2026 Open Championship: Royal Birkdale DFS Picks and Course Analysis

Royal Birkdale: Everything You Need to Know

Royal Birkdale is part of a trio of Open courses on the Merseyside coast of England with Royal Lytham & St. Annes and Royal Liverpool.

The club was founded in 1889, and the original course started as 9 holes and expanded and moved to Birkdale Hills by 1897 (its current location), just south of the city in Southport. The course we see today was designed by George Lowe, who was the pro at Royal Lytham. In 1922, the course was extensively reworked by architects Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor, which really produced most of the course that we see today. Taylor won the Open Championship 5 times. Martin Hawtree, who also did Royal Liverpool, did some work in the 1990s.

Yet the course has also undergone a significant renovation in preparation for the 2026 Open. The changes were overseen by Mackenzie and Ebert, which has been the de-facto team for updating rota venues for the modern game. Other Mackenzie & Ebert renovations include Royal Portrush, Royal Troon, Royal Liverpool, Royal St. Georges, and Royal Lytham & St. Annes. The last three venues have been touched up by Mackenzie & Ebert and all of their greens tend to be very similar.

Changes ahead of 2026