Royal Birkdale - Clubhouse
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Royal Birkdale - Clubhouse
In Southport, England, Royal Birkdale's famous clubhouse was build in 1935. Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 5
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 5
The 346 yards par 4, fifth hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 18
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 18
The 473 yards par 4, 18th hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, the host course for the 2017 Open Championship. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 11
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 11
The 436 yards par 4, 11th hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 7
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 7
A general view of the greenside bunker at the par 3, seventh hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 7
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 7
A general view of the par 3, seventh hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale - No. 15
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Royal Birkdale - No. 15
A view from behind the green on the 544 yards par 5, 15th hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 12
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 12
The 184 yards par 3, 12th hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
A British championship links: Tour Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of the 146th Open
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A British championship links: Tour Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of the 146th Open
A British championship links: Tour Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of the 146th Open David Cannon/Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 10
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - No. 10
The 408 yards par 4, 10th hole at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. David Cannon/Getty Images
Arnold Palmer - 1961 Royal Birkdale
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Arnold Palmer - 1961 Royal Birkdale
Arnold Palmer won his first Open in 1961 at Royal Birkdale. Getty Images
Arnold Palmer - Royal Birkdale stone plaque
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Arnold Palmer - Royal Birkdale stone plaque
The stone at the point beside the fairway on the par 4, 16th hole where Arnold Palmer hit a memorable shot on his way to winning the 1961 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Getty Images
Royal Birkdale Golf Club - 10th hole
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Royal Birkdale Golf Club - 10th hole
Royal Birkdale Golf Club is one of three Open Championship venues on England's "Golf Coast." Ryan Lavner/Golf Advisor
Clubhouse of Royal Birkdale
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Clubhouse of Royal Birkdale
Royal Birkdale's iconic art deco-style clubhouse was built in the 1930s by architect George Tonge. Getty Images
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A British championship links: Tour Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of the 146th Open

Royal Birkdale Golf Club is one of the R&A's favorite venues to host their prized British championship, The Open. The 146th staging of The Open in 2017 comes back to this historic links in Southport, England. The 2017 event will mark the 10th time Birkdale has hosted the event (it was awarded the 1940 Open that was cancelled due to World War II), making it one of the most frequent choices, behind only the Old Course in St. Andrews. It's one of three ara links that are on the current rota, which also includes nearby Royal Lytham & St. Annes and Royal Liverpool.

The club was founded in 1889, but the current site for the links was plotted in 1894. The upgrading of the links by Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor is largely responsible for the layout it is today. It's one of the more recognizable open hosts if only for it's white, art deco clubhouse that was built in 1935. Also, Arnold Palmer has some remarkable history here. After falling short in his first Open in 1960 at St. Andrews, Palmer prevailed here in 1961, and in epic Palmer fashion. His final round was highlighted by a shot he played from a bush off the 16th fairway. A stone from the site of the shot commemorates the occasion to this day.

The most recent Open held at Birkdale was in 2008, which was won by Ireland's Padraig Harrington.

Video: Ginella on the architectural history of Royal Birkdale


Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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A British championship links: Tour Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of the 146th Open