From the Clubhouse: Take a deep dive with us into Hoylake and this year’s Open venue!
The 151st Open is here and Royal Liverpool is about to shine. What do you need to know about the course? Hoylake lifer Sam Cooper reveals all
It’s the best week of the year! The 151st Open is just days away and Royal Liverpool promises to be a spectacular venue.
But what do you know about Hoylake, its history, and some of the intricacies of a course that will see a Champion Golfer of the Year crowned on Sunday evening?
The From the Clubhouse team are on site at the Wirral layout all week, and we’re hoping to add another layer of veneer to this exceptional event.
First up is Hoylake lifetime member Sam Cooper, who knows every bump on the fairway and every borrow on the green. An associate at Clayton, De Vries, & Pont architects, Sam also undertook a daring mission during the Covid pandemic to play every links course in England, Scotland and Wales.
Sam has kindly given us his views on some of Hoylake’s best holes, which you can read here, but also joins us on the podcast for a deep dive into this most special of golf courses….
From the Clubhouse is a National Club Golfer podcast in association with TaylorMade Golf
What do you think is going to happen at Hoylake this week? Will the course shine once more in The Open spotlight? Let us know with a tweet.
- NOW READ: Five holes that could decide The Open
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
