Walker Cup Venue – Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club

The Walker Cup starts this weekend at Royal Lytham and St Annes here in the North West of England. 

Here are some interesting facts about the Club and the Course…

Only par-three first – The 206-yard opening hole is a highly distinctive quirk  – Darren Clarke quoted it is “strange to start with a par-three anywhere, let alone in a major” but it does guarantee a daily dose of drama.  The course closes with 6 straight par-4s.

A Links course with no Ocean View  – Bubba Watson was bewildered that on this seaside links, he could not see the sea. Lytham is in a dense residential area, cutting off any views of the Irish Sea.

 206 bunkers – While Lytham could hardly be described as long in these days of  Rory and Speith and their long drives, it is complicated by its liberal scattering of 206 bunkers, the most on the Open rotation.The 17th hole is protected by no less than 20!

The prestigious Clubhouse behind the 18th green – Lytham’s grand Victorian clubhouse, sitting squarely behind the 18th green, has become an iconic emblem. “I like the clubhouse right there,” says Lee Westwood. “I like the feel of the place.” The club was founded in 1886 with the original course designed by George Lowe. However it wasn’t until Harry Colt undertook a redesign of the course that it joined the Open Rota.

Open venue where champion had to pay to play – At the 1926 Open at Lytham, Bobby Jones, discovered he had lost his competitor’s ticket and was refused entry. He calmly paid at the spectators entrance instead and went on to win.

Champion & World No 1 – Lytham produces Open champions of the highest calibre. Since the world rankings were introduced in 1986 – Ballesteros in ’88, Tom Lehman in ’96 and David Duval in 2001 – all claimed the No 1 spot.

The back 9 – Lytham’s back-nine holes are characterised by a uniformity of length: indeed, they close with six par-fours in succession. It is a stretch with almost no respite, especially into the wind and with sections of rough branded by Tiger Woods as “almost unplayable.”

Royal Lytham has held 11 Open Championships

Bobby Jones – 1926
Bobby Locke – 1952
Peter Thomson – 1958
Sir Bob Charles – 1963
Tony Jacklin – 1969
Gary Player – 1974
Seve Ballesteros – 1979
Seve Ballesteros – 1988
Tom Lehman – 1996
David Duval – 2001

Ernie Els – 2012  – The 2012 Open Championship was the 141st Open Championship, held 19−22 July at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. Ernie Els won his second Claret Jug, one stroke ahead of runner-up Adam Scott. Tiger Woods and Brandt Snedeker finished tied for third, four strokes behind Els, who gained his fourth major title.

Play Royal Lytham and St Annes on a Signature Golf Experience to The North West of England booking now for 2016.