IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHAMPIONS --
THE HISTORIC COURSES OF THE LANCASHIRE COAST, cont.

Continuing up the coast lies Hillside, sandwiched between Southport & Ainsdale and Birkdale. The course has earned the reputation as one of the finest tests of links golf in Britain, since the complete overhaul and redesign of the inward nine in 1967. Situated as it is, side-by-side with Birkdale, they share the same vast stretch of sandhills and respect from golfers. Since 1967, it has hosted a variety of quality championships including the Amateur Championship, the British Ladies Championship and was the site of Tony Jacklin's victory over Bernard Langer at the 1982 European PGA Championship.

All the par 5's are strong, with the 11th and 17th perhaps being the best two of the round. The par 5, 514 yard 11th hole made in into 'The 500 World's Greatest Golf Holes' for its 1967 redesign which routed it over the finest land at Hillside. The dog-leg left fairway is defined by gorse covered mounds.

While never hosting an Open, Southport & Ainsdale is firmly in the history books for its two Ryder Cup Matches. The course also serves admirably as a qualifying venue for the Open.

James Braid wove his magic in designing in 1923 for the club, a championship 18-hole course. Previous to that, the club was known as Southport Grosvenor GC in Birkdale and featured a 9-hole course that no longer exists.

Perhaps the most memorable hole at Southport & Ainsdale is the par 5, 510 yard 16th known as Gumbleys. It is included in the 'Top 100 of The 500 World's Greatest Golf Holes.' The hole requires an accurate drive be hit into the prevailing wind between the tight fairway bunkers and needs to avoid the out-of-bounds guarding the right side. It was the scene of the only eagle in the 1933 Ryder Cup, the last that Samuel Ryder witnessed, made by the British team of Arthur Havers and Abe Mitchell and ensured that team's 1-point margin of victory. The 16th also made the Top 18 short list of 'The Best Holes with Bunkers'. The bunkers at Southport & Ainsdale are sleeper-faced bunkers as laid out by James Braid. The are so-named for the "sleeper" railroad ties used to reinforce and maintain the shape of the bunkers in the windy conditions that face seaside links. The par 3, short 157 yard 8th hole is also among the Top 500, here Braid was inspired by the great Donald Ross in his green complex, which sits atop a plateau and requires an accurate touch to get up and down.

It may surprise you to know that no other club has hosted more major events than Royal Birkdale, including eight Open Championships, two Ryder Cups, the Walker Cup, the British Amateur, and two Ladies Opens.

Royal Birkdale has three holes in 'The 500 Greatest Golf Holes.' The par 3, 181 yard 12th hole and the par 4, 176 yard 18th made it into the Top 100. And the par 5, 543 yard 15th is in the Top 500. The 12th features four cavernous bunkers and sand hills which flank and define the hole. The hole also made the 'Top 18 Best Links Holes.' The 18th has seen its share of important matches have their fate decided upon its green. In the 1969 Ryder Cup Matches seventeen of the thirty matches came to the final hole. In perhaps the greatest sportsmanship moment in Ryder Cup History it was here that Jack Nicklaus conceded Tony Jacklin's 3-footer to half the the match and result in the first tie in Ryder Cup history. This story also entitled the hole to be included in the list of 'Holes which Produced the Greatest Moments in Golf.' The par 5, 543 yard 15th was the first play-off hole in the 1998 Open Championship between Mark O'Meara and Brian Watts. Both hit fantastic 3rd shots into the green with O'Meara putting first from 6 feet, after his putt found the heart of the hole it set the tone for the finishing three holes and his first Claret Jug.

The site of this year's Open Championship, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, is as man-made as most of the other rota courses are fashioned by nature. Here the numerous (197) bunkers and hazards are not only man-made but strategically placed, by architect George Lowe, to reek the most havoc on one's round. Although, classified as a linksland course, it is unusual in that it lies a mile inland from the sea.

Before 2001, Lytham had hosted the Open nine previous times with the winners reading as a who's who in golf -- Bobby Jones in 1926, Bobby Locke over Peter Thompson in 1952, Peter Thompson for his 4th Claret Jug in a playoff over Dave Thomas, Bob Charles, the lefty from New Zealand over Phil Rogers in a playoff in 1963, Tony Jacklin over Bob Charles in 1969, Gary Player besting Peter Oosterhuis in 1974, Seve Ballesteros by three strokes over Ben Crenshaw and Jack Nicklaus in 1976, Seve again in 1988, in a classic battle over Nick Price, and Tom Lehman the first American winner in 1996. David Duval's win over the closest field in recent Open history adds to the legend.

Americans have fared well when the Amateur Championship has been held at Lytham with Lawson Little winning in 1935 and J. Conrad winning in 1955. There have also been important women's competitions held here. The first Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship was held in 1893 and won by Lady Margaret Scott by a sound 7 and 5 margin. The Curtis Cup, the women's version of the Walker Cup, was played in 1976 and the U.S. Team won 11 1/2 to 6 1/2.

It has played host to the Ryder Cup twice in 1961 and 1977. The 1961 matches saw the United States triumph aided by Ryder Cup rookie Arnold Palmer whose record was 3 1/2 for the event. Others on the U.S. Team were Mike Souchak, Gene Littler, Billy Casper, Dow Fisterwald and Doug Ford. Conspicuously absent was Sam Snead who was on suspension from the PGA for playing in a non-sanctioned event. !977 saw a strong U.S. Team with Raymond Floyd, Jack Nicklaus, Hubert Green, Dave Hill, Dave Stockton, Hale Irwin, Lanny Wadkins, Don January and Tom Watson best the Great Britain-Ireland team, whose members include Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Eamonn Darcy, Mark James and Peter Oosterhuis, by a score of 12 1/2 to 7 1/2.

The par 4, 462 yard 17th at Royal Lytham & St. Annes is not only among the Top 100 Greatest Golf Holes, it also made the Top 18 in lists for 'The Most Difficult Holes,' 'The Most Penal Holes,' and also for 'The Best Links Holes,' and after this year's Open it is easy to see why. But it is most well known for Bobby Jones' incredible, miraculous, perfectly struck 175- yard, 4-iron (mashie) shot from the rough with 'Old Equalizer' to the center of the green, ensuring his first of three Claret Jugs in the 1926 Open Championship. The club still hangs proudly upstairs in the clubhouse. The other holes at Lytham to make the Top 500 are No. 1 and No. 18. The opening hole is a fairly benign 206, par 3 that can make or break your round. Seve Ballesteros, a two-time winner of the Claret Jug at Lytham, loves the hole, while Tony Jacklin, winner of the 1969 Open at Lytham, is less fond of starting par 3's, calling them"... a terrible strain." The par 4, 412 yard 18th makes the Top 500 list more for the Open finishes than for its merits as a finishing hole, although the Tudor clubhouse, which is in play, makes an impressive backdrop for the green.. It was here in 1996 Tom Lehman became the first professional American to win at Lytham, Seve Ballesteros crafted an amazing up-and-down to save the 1988 Open, Gary Player hit an imaginative left-handed recovery shot from the clubhouse to win in 1974, and Tony Jacklin's had an emotional win in 1969 as the first British-born champion in eighteen years.

If your dreams are to create some championship memories of your own on the historic links courses of the British Isles, in the shadows of the game's greatest shot makers, there is no better place to start than on the gems of the Lancashire coast.