What does it actually cost to host The Open at Royal Birkdale, and why can’t anyone find out? The most famous links course in England does not own the ground it is played on.
A deal struck in the early 1930s left Royal Birkdale sitting on a municipal freehold. The land is owned by Sefton Council, which leases it back to the club and lists it in its own asset register, in two words, as “leased out.”
R&A Championships Limited turned over 150,650,000 pounds in 2024 with no venue cost broken out anywhere in its audited accounts. The prize fund is published all the way down to 70th place. What the R&A pays the club whose course it is standing on is not published at all, and because the club is an unincorporated members’ club, there are no books to check.
Chapters
- 0:00 Imagine the Cheque
- 0:52 Royal Birkdale Doesn’t Own Its Course
- 1:40 The £19,000 the Club Wouldn’t Pay in 1931
- 4:16 The Course Rebuild Nobody Will Price
- 5:38 Where the Money Lives: The R&A
- 8:03 The Two Numbers Everyone Earns
- 9:50 An Unincorporated Club, No Books to Check
- 11:03 The Labour That Tiers Down to Free
- 12:58 The Artisans Who Pay in Bunkers
- 16:02 The Land Grab on Birkdale Common
Sources
- https://www.sefton.gov.uk/media/3931/seftoncouncil-land-propty-assets-dec2020.docx
- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC247047
- https://assets.randa.org/c42c7bf4-dca7-00ea-4f2e-373223f80f76/223362a6-e3ef-4d3e-b8fa-a0706eb95f23/Annual%20Review%202024.pdf
- https://www.bigga.org.uk/news-listing/workforce-salary-survey-what-did-you-tell-us.html
- https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/travel/royal-birkdale-course-manager-sean-mclean-open-preparations/
- https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/british-open-2026-royal-birkdale-artisans-club-will-work-for-golf/
Watch the full documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3RcoJArPpY