Wirral. Hoylake. Royal Liverpool. Just as we have all week, we are warned about the rough by the members, the Club starter and the neighbouring pro. The grass is high. Wonderfully high. It’s like having the rolling sea around us as we make our way to the 2nd hole. We see some flags sticking up in a field of colours, contours and life. What an incredible links environment. The way the course has been cut makes it even better.
First hole att Hoylake
The course is being set up for the 37th Ladies British Open in September. The opening hole is like a corridor through midriff-high grass leading to a narrow fairway flanked by deep, steep sod-walled bunkers. Extremely challenging. It gets windier. Rain hangs in the air. We gasp for breath and the adrenaline makes us play to a higher level. On the 4th we see balls in front of us in the middle of the field. No, they are on the tee ahead of us. Suddenly we see no course – only grass. All bunkers have been manicured and the sod-walls are completely smooth. The fringes around the greens are perfectly cut. The 6th and 8th into a headwind provide opposition. We turn at the 9th – a punchbowl – and record the day’s first birdie. The 10th and 12th are two amazingly good par 4s that demand the best from one’s golf. We succeed with honour and hit one-shots on the 11th and 13th. The 14th – a par 5 – encourages a drive but ends in sand. We manage to get up and out and hit our way towards an exceptionally well-protected green. The 15th is 417 extremely challenging yards straight into the wind. Quite simply a religious experience. The slightest defect in our swing shows itself to be unmerciful and sends us into the ever-increasing, jungle-like rough. Mr L wins 3 and 2.
Bunkers!
The same thing happens on the 17th. A hole you really want in your backyard so you can play it over and over again. A hole that never becomes boring. A hole that educates and rewards. World class links golf. Royal Liverpool. Hoylake. Wirral.
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