# Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, November 2015



## Merv_swerve (Nov 5, 2015)

Wow.  What a truly wonderful experience.

From the minute I pulled into the car park, I felt a buzz, a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Some nice touches to start the day were coffee laid on in the spike bar ready for us, and when we went to warm up, it was a pleasant surprise to find the range balls were complimentary.  Excellent.  Nice to know a hefty green fee gets you more than just 18 holes.

Just a few days into the winter green fee period, and on a weekday, and I still can't believe there was no one around.  The layout and ambiance scream class and we've only got to the 1st tee.  A newly purchased stroke saver is bursting with information and is excellent value at Â£6.  I paid more and got a lot less at other clubs.  Not only does it have green detail, which I find severely lacking at other places, the information is abundant and confidence inspiring.

From the 1st tee banter where everyone is reminded the clubhouse is on the left and inland out of bounds on the right, the course was a fine test all the way round.  We had incredible luck and played on a day where the wind was at it's most benign, and I can say I found it to be incredibly fair.  I played some really good golf on the front 9 and scored well.  A few pulled tee shots on the back 9 and I was punished both fairly and severely.  Scoring followed suit.

A few good looking holes on the front, particularly the par 3 5th, made for an enjoyable start.  I was advised by a playing partner the really good stuff was still to come.  He was not wrong.  Once we had the views of the estuary on the back 9, it really was a joy, and the main reason I love links golf (only once a year mind).  Some testing holes which got the better of me, and felt more susceptible to the winds that picked up slightly, the back nine was varied and open to attack in places (mainly the par 5's).

I found all tees and walkways to be in excellent condition and testament to the standard set and maintained everywhere around the club.

The main thing I will take away from the day was that it wasn't just an expensive round of golf, but truly an experience to remembered.  Changing your shoes in the same clubhouse as some greats before.  Striding the same fairways and putting on the same greens as past Open Champions.  Maybe it felt extra special knowing that Rory had plied his trade victoriously round here only the year before, either way, my appetite is whetted for more courses on the Open rota and can't wait to add another.

Well done, Royal Liverpool.


----------



## huds1475 (Nov 5, 2015)

Glad you had a good day and thanks for the review.

One for 'the list' for sure :thup:


----------



## Liverpoolphil (Nov 5, 2015)

Great review - I loved it there as well

Also enjoyed the first par 5 mainly cause i birdied it 

The holes coming back in are great


----------



## SammmeBee (Nov 5, 2015)

Wasn't raining then.....


----------



## Val (Nov 5, 2015)

Nice course, glad you enjoyed it. The holes around the estuary are top notch. Now you need to head up to Wallasey and play the Wirrals finest links 

All joking aside, if you think Royal Liverpool is good then get to Royal Birkdale. It really is a class above it, it's probably on a par with Muirfield as the best course I've played, I couldn't split them.


----------



## garyinderry (Nov 6, 2015)

Â£50 for Cheshire county card holders.   anyone fancy lending me a card I would be more than happy to have a go at that.    Mondays and Fridays that is. :thup:


----------



## Merv_swerve (Nov 6, 2015)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Great review - I loved it there as well
		
Click to expand...

Thanks&#128077;


----------



## Merv_swerve (Nov 6, 2015)

Val said:



			Nice course, glad you enjoyed it. The holes around the estuary are top notch. Now you need to head up to Wallasey and play the Wirrals finest links 

All joking aside, if you think Royal Liverpool is good then get to Royal Birkdale. It really is a class above it, it's probably on a par with Muirfield as the best course I've played, I couldn't split them.
		
Click to expand...

Yes, one of the guys has already tried to sell next year as a 2 day trip, Wallasey then Royal Liverpool. 
If my wallet allows, how could I say no?


----------



## Fish (Nov 7, 2015)

Merv_swerve said:



			Yes, one of the guys has already tried to sell next year as a 2 day trip, Wallasey then Royal Liverpool. 
If my wallet allows, how could I say no?
		
Click to expand...

Will be interesting how you view the course then after playing Wallasey immediately before.  I played Formby the day before I played Hoylake and as such I was then underwhelmed by it, yes the clubhouse was great and seeing Tiger's 2 iron and reading some of the history was also great, but after playing a few of the courses along that coast and Formby the day before, I put a few of them ahead of Hoylake, even Wallasey


----------



## Jacko_G (Nov 7, 2015)

Fish said:



			Will be interesting how you view the course then after playing Wallasey immediately before.  I played Formby the day before I played Hoylake and as such I was then underwhelmed by it, yes the clubhouse was great and seeing Tiger's 2 iron and reading some of the history was also great, but after playing a few of the courses along that coast and Formby the day before, I put a few of them ahead of Hoylake, even Wallasey 

Click to expand...

Totally agree, Royal Liverpool is nothing special. The greens were excellent when I played and the condition was superb but its really nowt great when you play the likes of Muirfield, Portrush, Dornoch, Western etc. 

Would I play it again, absolutely but I wouldn't pay a full green fee no way.


----------



## TonyN (Apr 17, 2016)

Wallasey is twice the course of RL IMO. The only reason Wallasey doesn't host any big events or feature on the tour is because they have no space for grandstands etc. If they bought some land around it, it would genuinely be a world class track and I've no doubt would hold the open. 

Our work society play against them twice a year along with most other Wirral courses. We only pay for food afterwards. Spoilt i know. 

Royal Liverpool is just draped in nostalgia which is what makes it an enjoyable experience. The course it's self would struggle to make my top 10 I think.


----------



## Deleted Member 1156 (Apr 17, 2016)

TonyN said:



			Wallasey is twice the course of RL IMO. The only reason Wallasey doesn't host any big events or feature on the tour is because they have no space for grandstands etc. If they bought some land around it, it would genuinely be a world class track and I've no doubt would hold the open.
		
Click to expand...

Interesting comments considering Wallasey isn't even ranked in the top 100.


----------



## TonyN (Apr 18, 2016)

drive4show said:



			Interesting comments considering Wallasey isn't even ranked in the top 100.
		
Click to expand...

Interesting how? I'm unsure if your comments are provoking thought or arguement and I dont want to appear rude in my reply.

I will stress however, that the above is my opinion, like the opinion of who ever compiled the top 100 you refer to. (I presume Golf Monthlys)

As I've played both courses I feel my opinion is as valid as anyones


----------



## Val (Apr 19, 2016)

drive4show said:



			Interesting comments considering Wallasey isn't even ranked in the top 100.
		
Click to expand...

Have you played it?


----------



## Val (Apr 19, 2016)

TonyN said:



			Interesting how? I'm unsure if your comments are provoking thought or arguement and I dont want to appear rude in my reply.

I will stress however, that the above is my opinion, like the opinion of who ever compiled the top 100 you refer to. (I presume Golf Monthlys)

As I've played both courses I feel my opinion is as valid as anyones
		
Click to expand...

Of course it's valid. I believe it's worthy of top 100 but agree with the reasons it's not (lack of practice facility, a couple of bland holes on the trot 6-7) but even at that I think it's still good enough. As a golfing experience it's got nothing on RL but as a course it has holes that wouldn't be out of place on any top course


----------



## Deleted Member 1156 (Apr 19, 2016)

Val said:



			Have you played it?
		
Click to expand...

No I haven't but I intend to as soon as I get the chance.


----------



## Deleted Member 1156 (Apr 19, 2016)

TonyN said:



			Interesting how? I'm unsure if your comments are provoking thought or arguement and I dont want to appear rude in my reply.

I will stress however, that the above is my opinion, like the opinion of who ever compiled the top 100 you refer to. (I presume Golf Monthlys)

As I've played both courses I feel my opinion is as valid as anyones
		
Click to expand...

Interesting in the sense that Hoylake is ranked 12th in GB&I (by the GM review panel) and a current Open rota course. Yes of course your opinion is valid, why shouldn't it be?

Regarding Val's point about practice facilities, that doesn't carry a high %age of points in the ranking process, if the review panel thought the design and conditioning of the course was good enough then it would be ranked higher. As it stands, based on the last review period they obviously thought it wasn't. As I'm not familiar with the course, I don't know if any improvements have been made in an attempt to get the course ranked higher.


----------



## seochris (Apr 19, 2016)

I was there just before the Open was held there and loved every minute of it.....the whole deal, course, Clubhouse, proshop the works.

It did send the GPS into a bit of a spin though as they had re-jigged the holes for the Open....


----------



## Foxholer (Apr 19, 2016)

Val said:



			Nice course, glad you enjoyed it. The holes around the estuary are top notch. Now you need to head up to Wallasey and play the Wirrals finest links 

Click to expand...

:rofl: No 'member's bias' there then! 



Val said:



			All joking aside, if you think Royal Liverpool is good then get to Royal Birkdale. It really is a class above it, it's probably on a par with Muirfield as the best course I've played, I couldn't split them.
		
Click to expand...

Happy to go along with this - Birkdale probably 'tougher' and the dunes and trees that surround many greens make picking distances really difficult! Miurfield is just a joy to play (and be gently murdered) by!! 

Hoylake has always seemed a little 'weak', with 2 or 3 very ordinary holes. But really good atmosphere about the place. I'd certainly put it a step above either Wallasey or Formby. Hillside, however.......


----------



## Val (Apr 19, 2016)

Foxholer said:



			Hoylake has always seemed a little 'weak', with 2 or 3 very ordinary holes. But really good atmosphere about the place. I'd certainly put it a step above either Wallasey or Formby. Hillside, however....... 

Click to expand...

Can't agree with RL being better than Formby I'm afraid, especially when you think Hillside is better. I really couldn't split Formby or Hillside but if pushed I'd say Formby every time.

I'll leave others to debate the Wallasey/RL comparison, many say Wallasey is better and the vists it got during open week from many top pros suggest it's highly rated. I do enjoy playing Wallasey, it really is a cracking golf course. I do need to play RL again though.


----------



## Liverpoolphil (Apr 19, 2016)

Never played Wallasey but RL was fantastic - loved every minute of it. I played Formby about 5 years ago and thought RL was a good way better.


----------



## Val (Apr 19, 2016)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Never played Wallasey but RL was fantastic - loved every minute of it. I played Formby about 5 years ago and thought RL was a good way better.
		
Click to expand...

I think with many top courses you do need to play them at similar times to get a true comparison. Many who I played RL with played Formby the day before and felt underwhelmed by RL because they played Formby the day before.

If I had a choice of any links in the NW to join then Formby would be second behind Royal Birkdale, I'd never get bored playing either.


----------



## Val (Apr 19, 2016)

I should add, I played Muirfield the week before RL, possibly why I may have felt underwhelmed by it.


----------



## Jacko_G (May 2, 2016)

Royal Liverpool Â£175 green fee.

Silloth Â£49 




PMSL. Liverpool is only marginally better at best.


----------



## SammmeBee (May 2, 2016)

Jacko_G said:



			Royal Liverpool Â£175 green fee.

Silloth Â£49 




PMSL. Liverpool is only marginally better at best.
		
Click to expand...

Price doesn't reflect quality.  Different clubs, different business models.....


----------



## Jacko_G (May 2, 2016)

SammmeBee said:



			Price doesn't reflect quality.  Different clubs, different business models.....
		
Click to expand...

Won't argue with that but I know which one I'd go back and play in a heartbeat, I also know which one is the best value and yet see very little or no difference in quality. Talking from my experience.


----------



## SammmeBee (May 2, 2016)

You would go and play both....just find a way of not paying full whack!!!! It's not difficult!!!!


----------



## Hosel Fade (May 3, 2016)

Jacko_G said:



			Royal Liverpool Â£175 green fee.

Silloth Â£49 




PMSL. Liverpool is only marginally better at best.
		
Click to expand...

I'd go so far as to say Silloth is significantly better regardless of price and its something like 400-500 first year for the full ride, bar tab and 6 guest fees. Think the joining fee is back on this year though


----------



## Val (May 3, 2016)

Hosel Fade said:



			I'd go so far as to say Silloth is significantly better regardless of price
		
Click to expand...

It's not, and it's not for a number of reasons. Im not saying Silloth is bad as it's still one of my favourites but it's not in the RL class.

There is a reason that Royal Liverpool has held many Open Championships. It's maybe the weaker of the Open venues but it's a great golf course and very under rated.

Silloth is a good course, worth the journey and effort but it's weakness is a few holes on the back 9 particularly at the turn and near the caravan site. Royal Liverpools best holes are better than Silloths and it's weak holes are better than Silloths weak holes.

As for value for money, well Silloth is probably the best value in the UK


----------



## Deleted Member 1156 (May 3, 2016)

Val said:



			It's not, and it's not for a number of reasons. Im not saying Silloth is bad as it's still one of my favourites but it's not in the RL class.

There is a reason that Royal Liverpool has held many Open Championships. It's maybe the weaker of the Open venues but it's a great golf course and very under rated.

Silloth is a good course, worth the journey and effort but it's weakness is a few holes on the back 9 particularly at the turn and near the caravan site. Royal Liverpools best holes are better than Silloths and it's weak holes are better than Silloths weak holes.

As for value for money, well Silloth is probably the best value in the UK
		
Click to expand...

Spot on Val  :thup:


----------



## Qwerty (May 3, 2016)

Val said:



			it's weak holes are better than Silloths weak holes.
		
Click to expand...

I don't know Val... The 90* dog leg 1st at RL is a shocker, I thought we'd got lost and played on the practice area. I was still gobsmacked walking up the 2nd fairway.


----------



## Val (May 3, 2016)

Qwerty said:



			I don't know Val... The 90* dog leg 1st at RL is a shocker, I thought we'd got lost and played on the practice area. I was still gobsmacked walking up the 2nd fairway.
		
Click to expand...

It's odd that it's not marked out better Dave to be fair and I reckon it's a bad opening hole.

Weakest hole on Silloth? The short dog leg think it's the 10th maybe? It's a nothing hole that one.


----------



## Deleted member 3432 (May 3, 2016)

Val said:



			It's odd that it's not marked out better Dave to be fair and I reckon it's a bad opening hole.

Weakest hole on Silloth? The short dog leg think it's the 10th maybe? It's a nothing hole that one.
		
Click to expand...

Got to agree with that, although the hole is a little better off the back tee's. Still a case of playing for position where you can see the green without bringing the fairway bunkers into play.

Long term the club is in the early stages of planning to address the issues with the caravan site. A course designer has been to look and I believe the plan would involve converting the 11th to a par 3 and 12th to a par 4.   Holes would be around 200 and 400 yards and I suspect the proposed new 12th could be a cracking hole.

Could be a few years away yet but I believe the committee want to see this happen.


----------



## Val (May 3, 2016)

Sounds good, I really enjoy Silloth so the comparison I'm making makes it sound as if I'm slagging it off which is not my intention. Is a good course.

Had it sorted all the water issues it had a few years ago given how wet this winter was?

Silloth still does the best rolls and sausage I've had anywhere


----------



## Deleted member 3432 (May 3, 2016)

Val said:



			Sounds good, I really enjoy Silloth so the comparison I'm making makes it sound as if I'm slagging it off which is not my intention. Is a good course.

Had it sorted all the water issues it had a few years ago given how wet this winter was?

Silloth still does the best rolls and sausage I've had anywhere
		
Click to expand...

Still some problems on 11 and 12 funnily enough. Not surprising considering how wet it's been. More work to sort this later in the year planned but the drains put in elsewhere have improved things no end.

Just need some warm dry weather to get things growing now.

Looking forward to playing off the blue tees in a fortnight, hope it not too windy so we can reach the fairways on 5, 7 and 13.


----------

