Having played last week, I'll bite.
Royal Birkdale is a very, very good golf course. Yes, the fairways are flat, yes the green contours are humble, no, you can't see the ocean, yes, the clubhouse is controversial (I love it). The scenery is above average, the only truly spectacular hole is the short downhill seventh, and in fact when I did my "all fortnight" eighteen on the flight home, there were no holes from Birkdale.
What you do get is an obstacle or three on every shot, forcing you to pick a line and be on your toes. The opening hole is a 420-yard dogleg left with a 20 MPH left-to-right crosswind, with a giant mound/bunker on the corner at 215 yards. Good luck! The notion of trying to hit over, next to, around, or very far away from a feature is repeated over and over and over. On every hole on every shot there are margins, calculations, and thrilling results for good execution. The 115-ish bunkers are placed absolutely perfectly and there are significant vertical impediments on many holes.
No two holes are remotely alike and I can remember them like the back of my hand. I yearn to return.