Royal Birkdale has undergone a series of significant course changes ahead of this summer’s Open Championship, with a member-focused masterplan reshaping several holes.
The 154th edition of golf’s oldest major is set to return to the Southport based links for the first time since 2017, when Jordan Spieth claimed his first Claret Jug.
Established in 1889, the golf course first held The Open in 1954. Australian golfer Peter Thomson won the event that year – the first of his five titles.
For the 2026 edition the club has introduced a number of alterations designed to improve playability without diluting the challenge that the world’s best will face this summer.
Speaking on the NCG Top 100s Podcast, Royal Birkdale General Manager Richard Weeks revealed how the changes they have made has helped to strike this balance.
“They really were all member led to improve the member experience of actually playing, whilst keeping a championship course there,” he said.
“And I’ve always thought in life, you can’t be everything to everyone, but to me, this is a golf course that’s now as close to that as possible.”
What are the changes to the Royal Birkdale course layout?
Central to the changes are three holes that have either been completely redesigned or heavily modified — the 5th, 14th and 15th.
Talking about the changes to the 5th hole, Weeks said: “Now they’ve opened it out, you see the hole in front of you.
“But quite cleverly, you can’t really see the landing zones in the fairway particularly well, so it looks like there’s not a lot to actually hit to.
“The other thing, very clever off the tee, is the bunkering that appears to be around the green. Three of those bunkers are actually about 30-40 yards short.
“You can think you put it in a green side bunker, and you’ve actually got a really tricky pitch out of a bunker, or long bunker shot to a raised green.”
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The par-5 14th has also been reworked. “It feels very straight, and certainly as you hit off the tee it is straight with the bunkers, but then there is a slight curvature to it,” he said
“It can feel very daunting on there (stood on the tee), especially because it can play into the wind.”
Perhaps the most eye-catching addition is the brand-new par-3 15th – a hole already tipped to be pivotal during the week of The Open.
“The plan, from an architectural point of view, is the ball can land short into the upslope, kill it and let it release down the green,” Weeks explained.
“The other thing that’s very hard to tell, obviously we’ve got equipment to help us these days, is where the flag is on the green – because it is a big green front to back.”
What else is going on at Royal Birkdale?
Bunkering across the golf course has also undergone big changes. The numbers have been streamlined from 147 to 108.
Weeks said: “They’ve taken quite a few out, some that just weren’t used anymore. They were only penalising the shorter hitter off the tee.
“Some that were just unnecessary, and the bumps became quite inconsistent. Some got very, very wet as well.”
The club has also invested in upgraded practice facilities, further enhancing the overall experience for both members and visiting professionals.
Main image: Royal Birkdale | Source: Getty Images
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