An enormous pot bunker threatens golfers on the approach to the 18th green at Royal Birkdale, site of the 2008 British Open. (Photo by Golf Odyssey)

When the British Open Championship begins on July 17th at Royal Birkdale, not only will the best golf course in England be on display, but also one of the top-five links in the entire UK and Ireland.

Founded in 1889, a number of highly regarded English golf architects - George Low, Jr., F.G. Hawtree, John H. Taylor, Donald Steel, and Martin Hawtree - all took turns modifying the layout. In preparation for this year's tournament, Hawtree was very busy; he modified greens, created 16 new fairway bunkers, and changed the angles to the line of play on several holes. The championship course now measures 7,100 yards; par is 71.

Since 1946, Royal Birkdale has hosted 44 championships, including what will be nine British Open Championships, the British Amateur Championship (three times), the Curtis Cup, the Walker Cup, and the Ryder Cup (twice).

A superlative course by any standard, Royal Birkdale's towering, tumbling sandhills frame virtually every hole. Its greens are either notched into the dunes or sit boldly on plateaus exposed to the wind, making only the most precisely struck iron shots capable of holding their lines and finding the putting surfaces. Its fairways are slender, level ribbons of perfect turf tucked between ridges of the dunes. A quirky course this is not, which is why Birkdale is a strong favorite with professionals.

There is not a weak or indifferent hole among the entire layout, but three Birkdale holes arguably rate among the world's greatest and should be noted during the telecast: 12, 15, and 18.

The 183-yard 12th is a picture-book one-shotter across an intimidating valley of doom; only a truly confident swing will do. The same can be said of the 544-yard 15th, played into the prevailing sea breeze. In this case, however, it requires three bold swings, with a minefield of 15 bunkers to be negotiated between tee and green.

As for the 18th, a twisting 472-yard par four, two exacting shots are needed to elude all the sand and reach a green that is constricted by bunkers on both sides. If it's a close race on Sunday coming into this hole, there will assuredly be high drama. (It's also worth noting Birkdale's clubhouse, which sits behind the 18th green. If it looks a bit different, bear in mind that this 1935 Art Deco structure was designed to look like a luxury cruise ship cresting the waves, in this case, the glorious sandhills.)

The list of winners of the Open at Royal Birkdale reads like a veritable who's who of golf: Arnold Palmer in 1961, Peter Thomson in 1965, Lee Trevino in 1971, Johnny Miller in 1976, Tom Watson in 1983, Ian Baker-Finch in 1991, and Mark O'Meara in 1998 (with Tiger Woods finishing one stroke out of the playoff).

It is with winners like this that Royal Birkdale has established itself as a great golf venue likely to produce another great champion this year.

The preceding is an excerpt from the March 2008 issue of Golf Odyssey: The Insider's Guide to Sophisticated Golf Travel. To read the full article about Royal Birkdale Golf Club, and unbiased reviews on every golf course that hosts the British Open Championship, click here for a free, two-issue trial to Golf Odyssey and instant access to its online, back-issue archive.