Golf fans watching the 2023 British Open Championship may be a little confused. The host venue this year is in England, and it's formally known as Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
However, the announcers and some of the players in the field also call the golf course Hoylake. Why?
As it turns out, Royal Liverpool Golf Club isn't actually in the city of Liverpool. It's in the town of Hoylake, and locals often refer to it as the town name as opposed to the Royal Liverpool designation, which is achieved in 1871 because of play by Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught, who was one of Queen Victoria's younger sons.
The land on which Royal Liverpool sits was once the race track for Liverpool Hunt Club, and that is why there is internal out of bounds along the 18th hole -- a historical boundary marker for when the club once came right up to race track. The internal OB honors that history, though the club now owns the space and uses it as a practice facility.
Royal Liverpool was host of the first-ever Amateur Championship in 1885 and is hosting the Open Championship for the 13th time in 2023.
