The definitive book on Royal Liverpool, Hoylake is entitled Mighty Winds ... Mighty Champions, reflecting the essence of the course. If the winds blow with vigour this weekend at the 151st Open Championship the eventual winner will indeed be a mighty champion.
Like so many links courses Royal Liverpool can be quite benign when the wind is fairly gentle. But the pot bunkers, deep rough and tricky greens can still take their toll as many players discovered in the opening round on Thursday.
The bunkers proved particularly tricky and were chiefly responsible for keeping the scores down. You could only feel for one of the victims, Hong Kong's Taichi Kho who shot a 10 at the 18th after struggling to get out of the traps.
Thailand's sole representative Jazz Janewattananond had a similarly torrid time. It is his fourth appearance at the Open but three double bogeys and four bogeys saw Jazz shoot a disappointing 10-over 81.
Some took advantage of the relatively calm conditions on this celebrated spot on the Wirral Peninsular.
One of the outstanding performers to was the lanky South African amateur Christo Lamprecht who shot an impressive five-under 66 to share the lead with England's Tommy Fleetwood and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo.
Fleetwood, who hails from just up the coast at Southport, enjoyed tremendous support from the enthusiastic gallery as he birdied his way down the back nine with loud cries of "Come on Tommy" echoing around the links.
"The fans were great. I'm glad I gave them some good golf ," said a happy Fleetwood.
As always there is huge pressure on Rory McIlroy whose last major victory was nine years ago at this same venue. McIlroy's win at the Scottish Open boosted fans' hopes but maybe too much is expected of the Northern Ireland golfer.
McIlroy had a mixed round but sounded quite happy to finish on even par. "It was tricky out there,'' he said "but it's a solid start."
Another star player who found the opening day quite a battle was defending champion Cameron Smith who shot a one-over 72. The talented Australian called it "an up and down day".
An important addition to the course layout has been the introduction of a 136-yard par-three 17th hole, named "Little Eye" after one of the Hilbre Islands which sits offshore in the River Dee estuary. It looks deceptively straightforward but miss the green and players can get into serious trouble.
The organisers are hoping that this new hole will help give the course a more demanding finish. The run-in now includes a 620-yard par-five 15th, the 16th a tricky par-four, and the 18th a par-five which has already shown a lot of bite.
Someone who knows all about the 17th is Hoylake member Matthew Jordan who was given the honour of hitting the opening tee shot of the championship. He went on to provide the early excitement for local fans to finish with a fine two-under 69. "It was everything I could have wished for," said the 27-year-old.
Jordan believes the 17th could hold the key to who wins. "I certainly think something will happen there," he said. "Someone's dreams will be over or they will be made."
Rain has been forecast this weekend and if it turns nasty it could make life very challenging for the golfers. It is always nice to see the top players having to battle the elements for their birdies.
It should prove to be a gripping weekend at Hoylake and out of it will emerge a "mighty champion."