Among the many great courses along the Northwest coast, Royal Birkdale stands out as a perfect example of links golf. It is currently the number one course in England and ranked third in Great Britain & Ireland. The Club was formed in 1889, starting life as a nine hole course. In 1897 the decision was taken to move to Birkdale Hills where an 18 hole course was constructed. The layout was changed considerably in the mid 1930's transforming the course into a championship venue. In 1991 a decision was taken to redesign and relay all the greens. Further changes were made to the course in 2005/2006, in preparation for the 2008 Open. This considerable investment and on-going improvement has enabled the club to retain its position as one of the finest links courses in the world.

Even in the early days, the Birkdale Club was forward-thinking, with the members voting in favour of allowing ladies to use the links from 1889. Indeed, one of the first tournaments held was the 1909 Ladies' British Open Match Play Championship. The growing stature of the Club was acknowledged in 1951 when the King gave his permission for the Club to be known as The Royal Birkdale Golf Club. The course has been the stage for many great golf championships including the Walker Cup, the Curtis Cup, the Amateur Championship and the Ryder Cup. The Club also hosted the British Seniors Open for the first time in 2013 and in 2014 hosted the Ricoh Women' British Open for the sixth time.