Royal Birkdale features rare quirk fans will love but players set for weather chaos

Royal Birkdale features a sweet feature fans will love but might leave a sour taste in the players’ mouths this week.

The 154th Open Championship has returned to Merseyside and we are set for a thrilling week in the final major of the summer.

Getty

Birkdale has become a firm favourite on the Open rota since the Second World War and boasts a glittering array of former champions.

The famous course has been revamped for the 2026 Open but one iconic feature has remained.

Birkdale’s seventh is known around the world for its ‘Donut Bunker’.

The 151-yard par 3 – the shortest hole on the course – has a new green complex this year and an elevated tee box.

But the ‘Donut Bunker’ still has pride of place to the left of the putting surface.

The bunker – a large, deep circle with a tuft of grass bang in the middle – is a brute and among the most penile sand traps on property.

The bunker is so famous that Open officials have named a refreshment stand after it in the practice area.

The unusual trap has not been replicated on many other world class venues – Trump Turnberry’s 10th hole is arguably the most well known other instance of the feature but it is not as defined or treacherous.

Birkdale’s ‘Donut’ will no doubt lead to some bogeys or worse should any players find it this week.

But that’s not the only tricky feature awaiting golf’s best.

Due to the consistent hot weather we’ve experienced in the UK over the last few months, Birkdale has been completely baked out.

Getty

The course has a brown, shiny look to it and the fairways are lightning fast, extremely hard and bouncy.

We haven’t seen a truly crisped up Open Championship for several years and fans should be in for a real treat in Southport.

Birkdale boasts several doglegs and other strategic holes.

Due to the firm and fast nature of the course this week, strategy will be extra important with tee shots expected to have over 100 yards of run on them.

The rough will be punishing while the course also has some of the highest dunes on the rota so finding the fairways is paramount. 

There is currently no rain in the forecast with the hot, sunny weather set to be in place throughout the major.

Getty

That could take driver out of play on several holes to avoid running through the fairways while holding the green on the par 3s and with approach shots will be extra tricky.

It conjures memories of Tiger Woods’ 2006 Open triumph when he only hit his driver once all week to help navigate the firm, fast, and windy links conditions at Hoylake.

All in all, it should make for a brilliant challenge, especially as the Open has seen some high winning scores in recent years.

Scottie Scheffler won at 17-under at a damp Portrush last summer while Cameron Smith blitzed the Old Course in 2022 with a score of 20-under.

The most challenging Open in recent memory was Phil Mickelson’s three-under-par win at Muirfield in 2013.

While players will likely be able to shoot lower than that at Birkdale this week, we should see a highly competitive major and a true links test.