Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 2

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

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 2
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 2

Hole 2 - Par 4 - 422 yards

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 15 16 | 17 | 18

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

Related: Royal Birkdale Golf Club Course Review

The second is another dogleg-left par 4 that plays straight into the prevailing wind, but this time the sand is on the right off the tee.

The bunkers are around 300 yards off the tee so most may opt to keep the driver in the bag if conditions are firm, which will leave a wedge of some sorts into this well-protected green.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club Hole By Hole Guide: Hole 2

Looking back down the second, avoid the rough! (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Again though, thick rough is in play so accuracy off the tee is a premium.

The slim green is guarded by no-less than six bunkers short and on either side, whilst anything long will nestle in the thick rough.

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