Royal Birkdale will shut its doors to visitors from November 1 and will not reopen to non-members until March 1, 2027, giving the famous links a long stretch set aside for members and championship golf. That timetable matters now because visitors still have a brief window before the club closes again for the 154th Open Championship, and because the route back onto the course is already mapped out.
For anyone searching where is Royal Birkdale Golf Club located, the answer is on England's North West coastline, where the course has long been one of the game’s most sought-after rounds. Visitors are allowed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, but the calendar is tighter than it looks: until the end of September, Wednesdays are reserved for the Birkdale Open Experience, a premium package that costs £565 per person and includes a Meet and Greet, a gift pack from a professional, a picture with a replica Claret Jug, 18 holes and a two-course bistro meal.
That premium sits alongside a club structure that keeps demand high. The joining fee is believed to be around £6,000, annual subscriptions come in at just north of $2,000, membership is currently full and there is no waiting list. Applicants need the backing of at least two existing members, a hurdle that underlines how difficult it is to get inside the ropes even before a ball is struck.
Alex, who joined Today's Golfer in January 2025 to lead the brand's news division and has been in the golf industry since 2007, is the kind of reader this update is aimed at: someone tracking access, price and timing rather than just prestige. Royal Birkdale's appeal is not in question, but the practical reality is that playing it comes at a premium and the remaining visitor slots are limited by both the championship schedule and the club's own rules. For now, the key date is March 1, 2027, when non-members are due back on the course.
