Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) Est. 1869

This very well maintained and challenging links course, often referred to as Hoylake, is a favourite with amateur and professional golfers alike. As the second oldest seaside links course in England, it commands a special place in Britain's golfing heritage. The terrain here is reasonably flat and looks benign, with sizable sand dunes featuring on less than half the holes. But don't think Hoylake lacks bite. With occasional sea views (the best of them coming at the start of the back-nine), you’ll need to focus your full attention on the subtleties of this demanding course and avoiding its twin dangers, punishing rough and excellent bunkering. The opening hole is a knee-trembling bunkerless par-4, a sharp dogleg right with ever-present OB from tee-to-green (a concept replicated at the par-5 16th). As you zig-zag out to the turn, and then play along by the sea from the par-4 9th to the wonderfully bunkered par-3 13th, you'll begin to understand why this venerable old course commands so much respect with links golf devotees.