The Open Venues Tour is finishing on the coast of England over the next two days. The next stop on the trip was Royal Liverpool Hoylake which is in an upmarket area of the great city.
The Liverpool FC flags are already flying around the buildings in preparation for the Champions League final. But we remained focused on golf and reminisced about when Rory McIlroy won at Hoylake in 2014. He produced some shot-making that astounded golf followers around the globe.
The previous winner at this venue was Tiger Woods. His 2-iron is on display in the clubhouse’s cabinet and is the stuff of legend (the 2-iron is almost as thin as Wacko, the racing snake). By hitting an iron, Tiger managed to stay out of the bunkers and still hit the approaches close during the golden period for one of the best the sport has ever seen.
We received a terrific welcome from the pros at Liverpool Hoylake and were greeted by the best weather in months. The starter at the course is an absolute gem of a gentleman and set us up for a proper round of golf. The 1st hole requires an accurate strike as the OB line is close to the driving range on the right. Fortunately, the opening shots were out of the sweet spot and we were off.
So back to the weather and wind that everyone expects when golfing in the UK (sorry Brendan Barrat). The scorecard includes the tagline ‘Mighty Winds, Mighty Champions’ and the course is certainly exposed. The 18 holes would test us in true links style, but the weather would not.
The day was absolutely sublime and The Good Doctor felt like he was walking the fairways at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington East Course, rather than playing in a chilly and windy England. We have been amazed at the conditions that are actually possible in the UK – provided you have a lot of luck.
‘Wacko’ Jacko was on fire. Again. The man was walking on water and sand over the layout in Wirral. He played Hoylake like a local and hit a number of strategically placed irons off the tees. The Good Doctor followed him around after the challenges of Royal Birkdale. The rough was nowhere near as punishing as the beast of Birkdale so we were able to get many of our recoveries back into play. The greens at Hoylake were superb with an excellent and true roll. The consistency and quality of the courses during the tour has been exceptional and the quality of greens is noticeable.
The course does not have too many blind shots so it is possible to navigate the layout with some sensible course management. We both adopted this tactic on the longer holes and ended up scoring a lot better. Wacko was accurate around the greens and hit excellent approaches and bunker shots. The Good Doctor felt like he was playing against Rory as he was trounced again, with his opponent shooting a nett 68 on the day (the locals seem to be determined to shoot the lights out in the spirit of Underahundo).
The walk around Hoylake on a sunny, windless day was terrific. Wacko commented that the course has a country charm and would not be out of place in a relaxed South African town.
The links layouts are typically not contrived with large slopes or shaping. Hoylake is a great example of that philosophy as the natural shape and run will punish a poor shot anyway.
But unlike the Nasty, your ball will typically stay in play if you hit it in the middle of the fairway which makes it very enjoyable to play. Royal Liverpool Hoylake has seen a number of famous champions over the years.
The Open Venues Tour added Wacko to the list of champion golfers of the day. The Wess was unstoppable (off 10) in the early part of the tour. Wacko off 14 appears to be out of reach for the mere mortal in the latter stages of the tour.
Our final round will be at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club where The Good Doctor will complete the ten courses currently on the Open rota.
It is time to fill out the final card and start planning the next tour.
What will ever top this experience? Only time will tell.
