Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 15

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

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 15
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 15

Hole 15 - Par 5 - 542 yards

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

Related: Royal Birkdale Golf Club Course Review

The first par-5 finally arrives at the 15th, and there are no fewer than 15 bunkers on this hole!

However, if sand can be avoided, this hole presents an eagle opportunity.

It's also the start of the four hole playoff, if one is needed, where players will battle it out over the closing four holes to decide the fate of the Claret Jug.

For the professionals, there are three bunkers in play off the tee.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 15

Bunkers...everywhere!(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Sand left at 263 yards and two to the middle-right at 302 and 313 yards must be avoided.

For the long hitters, a good drive will leave an iron into the green, unless the wind is into, whilst the more modest-of-hitters will be going in with a 2 iron or three wood.

There are eight bunkers to think about when laying up, the first of which is 149 yards to the green and the last is 88 yards away.

The putting surface is protected with a bunker either side and anything long of the pin will leave a hellish putt down a big side-sloping hill.

This hole definitely presents an eagle or birdie opportunity if you can get your ball in the right positions, but if not, a bogey can easily be made.

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