WEST LANCASHIRE has the distinction of being the oldest club in a county that can boast three Ryder Cup venues. Founded in 1873, it is also one of the top 10 oldest courses in the country and though it has never managed to squeeze on to the Open Championship rota, that has more to do with the quality of its neighbours than anything else. In 2006, when the Open returns down the coast at Royal Liverpool, West Lancashire will again be a final qualifying course, as it was in 1976, 1983, 1991 and 1998. Four young professionals by the names of Sandy Lyle, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam all competed here at the final qualifier in '76. It is a classic links course, measuring 6,772 yards, but is perhaps most distinctive firstly for the train track that runs all the way down one side of the course, but also its extraordinary clubhouse. A rectangular 1960s building, I couldn't decide whether it was a thing of eccentric beauty or not. Inside, however, it was very comfortable. The course - which plays host to the Brabazon Trophy this week - opens alongside the Irish Sea, the player faced with a very strategically placed bunker on the inside hinge of the dogleg right. As with all the brutal bunkers on this course, it is a good idea to avoid it at all costs. A good tee shot is then rewarded with a clear sight of the green. The second continues due north up the coast, a long straight par-five from an elevated tee requiring precision above all else as wayward shots can find the thick bramble. The short third provides some respite from the long haul of the opening couplet, but the wellguarded green - which seemed to be a popular haunt for frogs - makes it no less of a tough prospect. Two small pot bunkers on the right gather the slightest push, while a swale on the left is similarly unforgiving. The fourth tee affords you a first proper sight of the sea, a real treat particularly on the kind of glorious day that graced our round. Once the view has been enjoyed, attention must be paid to the job of avoiding the deep depression that collects the faintest slice. A series of bunkers around the green make the longer hitter think hard before attempting the long fifth in two, that is if you have managed to avoid the trio of sand traps that lurk within driving range. The sixth proves a real headache on first glance. From the tee, the pin appears to be a matter of inches over a bunker just short of the green, making the 156-yard shot something of a lottery, particularly with a wind blowing (as is the norm in these parts). Upon reaching the green, there's clearly plenty of room to land your ball, but even then the two tiers can easily force a three-putt. The seventh has become famous for providing assistant pro Peter Parkinson with a hole-in-one in 1972. Nothing too unusual about that, except that the hole is a 358-yard par-four that doglegs sharply right. How he did it, particularly with the elevated green, is no doubt something that has puzzled West Lancashire members ever since, and it is still the longest hole in one ever recorded on these shores. The dogleg theme continues at the eighth with the ninth hand-ily taking you back to the clubhouse. It has been said that if you can play well at West Lancashire, you can play well anywhere, and that thought increasingly recurs on the back nine. An out-of-bounds ridge that protects the train track runs down the right-hand length of the 10th and 11th, the latter a par-five measuring 561 yards off the back tees and as straight as an arrow. After that comes the relative seclusion of the short 12th, a lovely hole that plays across a valley to an elevated green. The 13th tee provides the most striking view on the course, the distant sea coupled with the water that runs down the left of the hole proving immensely pleasing to the eye. The golfer can either dice with the water, bramble and bunkers and cut the corner, or play short and straight, but that policy does leave a much stiffer second to the elevated green. Such a choice does not really exist on the tough 14th - this hole must be played sensibly and a par grabbed at with both hands. A blind tee shot over a ridge should preferably err on the left side of the fairway, but whatever the quality of your shot, the approach to the green is fearsome. Tucked away in the corner under the shade of a wooded hill, anything short will be cut off on the slope that leads up to the green, while even a shot that just makes the platform can find itself trundling back. The next is another dogleg right, albeit considerably shorter than its predecessor, but an iron shot is a virtual must off the tee with the menacing out of bounds railway wall looming in the distance. The approach must then avoid the huge bunkers that lie either side of the green and are surely two of the deepest on the course. The run-in offers little respite, the par-five 16th rivalling the 11th in terms of its directness and length. As is always the way with links courses but particularly so here, finding the fairways is the key. Donald Steel, renowned golf architect, said that "on summer evenings, as the sun casts its shadows on the links, the shipping slips quietly by on the Mersey and there is time to reflect the distant beauty, the realisation occurs that the West Lancashire enjoys the best of all worlds". It was hard to disagree with him as I played into the final green. FINAL VERDICT A formidable test for the Brabazon Trophy this week and one for the purist, West Lancashire deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as its esteemed neighbours. FACT FILE Address: Hall Road West, Liverpool, L23 8SZ SSS: 73 (Out: 36 In: 36) Yards: 6,772 Course record: Pro Carl Mason 66; Amateur Robbie Cannon 67; Ladies Penny Thompson Description: Classic links challenge Contact Details: Telephone 0151 924 1076 Pro shop 0151 924 5662 Club secretary: Stewart King Professional: Gary Edge Visitors: welcome by arrangement. Weekdays (not Tuesday)£60; weekend £80 per round. Societies: Welcome weekday except Tuesday. Catering: Full clubhouse facilities Dress code: No tracksuit bottoms or jeans; shirt with collar and sleeves; proper golf shoes. Website: www.westlancashiregolf.co.uk E-mail address: golf@westlancashiregolf.co.uk * Details correct at the time of going to press. | 
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