First look: Royal Lytham & St Annes has been renovated and the new 11th hole looks sensational

Royal Lytham & St Annes is a special plot for golf land.

On one hand, it's a curiosity because you can't see the sea – the property sits next to the railway with housing around it.

But don't let you fool you this is not a real link or a grand test.

In all the open Rota courses, it is distinguished from many bunkers in playing games and seems to attract nearly any wandering or wrong shots.

The greats have lifted the Claret Jug on this Lancastrian course: Bobby Jones in 1926, Bobby Locke and Peter Thomson in the 1950s, Bob Charles and Tony Jacklin in the 1960s, Gary Player in 1974, Seve Ballesteros in 1979 and 1988, Tom Lehman in 1996, David Duval in 2001, and Ernie Els in 2012.

It's an honorary mention that tells you about the need for the highest ball, the ability to play in the wind, and a great short game.

The course is famous for its unusual stroke 3 1 hole, but it also has the magical five holes that make up the first half.

Jack Nicklaus said the third 12 was one of the toughest short holes in golf. Next is five 4 par-4s, testing the determination to bring them to their mastery. They exercise throughout the course and then head to the famous old clubhouse on the 18th.

But at the end of the course, there was a change at the turn.

Last week's Lytham Trophy won a sensational style by Frenchman Hugo Le Goff. He won the last 66 round in two and a half hours before the pre-preliminary leaders and everyone else could not match his club goals.

But the championship is also the first reveal of these refurbishments, which may be crucial for the club’s chance to host another Open – and Golf365 is the only media there to film these changes.

“These changes are concentrated in the 11th hole of the mobile stroke 5 to create space for the new major championship practice area,” said club secretary Richard Cutler.

This has long been considered a problem in hosting openness – limited space, opening requires extensive audience villages, hotel venues, media and player structures, and practice facilities.

In the past, most people have worked hard to see where to create spaces – the new plan is done a great job.

5-7 and 5-12-12 always travel in the opposite direction, but although there were thick gorse and bushes between them, it has now been cleared. This allows the reveal of the dunes, which will provide the audience with important free flows.

Strangely, the “big” Sam Allardyce can help us here. His friend went out during the class and showed us this photo to prove how that Gores and Bush (on Sam's right shoulder) disappeared. Thanks Sam, responding on WhatsApp we can use photos!

The seventh also has a large mound on the right side of the push rod surface, and the green moves to the right. Now, this is a smaller target with long holes.

Then, we came to a huge change.

Now, No. 11 is parallel to No. 7, and instead play with the original green, instead of on the dog legs that are bypassing the bush, sits in No. 11. This creates the old fairway sitting space and removes more Gores.

This overhead diagram explains. Red is the new fairway, and orange is the driving range and practice area.

Our photos from the new 11th tee are not the best – it's hard to capture reality. But you'll see the new holes are straight, see the work on the old fairways, and maybe see the new holes look great.

This old hole is very flat and there is a faint Parkland for it. This new hole looks glorious, but it also sits in Linksland like it's been there all the time.

There are other changes. The short eighth place attracted many obstacle golfers. They will squirt the T-shirts onto the rail line and enter the house. The hills to the right and two new bunkers create a visual that gets the feeling out of the tee.

This also makes the tee of elite golfers a more interesting prospect. The safe laying of the high green leaves a longer way.

Then there is the 4th shot 10. It has a large mound to the left that has been removed to create a sandy waste area that provides vision, but the fairway has shrunk and testing with the T-shirt is even harder.

Elite golfers have much more remaining frequency than they typically differ in the Lytham trophy.

All in all, these changes have received good reviews. Perhaps the two weakest holes in the course (8 and 11) are now as strong as the other 16.

Royal Lytham & St Annes is ready for next year's AIG Women's Open – maybe open in the future.

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