Royal Birkdale members dismay with new clubhouse decree for The Open

• Royal Birkdale members will be allowed one guest in the clubhouse at The Open
• Previously during the Open members were able to invite multiple friends
• A Birkdale member said the decision was made to keep the capacity manageable

There is considerable upset among members of Royal Birkdale just four weeks before the Lancashire golf club hosts the Open Championship.

The club have decreed that during the week of the tournament, members can invite only one guest into the clubhouse, which offers a panoramic view of the 18th green from the bar.

Birkdale regulars believe one of the perks of their membership is to invite friends to the golf when The Open comes to Southport in July.

A Birkdale member said the decision had been made to keep the numbers in the clubhouse manageable.

Royal Birkdale has always been choosy about who they allow into their exclusive club, with football greats Kenny Dalglish and Allan Hansen famously denied membership because of their profession.

Instead they joined nearby Hillside Golf Club, who won’t say why another Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard never became a member, having been proposed and seconded by Dalglish and Hansen. The Hillside secretary confirmed that Gerrard’s application had been withdrawn but didn’t say by whom.

Steven Gerrard snubbed by a Southport golf club because of off-pitch antics