Formby Golf Club
Formby Golf Club is a championship links course unlike any other. It runs through mature sand dunes and dense areas of forest pine and while it starts and ends as a links, there’s a short diversion in between that provides a ‘soft’ inland centre. Accuracy is always the by-word here so get ready to be challenged at every shot. The combination of well protected greens, rough bordered by heather and challenging tee shots means Formby is a course of magnificent contrasts.
The course is fascinating in itself, given this combination of links and inland terrain. There is something for everyone in this links-heathland combination. The outcome is a versatile mix that lives long in the memory.
Hillside
Located next to the Victorian resort town of Southport, This is a true championship links, widely regarded as probably the finest links golf course never to have hosted the Open Championship. It runs over 18 holes and about 7,000 yards and all 18 holes run between and through large dunes and local indigenous pinewoods, typical of the immediate coastal area.
The club has anillustrious history and has been chosen by the European Tour as the venue for the 2019 British Masters. The clubhouse was originally built in the style of an Edwardian private residence, and recent extensions have only added to its grandeur.
This course is an underrated beauty, hiding its considerable light under a bushel when compared with its noble next-door neighbour, Royal Birkdale. Hillside has staged numerous major events, both amateur and professional.
It’s a links track, but benefits from a slightly inland location that brings other features into play, meandering as it does through majestic sand hills and over dunes that frame most of the back nine holes.
Royal Birkdale
Situated on the golden links of the North West coast near Southport, Royal Birkdale Golf Club is set like a beautiful green ‘emerald’ just outside the elegant Victorian resort town of Southport. It could well lay claim to being the finest of all courses in England.
Royal Birkdale has held more Championship and International events since World War II than any other course in the world. The list is impressive - British Opens, Ryder Cups, Women's British Opens, Senior Opens, Amateur Championships, Walker Cups and Curtis Cups. Royal Birkdale Golf Club has been voted the number one golf club in England, one of the top five clubs in the UK and amongst the top 35 in the world. The roll-call of Championship winners here reads like a who’s who of golfing greats, including Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Nick Faldo, Tom Watson and Jordan Spieth, to name just a few.
Three generations of the Hawtree family of golf course architects have worked on the course. It nestles amongst truly immense and spectacular sand dunes and runs through a rugged landscape of gorse with wonderfully flat fairways and good, clear views from the tee. The course is also notable for its rather magnificent Art-Deco clubhouse.
Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)
Built in 1869, on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club, Hoylake is the oldest of all the English seaside courses with the exception of Westward Ho! in Devon. It is situated next to the small town of Hoylake, on the exposed Wirral Peninsula and the course itself is an archetypal seaside links with 18 holes. At a glance, it appears flat, but the steady, strong and often capricious winds can make it an extremely challenging 18 holes. Come in the Summer, and the gentle breezes caress your approach shots, but the Autumn and Winter gales can be merciless, making a round as tricky as it gets.
Golfing architect Donald Steel's 2006 revamp and upgrade, carried out in honour of the Open, has made everyday play there even more of a test. There's no way you can relax here - every single hole demands your full attention and every last bit of golfing skill you can muster.
Royal Lytham & St Anne’s
Royal Lytham and St.Anne's was founded in 1886 and the present course layout dates back to 1897. It is regarded as one of the premier links courses in the world and has hosted eleven Open Championships and two Ryder Cups.
Nestling between two popular seaside resorts, Royal Lytham & St Anne’s golf course is a unique challenge in the rotation of the Open Championship. It is a links in every sense of the word, complete with sandy soil and strong westerlies blowing in from the Irish Sea half a mile away. Open to the elements, the trees on the course permanently lean sideways and the wind proves a formidable competitor, particularly in the closing five holes. It might not exactly be on the coast, but the respected 1930s golf writer Bernard Darwin said that in his opinion it sets a golfer “as ruthless as an examination as any links course”.
There are 206 bunkers here, and although not the longest course in the world, careful play and accurate shots are essential. If you want a true measure of your prowess, Lytham is your benchmark. Former European Ryder Cup captain Mark James once said, “Tiger could not tame it.” It’s not what you would call a conventionally ‘beautiful’ course but its charm was summed up by another Bernard Darwin remark - “A beast of a course - but a just beast!”
Wallasey
Located on the Wirral Peninsula, Wallasey Golf Club is one of England’s classic links courses. An Open Championship Qualifying course, golfers from around the world are keen to visit Wallasey with its panoramic views of the River Mersey, the Irish Sea and the Welsh Hills, which all form a splendid backdrop from the undulating sand dunes.
Bernard Darwin wrote of Wallasey in The Golf Courses of the British Isles “I don’t think that I have ever seen a course on which the contour of the hills and valleys was so infinitely picturesque”.
Our packages are highly flexible; if you'd like us to build a unique experience for you, we'll do exactly that, according to the courses you'd most like to play, the number of rounds, the accommodation and the number of nights you'll be with us..
Golf packages in NW England
Our fantastic golf packages are first-class, a combination of world renowned 'Royal' golf courses and luxurious accommodation. This special region is home to three British Open rotation courses, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Birkdale and Royal Liverpool.
Find out more or make your booking
We are always happy to discuss the sport we love with people who love the game as much as we do. To ask questions about our north west England golf packages, feel free to contact us.