Its appearance may be relatively flat and unthreatening, but when the wind picks up there is little to protect golfers, and negotiating the parched, bouncy fairways and greens is treacherous on a blustery summer's day.

In recent years, the esteemed links golf expert, Donald Steel, was commissioned to make alterations to ensure that Hoylake's layout remained relevant for the rigours of the modern game, especially in light of technological advancements. This has been achieved, and was confirmed by the successful staging of the 2006 Open Championship, where in spite of benign conditions, a competitive tournament was won by an emotional Tiger Woods.

There are some intimidating holes at this Open Championship course, not least the monstrous 8th; 1930 Open Champion took 8 en route to his legendary victory. Hoylake should be a certain stop on the tour of North-West England's excellent golfing trail.

Bobby Jones won the Open Championship at Hoylake in 1930 as part of his historic grand slam; that year he won the amateur and open championships of both Britain and America, a feat so great that he promptly retired.

Royal Liverpool is ranked as one of the best courses in England