THE ROYAL BIRKDALE GOLF CLUB
The Royal Birkdale Golf Club has come a very long way since nine intrepid local
gentlemen got together at the house of a Mr J C Barrett, Justice of the Peace, on
30 July 1889 and resolved to form the original Birkdale Golf Club.
Now, over one hundred and twenty years later, there is hardly a more celebrated golf
club in the whole of the British Isles. Not even St Andrews can boast the staging of
nine Open Championships, two Ryder Cups, three British Amateur Championships,
the Walker Cup, five Ladies British Open Championships and the Curtis Cup, all held
since the end of the Second World War.
In addition, the Dunlop Masters, the Carling World Golf Championship and the Alcan
Golfer of the Year Championship have also been staged at the Club together with
many other major amateur events such as the Brabazon Trophy and the British Ladies
Stroke Play Championship.
Royal Birkdale has earned these honours because its members are every bit as farsighted as were the original nine.
In 1889 much of the area of Birkdale was undeveloped and it was not difficult to find
a plot of land on which to build a 9 hole golf course - the only problem facing wouldbe golf club founders was at what rental it could be obtained. A suitable site was
found some two miles inland of where the present golf course is situated and a 9 hole
course was laid out.
One of the earliest members of note was Harold Horsfall Hilton, the legendary little
man who won the Amateur Championship four times, the Irish Open four times, the
American Amateur once and the Open in 1892 at Muirfield and again in 1897 at
Hoylake.
The golf boom was well underway in the Southport area. Towards the end of the 19th
century, and within six months of its foundation, the Birkdale Club had outgrown its
clubhouse and in 1890 the Club moved its headquarters into rooms at the local
hostelry, the Portland Hotel.
Nine months later, on 14 October 1890, the decision to allow women into the Club
was taken at an annual subscription of five shillings (25p) with no entrance fee.
In March 1897, the Club suffered its first setback. Birkdale, then a separate township
from Southport, was expanding rapidly and demanded the course for building
development.
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A new site of approximately 190 acres was found among the high sand hills adjoining
the sea at a peppercorn rent of £100 per annum and this is more or less where the
course lies today. Only after long negotiations was the Club able to secure a lease on
this land because doubts were entertained at that time about the future of golf. Certain
people believed it might only be a passing craze like “ping pong” and could not see
the sense in granting the Club a long lease.
In addition there was another theory that the River Mersey flowing into Liverpool
might silt up and that ocean liners would have to sail from Ainsdale, thus making the
land much more valuable.
Eventually a lease was obtained and a new 18 hole course was designed, largely by a
Mr George Lowe. The fairways were laid out between the lines of sand hills so that
each individual hole was, in many cases, completely separate from its neighbour and
this factor has made the course quite unique.
A local wrote at the time that “the greens are laid in what were at one time known as
slacks and constitute a favourite place in winter for Birkdale skaters”
A new clubhouse was built near the 18th green. It was a large building and
incorporated ladies quarters for the first time. It was surrounded by a balcony and the
basement housed 300 lockers and the Professional’s shop. Unfortunately someone had
overlooked the fact that it was built outside the boundary of the land leased to the
Club and it had to be pulled down six years later.
The members had to take refuge in temporary premises but in 1904 a half acre plot
was leased from the Birkdale Land Company and a building which was intended to
become a hospital in Ormskirk was purchased, remodelled, extended and erected on a
sand hill overlooking the old 18th green (now the 4th green).
In September 1908 the Birkdale Golf Club Caddie’s Association was formed to look
after the welfare of the young boys employed as caddies by the Club. A house was
purchased to provide reading, recreation, bath and drying rooms and a hall was built
for lectures, entertainment and instruction in “boot making, tailoring and gardening”.
The Association was intended to encourage self help and the boys had to pay by
instalments for the clothing provided and in addition the Association prepared the
boys for future employment.
There is no doubt that Birkdale had been the pioneer in accepting responsibility for
their caddies’ welfare and many other clubs followed its example by forming similar
associations. The future of the Association seemed assured and it continued until
1914 when the number of caddies decreased due to call up into the services.
The Artisans Club was formed in September 1931. Members had to “sweep the
greens on Sunday mornings and act as Rangers on summer evenings and Sunday
afternoons”. In return they were granted free golf before and after certain hours of the
day.
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The 21 year lease was due to expire in 1933 and the Southport Corporation which had
acquired ownership of the land was prepared to grant a 99 year lease provided the
course was re-modelled with a view to it ultimately reaching a championship
standard. Messrs Hawtree and Taylor undertook the work on the course, designing
two loops of 9 holes and a new clubhouse was built in 1935. It was only then that
Birkdale became recognised as a championship course.
In 1935 the Club staged the English Ladies Championship and the following year
James won the Boys Championship at Birkdale. He must have enjoyed playing the
course as he won the British Amateur on it in 1946.
Arnold Bentley, the younger of the two Southport golfing brothers, won the English
Amateur Championship at Birkdale in 1939, the Club’s Golden Jubilee year.
The Open Championship was scheduled to be played on the course in 1940 but
unfortunately the Second World War intervened.
The Curtis Cup held in 1948 further established Birkdale on the golfing map.
In 1951 Birkdale became the Royal Birkdale Golf Club and staged the Walker Cup
match between the Amateur golfers of Great Britain and America, the latter winning
by six matches to three, with three halved. This was followed by the English Amateur
Championship in 1953.
During this post war period the two golfing giants in the Club’s history were at their
peak – Bunty Smith (nee Frances Stephens) and Ronnie White. It could be claimed
with every justification that the Club’s membership included both Britain’s greatest
amateur women’s golfer and the best amateur men’s golfer.
1954 saw Peter Thomson of Australia winning the first of his four Open
Championships and he repeated his victory by winning again in 1965. Between these
dates Arnold Palmer overcame the fury of the elements to gain a memorable victory
in the Open of 1961. His amazing 6 iron shot from a bush on the 15th (now 16th) hole
is part of Birkdale’s history and has been suitably recorded with a plaque.
1965 also saw Birkdale staging its first Ryder Cup and in the following two years the
Carling World Golf Championship and the Alcan Championship were held.
In 1969 the Ryder Cup was again held at the Club and ended in a most exciting and
sporting fashion when Jack Nicklaus conceded Tony Jacklin’s put on the 18th green
for their own match and also the Ryder Cup to finish in a tie.
Local GP, David Marsh, won the English Amateur in 1970, and in 1971 the 100th
Open Championship was held at Birkdale when Lee Travino of America was the
winner, beating Liang Huan Lu of Formosa, christened by Peter Alliss as “Mr Lu”,
who had the engaging habit of raising his blue pork-pie hat when given the slightest
opportunity. Johnny Miller won the 1976 Open by six shots from Jack Nichlaus and
Seve Ballesteros, the 19 year old Spaniard playing in his first Open Championship.
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In 1978 the Colgate PGA Championship was won by Nick Faldo and in the same year
the Club held the English Amateur.
The Ladies British Open was held in 1982 and again in 1986 and in 1983 the Open
was won by Tom Watson, his 5th Open victory.
The Amateur Championship was hosted by the Club in 1989, the Centenary year, and
two further Opens were staged in 1991, when Ian Baker-Finch won, and in 1998 when
Mark O’Meara was triumphant. These have quickly been followed by the Ladies
British Open Amateur Championship in 1999 and the Weetabix Women’s British
Open Championship in 2000.
In 2005 the Club hosted both the Amateur Championship and the Women’s British
Open and the Open Championship returned in 2008 when the Padraig Harrington, the
Champion Golfer from 2007 retained the title.
Over the years there have been many changes to both the course and the clubhouse
but relatively few in the Club’s most essential employees. David McEwan was
Professional from 1898 to 1936. John Gillan was Head Greenkeeper for 43 years,
Teddy Fyldes – a caddy boy in 1913 – retired as locker room attendant in 1987 and
Robert Halsall who started as a caddy in 1925 and became in turn, Assistant
Professional and then Professional until his retirement in 1979. Richard Bradbeer
succeeded Robert Halsall as the Club’s professional. Richard retired in 2001 after 22
years service and was succeeded by his assistant, Brian Hodgkinson who has now
been at the Club a total of 30 years.
Although the Club is deemed to be one of the leading clubs in the British Isles and has
the facilities to stage major championships, at heart it has always been a private
family club and anyone who visits Royal Birkdale will be assured of a friendly
welcome at all times.
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