[T_MacWood]

One of the great golf paintings of all time is Michael Brown's 'Surviving Champions of the Amateur Championship - Hoylake 1906'. It was auctioned off just prior to this weeks Open. Horace Hutchinson seated at a table in the panelled clubhouse surrounding by John Ball, HH Hilton, and the rest of the living champions.

The 1906 championship may have had more golf architects involved than any other major championship in golf history: HG Hutchinson, H Hilton, HS Colt, CB Macdonald, CH Alison, H Fowler, G Campbell, O Scott and CK Hutchison. And Devereux Emmet was in the gallery having come over with his friend CB Macdonald.

[Philip Gawith]

A slightly OT response:

It may not be obvious to people who don't know Hoylake well why the R&A is so pleased to have the Open back at Hoylake - and why it is just not any other Open rota course.

Perhaps many people on this board know all this anyway, but for those who don't, the bluffers guide to Hoylake history/heritage would include the following elements:

- Hoylake and Royal St George's were the first two courses in England to host the Open, long before Lytham and Birkdale.
- only three amateurs have ever won the Open: two of them - Harold Hilton and John Ball - were famous Hoylake members while the other - Bobby Jones - won one leg of the slam at Hoylake in 1930.
- in large part because of Hilton/Ball et all, the course is seen (I think I am right in saying) as the home of amateur golf more than any other in England, with the possible exception of Royal North Devon.
- in addition to this heritage, and being a very good golf course, Hoylake is also a wonderful club in the way that many other Open courses are not eg Turnberry and Carnoustie.

These are some of the reasons why it is nice to have the Open back at Hoylake!

[Sébastien Dhaussy]

For a view of this painting, click on the link :

http://www.schotten.com/exhibition/oldsport/images/golf/101.lsamichlrg.jpg

[ForkaB]

Amen, Philip (Mein Host)

There is an intimacy and quietly smiling sense of confidence at Hoylake which is unequalled in my Open experience.  Part of it is just the micro-geography (the mid-course practice range/OB is perfect for tented services), part of it is the routing, which is compact, and a whole lot of it is the people, who have taken the honour of hosting the Open very much in stride.

Hoylake has a HUGE history (as Tom and you have noted) but it wears it well, rather than pretentiously.

It is possible (probable?) that Tiger or Ernie will set some sort of scoring record, but WHO CARES!  The course is already a winner.

Ricardo

[T_MacWood]

One of the funnier stories I've read was told by Darwin about his match with Horace Hutchinson in the 1910 Amateur Championship at Hoylake. They finished the first 18 even and proceeded to the 19th where Hutchinson drove his first two over the cop & OB, unfortunately Darwin drove three OB, the third being his last golf ball and he was forced to concede the match. They were both writing for Country Life at the time...one wonders if their judgement was impaired.

The 1st was considered the best 19th hole in golf (and the most intimidating first hole), its too bad they were forced alter the order of the holes for the Open.

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