Padraig Harrington will defend The Open championship in July on a Royal Birkdale course where strategy will be more important than power.
After the last Open on the Southport links in 1998 - Mark O'Meara won after a play-off with fellow American Brian Watts, with Tiger Woods third and 17-year-old amateur Justin Rose joint fourth - architect Martin Hawtree was brought in to make changes.
But unlike Augusta National and many other major venues, the decision was taken to tighten Birkdale up rather than stretch it beyond recognition.
The result is six new tees and 20 new bunkers - only four of them greenside - and a lengthening of the course by just 155 yards to 7,173 yards.
That is nearly 250 yards shorter than Carnoustie was last summer when Harrington became the first Irish winner of the title since 1947 and the first European to win any major since 1999.
The organising Royal and Ancient Club said of the alterations: "Particular attention has been paid to introducing tee shots that give players a number of strategic options and making players execute more imaginative recovery shots around the greens.
Although the bunkers have been added 14 others have been removed, so the net increase is only six.
Birkdale remains a par 70, with the only par fives being the 544-yard 15th and 572-yard 17th. The toughest hole is once more likely to be the par four sixth, lengthened from 480 to 499 yards.
Nobody finished under par 10 years ago, but the course has seen some low scoring over the years.
The Open record for nine holes remains the 28 - six under - of England's Denis Durnian in the 1983 championship won by Tom Watson, a week that also saw American Jodie Mudd finish with a major record-equalling 63.
In 1991 Australian Ian Baker-Finch won with a record closing 36 holes of 130 (64-66), while Rose's second round 66 matched the lowest ever score by an amateur in the event.
His final shot was a 57-yard pitch into the hole for a birdie three and after turning professional the following day and suffering 21 successive missed cuts Rose will return to the venue as holder of the European Order of Merit crown.
Woods, currently out of action following knee surgery, will recall that he missed out on the play-off by only one stroke in what was just his second Open as a professional.
Two years later he won by eight at St Andrews and he has since won at the Home of Golf again in 2005 and made a successful defence at Hoylake.
Birkdale did not stage The Open until 1954, with Australian Peter Thomson winning then and again in 1965. In between Arnold Palmer had the first of back-to-back victories, while Lee Trevino and Johnny Miller have also lifted the Claret Jug there.
One of the famous strokes on the links did not even make contact with the ball. Hale Irwin lost to Watson by one 25 years ago after having an air shot when he went to tap in on the short 14th in the third round.
There is no plaque to that, but there is for a remarkable six-iron
recovery by Palmer from a bush at the 16th - then the 15th - en route to his win in 1961.
Seve Ballesteros is also remembered for a chip-and-run between bunkers on the last which enabled him to tie with Jack Nicklaus for second place behind Miller in 1976. He was a mere 19 at the time.
NO TESTS FOR DRUGS AT OPEN
BYRON NELSON INSIDE TRACK
NO REGRETS FOR KNOST
RYDER BOOST FOR McDOWELL
MONTY BACK IN ACTION
