 146th Open Championship

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 1
(Image credit: Getty Images)

A guide to the first hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England ahead of the 146th Open Championship

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 1

Hole 1 - Par 4 - 448 yards

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The 146th Open Championship takes place at Royal Birkdale this month, here is a guide to the opening hole.

The first at Birkdale presents a demanding shot to the players, with a bunker left guarding a tight fairway surrounded by thick rough and shrubbery.

Related: Royal Birkdale Golf Club Course Review

The dogleg-left par 4 is a long one for amateurs at almost 450 yards and will play long for the pros when in to wind.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 1

Looking back down the first hole from behind the green. (Photo by David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

However when not down wind, the likes of Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy will easily be able to make the carry over the corner to leave them a mere flick onto the green.

The approach to the large, flat green is relatively simple, however anything landing short-right and short-left will find sand.

The key is to carry your ball over the bunkers short or run one up straight to miss them.

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV