Royal Birkdale has a unique architectural lineage.

Founded in 1889, the course as we recognise it today did not take shape until 1932, when the club set out to create the first purpose-built championship links course.

Three generations of the Hawtree family have since shaped and refined the links, followed by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert who's responsible for the latest phase of changes. As a result, the course now presents a slightly different challenge to the version seen during The Open Championship in 2017.

In this video, we explore the key changes made to the 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th and 15th holes, before looking at why the 17th remains such an important part of Royal Birkdale’s championship test.

A fascinating insight into how one of Britain’s greatest links continues to evolve while remaining true to its history and character.