ROYAL BIRKDALE COURSE GUIDE

The world's finest players will need to be on their mettle from the outset with the opening hole regarded as one of Birkdale's toughest.

An accurate tee shot is a must, with danger down the left and right sides. A bad miss makes for a difficult second shot and almost no hope of attacking the pin.

"We have got out of bounds running all down the right side of the hole and then on the left there is a bunker on a mound," said Gregg Pettersen, Head Professional at Royal Birkdale. "The prevailing wind is left-to-right so it’s pushing most people to the out of bounds.

“A lot of players tend to leave themselves short of the bunker on the left-hand side, even though it is only about 230 yards off the tee. They will then play a longer shot into the green.

"It is a tight tee shot."

Expect to see many players take a 3-wood off the tee on this slight dog-leg par-4.

Playing into the prevailing wind, the key is avoiding two sand traps down the right of the fairway.

“I can’t see many taking it on with driver if there’s not much wind as you’ve got two bunkers on the right-hand side which are definitely in play," Gregg said.

“Many will try to play a 3-wood off the tee and leave themselves a short- to mid-iron into the green.”

Players will likely target the left side of the fairway to give a clear second shot into the green.

However a great deal of precision is required here with two bunkers down the favoured side, and a sloping green making for an extremely testing approach shot from the thick grass.

“Making sure you’re playing from the fairway is the main thing," Gregg said. "The back left of the green slopes away into a big run-off area, so anything out of the rough does want to run off.”

The first par-3 is a long one.

Measuring more than 200 yards, and around 25 yards longer than it was in 2017, players will hit from an elevated tee to a green around 30 feet below. The green runs around 40 yards from front to back, making club selection difficult.

"Bunkering around the green has changed slightly", Gregg explained. "A bunker used to run right across the front, and there was no chance of anybody running a shot onto the green, whereas now you can actually do that. You can see more of the green as it is now.

"The green is 40 yards long, so while playing to the front might only be 200 yards, it does make a big difference where the pin is."

A completely redesigned hole, the short par-4 5th comes with a word of warning from Royal Birkdale's Head Professional. Don't go long.

“Even though it’s in the same position, the tee, green and fairway ... everything has moved", Gregg said.

"It has been designed as a risk-reward hole. You can now see the green whereas in 2017 you couldn’t. It was a blind shot over the dunes down the right side.

“The sensible play is to lay it up around 200 yards and leave yourself a wedge in. If the wind is favourable, there will be players having a go at it. If they do miss the bunkers and get one up onto the green, it runs off to the left and over the back. Off the back is very deep, very severe. It is definitely not the place to leave it.

“It is a great hole. It will ask questions.”

The 6th hole was the most difficult on the course during The 146th Open in 2017.

Any drive must avoid the two bunkers on the right side of the fairway along with a third bunker catching long drives that run through the fairway.

The hole requires a long second shot into the prevailing wind to a well contoured, elevated green with various difficult pin positions.

“Players will likely try to lay up into the corner of the dog-leg, while avoiding the two bunkers on the right-hand side", Gregg added. "Getting the right distance off the tee is more important than anything.

“If we get any sort of wind I would 100% expect this to be the toughest hole on the course.”

This might be the shortest hole on the course but don't be fooled.

A newly-designed green offering some testing pin positions is surrounded by some of Birkdale's most challenging bunkers. Finding the putting surface is a must.

Gregg said: “It is a new green that’s been raised, with steep run-offs all around, and the bunkers are the deepest on the entire golf course.

“It is the smallest, most undulating green, with the deepest bunkers around it.

“We have maintained the donut bunker on the left-hand-side, quite an iconic feature – while it doesn’t look exactly the same it is still there, with the island in the middle.”

Big hitters aiming to take advantage of strong winds on the 8th hole should beware of the sand.

The par-4, which tends to play downwind, favours those who go down the left side in order to open up a better angle into a large green. However, a new sand trap has been introduced on the right, posing a fresh challenge to those taking a bold approach.

Nothing comes easy at Royal Birkdale, but avoid the trouble and birdie opportunities may present themselves.

Another risk versus reward scenario is presented at the 9th hole.

A semi-blind tee shot needs to be placed correctly to avoid running out of room as the fairway angles to the right.

Gregg said: “The players may try to lay-up around 250 yards from the tee where there is a large slope. If you run down the slope you can run out of room with gorse on the other side. That leaves around 150 to 170 yards to the pin.

“With the right weather players could take the corner on, but it is a big risk.

“Not many players attempted it in 2017 but if you go back longer than that, in 1998 Tiger almost knocked it on. It was a slightly different hole then, not quite as severe a dog-leg.”

Bigger hitters may choose driver in an attempt to clear the biggest threat on this hole – an awkward fairway bunker – however that approach does not come without risk.

Any player too long off the tee on this short dog-leg par-4 could find themselves running out of fairway and finding deep rough, making birdie chances worse than remote.

Will they opt for careful placement or back themselves to find the perfect position?

There is pressure on an accurate tee shot on 11 with a well-bunkered fairway making for a small ideal landing area.

Should players find this they will face a clear shot into a large but deceptively complex green.

The putting surface is long, with a distinct ridge running down the middle. A wayward approach landing on the wrong side of this ridge could spell real trouble.

Two deep bunkers guard the front right portion of the green on this short par-3.

Distance control is key, with a large run-off to the back of the green making for a difficult recovery should players go long.

The pin position – and the position players find themselves in come the 12th – will determine how bold the tee shots are.

“There is a big run-off to the back where there used to be a dune. There is more room to the left-hand side than there used to be, but the run-offs are more severe,” Gregg said.

The 13th now plays as a slight dog-leg, with subtle changes to the position of the fairway from 2017.

Players will aim to miss bunkers positioned to the right of the fairway, while avoiding a ditch running down the left side. A strong tee shot opens up an approach into a picture-perfect green surrounded by large sand dunes.

While the green is not overly undulating, players are expected to favour the left side due to a large dune with thick rough on the right.

The wind. The bunkering. The undulating green. The redesigned par-5 14th poses a true test.

From the tee players will see bunkers positioned on both sides of the fairway. Finding the short grass with a good opening shot provides the chance to advance the second beyond a further cluster of bunkers.

The green complex is unforgiving. Anything struck too firmly risks finding the deep run-off areas.

“The green is small and very undulating, with a big run-off to the left-hand side," Gregg explained.

This new par-3 is the longest on the course, with big moments guaranteed here in the quest for the Claret Jug.

Found on the location of the old 14th hole, this typically plays downwind into a deceptively large green.

“There’s a very narrow entrance which makes the green look tiny, but it’s actually one of the biggest greens on the golf course," Gregg said.

“The green slopes from front to back, so everything is running away from you. A front pin can be very narrow and intimidating with two bunkers to the left and a large run-off to the right side.

“Getting the ball to stop on the green could be difficult as the wind gets up.”

A plaque celebrating Arnold Palmer's extraordinary recovery shot here serves as a reminder of the venue's rich Open history. At the time in 1961 - the year Palmer recorded his famous victory - this hole played as the 15th.

Now the 16th, the shorter par-4 may tempt some of the bigger hitters, and those who need to conjure up some magic late in their round, but will punish anything less than precision.

The positioning of the fairway bunkers demands careful thought from the tee. Favouring the right-hand side opens up the hole, while anything drifting left risks finding sand, immediately turning a scoring chance into a struggle.

Two deep bunkers guard the front right of the green, with expansive run-off areas surrounding the remainder.

A compelling penultimate test, framed by two towering sand dunes.

Threading a drive between them, while avoiding the bunkers that line the right side of the fairway, should leave players in reasonable shape. With firm links turf and the prevailing wind, a well-struck tee shot should open up opportunities on this par-5.

However accuracy remains key with a narrow green, subtly contoured across two tiers and surrounded by bunkers, meaning any misjudgement could be harshly punished.

The 17th hole at Birkdale is steeped in history. Padraig Harrington's legendary 5-wood approach, which essentially sealed his triumph at The 137th Open, is regarded as one of the Championship's greatest shots.

A fitting finale, demanding precision and composure under pressure.

While players will still finish in the shadow of Birkdale's iconic art deco clubhouse after completing one of the most iconic walks in golf, a change to the tee position has reshaped the challenge of the hole. A series of fairway bunkers are now in play for anyone taking driver, posing an intimidating sight from the tee box.

"The old 18th tee was to the right, so the hole was playing more as a dog-leg from left to right," Gregg explained. "We have moved the tee a long way left, so it is a straight hole looking up to the clubhouse. It is now just lined with bunkers everywhere.

"It is so easy to fall into one of the traps if you try and take the hole on. I would expect a lot of players to be shorter off the tee, and then leave themselves a longer shot into the green just to take out the risk of going into the fairway bunkers."

Whatever the play, more special moments are guaranteed when the world's greatest players take on this iconic test come July.