Photo: © David Cannon/Getty Images The 13th hole played between the dunes.

All the above details work synergistically to create a true championship layout. That is to say, it is imperative to stay on the short grass on the fours and fives, and be precise with approach shots to “interesting” greens. Length never hurts, although the last winner at Birkdale, in 1998, was Mark O’Meara, who had only moderate length off the tee. In fact, except for Arnold Palmer (1961) and Tom Watson (1983), all the past Open winners at Birkdale—Peter Thomson (1954-’65), Lee Trevino (1971), Johnny Miller (1976), and Ian Baker-Finch (1991)—were not long-ball knockers. In view of the current trend in the preparation of major championship venues, the redesign of Birkdale for the ’08 Open has added a mere 155 yards—it will play at 7,123 yards. The main changes are a new 17th green, 16 new fairway bunkers, and six new tees. In a word, the course will be tightened rather than lengthened. It will be interesting to see how the course holds up for the newest generation of pros, who are bigger and stronger and are playing a faster ball than in ‘98.

The capper to such a fine venue for a major championship is the history of Birkdale, competitive and otherwise. The club was formed in 1889, and held its first national championship in 1946, the British Amateur. That was followed by the 1948 Curtis Cup, the 1951 Walker Cup, and finally, three years after it got its “Royal” status, the 1954 British Open. It was when Thomson took the first of his five Open titles. (The fifth was also at Birkdale.)

Photo: © Getty Images Arnold Palmer at the 1961 British Open and in the upper left corner is the plaque for his great shot on the 16th hole (15th now).

The Open returned to Birkdale in 1961,which is when it really got its name in the papers, as they used to say. The year before Palmer, at the suggestion of his manager, Mark McCormack, began the successful effort to bring the game’s oldest championship back to international prominence. He almost won in 1960, but did in ’61, and with one of his patented flourishes. In the second round, playing in gale-force winds, he crushed a 1-iron approach to the 5th green that normally called for a short iron, then rammed down a 20-footer for a third birdie in five holes. He had a 73 with a penalty shot on a day when everyone else was in the 80s. Later in the championship, on the 16th hole (now the 15th) Palmer did an Arnie, powering a 6-iron from deep, deep grass to 15 feet. A plaque from where he hit that shot is in place. At that, he won by only a shot over Dai Rees, and was the first American since Ben Hogan, in 1953, to win the British Open. He began a trend. Three of the next six winners at Birkdale were Yanks, and overall Americans won 12 of the next 19.

By the way, the weather was so bad that the R&A said if it didn’t improve they would void the first two rounds and simply cancel the event. That would have been a first.