The fairway in front looks more like a green because of the surrounding trouble. With the grandstand overlooking a tight landing spot, bunkers pockmarking the landscape left and right and thick rough swaddling either side, it would be a daunting hole in any circumstances.Throw in the fact that this is the 18th at Royal Birkdale and, potentially, the hole that could stand between a would-be Open champion and golf’s oldest major, and it becomes even more forbidding.It feels that way on the late Spring day The Athletic visits — and that’s without the thousands of fans who will be in attendance when the 154th Open begins on Thursday, or the gale-force wind and driving rain that can whip in from the Irish Sea. After a sliced tee shot, a recovery shot into a fairway bunker, one out, and another short of the green, I was grateful to walk off with a double-bogey six.It feels respectable enough for a rusty ten-handicapper, but I might be in decent company in finding the hole — remodelled this year as a 508-yard Par 4, ditching the quirky “double fairway” that used to be a defining feature — an ordeal.Chris Thompson, a member of Royal Birkdale for 20 years and who sits on the Championship Committee (his father, Alan, used to coach Tommy Fleetwood, who hails from nearby Southport), says the 18th could end up being one of the higher-scoring holes this week.We played all 18 holes of the Open Championship courseGregg Evans and Rachael TindeRoyal Birkdale — it was afforded the ‘Royal’ status in 1951 by King George VI — sits on the so-called ‘Golf Coast’, a stretch of shoreline in the north-west of England which includes Royal Liverpool (Hoylake) and Royal Lytham, both Open venues in their own right.This is the 11th time it has hosted an Open since 1954 — only St Andrews has hosted more often in that period — and demand has never been greater. More than 1 million applications for tickets were received but only 300,o00 struck lucky.Royal Birkdale may be 137 years old but it has never been afraid of change. Three of its 18 holes are new this summer and with modifications to every hole — made by Mackenzie & Ebert, the golf course designers who have worked on Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Royal Portrush and Turnberry — the variety should only enhance the feeling among players that this is one of the most enjoyable venues on the Open circuit.There’s a spectacular new par-3 (Hole 15), a long par-5 (Hole 14) and a revised, risk-reward short par-4 (Hole 5), which could become one of the most entertaining spots for spectators who are fortunate enough to attend.The reworked 15th hole at Royal Birkdale (David Cannon/R&A via Getty Images)New tee boxes have been added elsewhere, enhanced run offs around 12 greens will create more doubt, and all bunkers have been reshaped. One of the more contentious decisions was replacing the old 14th hole with a new short-game area, although there is no disputing the quality of the practice facilities.