The word "hospitality" at a major golf championship usually means the same thing: a marquee with branded tablecloths and a view of a giant screen rather than the hole itself. Dunes House and The Retreat at Royal Birkdale are different. Not because the food is better, though it is. Because the R&A built them into the course rather than alongside it.
Dunes House is a triple-deck structure overlooking the 15th green and 16th tee. From the upper balcony you have an elevated view of two holes simultaneously — the approach to 15, the drama around the green, and the tee shot on 16 starting directly below. You're above the action, outdoors when you choose, with a full bar behind you.
The Retreat is a champagne lounge adjacent to the par-3 7th green. The 7th is one of Birkdale's most underrated holes — a short iron into a well-bunkered green with dunes on three sides — and The Retreat positions you alongside it at eye level, close enough to watch players read the putts. Between groups, you go back inside. Charcuterie and champagne service runs all day.
Signature gives access to all four on-course venues: Dunes House, The Retreat, Clarets (overlooking the 17th green), and Links (near the 4th), plus a reserved grandstand seat at the 18th for the closing holes. Platinum covers Dunes House, The Retreat, and Links — but not Clarets and not the 18th seat. Platinum from £1,632/person (Thursday, ex-VAT) to £1,872 on Sunday; Signature from £2,574 to £3,234. Friday Platinum is sold out; Signature sold out Thursday through Sunday, with limited Wednesday availability remaining.
Every tier includes a parking pass — valuable when road closures around Birkdale make Southport difficult on championship days. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and open bar throughout. Signature also gets player Q&A sessions and a Claret Jug photo opportunity. This is not for the person who wants to walk the dunes — general admission covers that, and it's excellent. This is for watching The Open in total comfort with the 18th grandstand locked down for Sunday.
Why it's special
Most golf hospitality sells a day out to corporate clients who will watch three holes before retreating to lunch. The R&A's version is better, partly because Birkdale's layout makes it possible to put the hospitality on the course rather than next to it.
Dunes House overlooks the 15th green and 16th tee simultaneously — a multi-angle view the public areas don't replicate. The Retreat is smaller and quieter: a champagne lounge next to the par-3 7th green, close enough that you don't need binoculars to follow the putts.
