![\"Royal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot_2026-07-31_172026_sku0ur.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\tRoyal Lytham & St Annes is one of England’s most celebrated golf clubs. Rich with history and blessed with iconic championship heritage, it’s a jewel of Lancashire and stands as a layout that has challenged the world’s best golfers for generations.<\/p>\n
\tWhile it’s story dates back to the 1890s, the course truly came to prominence following its redesign by the great Harry Colt, who prepared a layout that was suitable to stage the Open in 1926.<\/p>\n
\tHow Many Opens Have Been Staged at Royal Lytham & St Annes?<\/p>\n
\tThat was the year when legendary amateur Bobby Jones lifted the Claret Jug, claiming the first of three famous victories in the game’s oldest and grandest major.<\/p>\n
\tSince then, the list of winners is no less stellar, including\u00a0Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman, David Duval and, most recently, Ernie Els in 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\tThere had been fears that perhaps Lytham wouldn’t return to host the championship – such is the scale of the event these days for a venue that has limited space to accommodate the modern trappings of the Open. But thankfully, it was confirmed that the Champion Golfer of the Year would once more be crowned here in 2028.<\/p>\n
\tLytham has also hosted two Ryder Cups (1961 & 1977) and welcomed both the Amateur Championship and Senior Open on several occasions, but it has also become a superb canvas for the Women’s Open.<\/p>\n
\tSherri Steinhauer won the first edition that was held here in 1998, before returning to clinch another in 2006, while Annika Sorenstam, Catriona Matthew and Georgia Hall have all claimed this title ahead of the championship making its way back in 2026.<\/p>\n
\tWhat Makes Royal Lytham & St Annes So Special?<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
\t(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography<\/a>)<\/p>\n \tFeaturing 174 bunkers, Lytham is a highly strategic golf course, and one of the most testing that you are likely to encounter. The annual Lytham Trophy – bringing together elite amateurs – demonstrates that fact each year. From the blue tees, it has a formidable WHS Course Rating of 76.5 and a Slope of 152.<\/p>\n \tBordered by the railway line and surrounded by the town of Lytham St Annes itself, this is a course with a distinctive look and feel, with that sense of uniqueness being further demonstrated by the layout beginning with a par three.<\/p>\n \tDespite this land restriction, it’s refreshing that championship golf remains part of Lytham’s legacy.<\/p>\n \tWhen Golfshake Ambassador Andy Picken played here, he wrote<\/a>:\u00a0“Ultimately, Royal Lytham & St Annes represents one of the finest tests of golf available in the United Kingdom. Having taken RLSA off my bucket list, I am replacing it back as I now find it necessary to play it over two days and discover the delights of the Dormy House. This was a golfing experience of the finest order that I need to repeat.”<\/p>\n \tHow Good is Royal Lytham & St Annes?<\/p>\n \tRanked as one of the UK’s best courses on Golfshake<\/a>, with that rating being based on the reviews submitted by everyday golfers, the quality of Lytham is clear.<\/p>\n