The ancient links of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, site of the first British Amateur championship, has thankfully been added back on to the Open Championship rotation, a fact surely to make some of the pros a bit squeamish! It has been left out of staging the tournament since Roberto deVicenzo’s popular 1967 victory, and since then they have not had to face its controversial challenges such as the out-of-bounds practice area just right of the 1st and 16th fairways, the blind tee shot on the 5th, and the old-fashioned, undulating fairways. But we absolutely welcome the return of Hoylake, and can think of no better venue for staging golf’s oldest championship. You can feel the past here, both out on the links and inside the clubhouse, one of the most famous in England, housing some terrific Bobby Jones’ memorabilia with much of it commemorating his Open Championship win at Royal Liverpool during his Grand Slam year of 1930. One of our very favorite activities in England is enjoying an evening putting contest on the practice green at Royal Liverpool, steps outside the bar, underneath the two famous clocks adorning the top of the atmospheric clubhouse. No education of links golf is complete without a visit to Hoylake!