Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Overview: The entry for Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club is listed at 7118 yards. The directory gives a par-70, 7,118-yard championship figure. Lytham's character comes from its dense pattern of more than a hundred pot bunkers, narrow landing areas and approaches that must be planned before the tee shot is struck. The opening hole is a par three, an unusual start that immediately asks for control, and the course keeps its pressure through a flat-looking but strategically intricate landscape.

History: The club was founded in 1886, and George Lowe laid out the present course in 1897. Harry Colt later advised on improvements, helping shape the championship test that has hosted repeated Open and Women's Open events. The course has remained a regular major venue because its hazards are not decorative: they create a precise network of choices from tee to green. Royal Lytham's tournament history includes Open victories by Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros and David Duval, while the 1979 championship became part of Seve's legend. The distinction between the 1886 club date and the later course layout is important, so both histories are preserved here.

Did You Know? Lytham begins with a par three rather than a conventional opening par four. The first green is surrounded by bunkers, and a long championship tee shot can require more than 200 yards, making the opening stroke a genuine test before the player has settled into the round.