The Liverpool area is one of the great golf meccas — three Open Championship Rota courses in the "Royals" (Liverpool, Lytham & St. Annes, Birkdale), plus a deep bench of world-class links.
There is no shortage of great golf in the Liverpool area. Not only do you have 3 Open Championship Rota courses in the "Royals" (Liverpool, Lytham & St. Annes and Birkdale) but you have a great selection of links and heathlands-style courses that will fill out any length trip to the golf mecca.
The "Royals"
Royal Lytham & St. Annes
Location: Lytham Saint Annes, England
Open: 1897
Designer: George Lowe
Major Course Updates: H.S. Colt, Herbert Fowler, European Golf Design, Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie
Events Hosted: The Open Championship (11 times), Ryder Cup (2 times), Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Women's Open Championship, British Masters
Key Rankings: 7th best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022); 67th best golf course in the world, Golf Magazine (2021)
Numerous golfing greats — including Bobby Jones, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, David Duval, and Ernie Els — have won majors on Royal Lytham & St. Annes, which peculiarly starts on a long par 3 down the hill. Also notable, Royal Lytham is known for an astounding amount of bunkers throughout the round, which are almost impossible to avoid fully. In total, 174 bunkers are found for a whopping 9.66 a hole.
Royal Birkdale
Location: Southport, England
Open: 1897
Designer: George Lowe
Major Course Updates: Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie, Fred Hawtree, Martin Hawtree, John Henry Taylor
Events Hosted: The Open Championship (10 times), Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Women's Open, British Masters, Ryder Cup (2 times)
Key Rankings: 3rd best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022); 42nd best golf course in the world, Golf Magazine (2021)
Royal Birkdale is akin to an Oak Hill in the United States, where it has hosted every possible high-level event. Champions like Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, and Jordan Spieth have navigated these expansive dunes and sophisticated, small pot bunkers, and winds coming off the Irish Sea. Unlike other links golf courses, and closer to an Irish golf experience, Birkdale plays in the bottom of the towering dunes on either side, with relatively flat fairways providing a perfect canvas for tournament golf.
Royal Liverpool
Location: Hoylake, England
Open: 1869
Designer: George Morris
Major Course Updates: H.S. Colt, Fred Hawtree, Ross McMurray, Martin Hawtree
Events Hosted: Open Championship (11 times), Ryder Cup (2 times), Curtis Cup, Walker Cup
Key Rankings: 15th best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022); 79th best golf course in the world, Golf Magazine (2021)
A must-visit destination for any golf enthusiast, particularly for those interested in the rich history and tradition of the sport. Notably, a multiple Open Championship venue has produced champions like Greg Norman, Bobby Jones, James Braid, and Tiger Woods in 2006, who famously only used driver once during the entire week. Long views of the Irish Sea, as well as rolling, rumpled fairways and undulating greens combine with one of England's clubs to provide a first-rate experience.
The Best of the Rest
Southport & Ainsdale
Location: Southport, England
Open: 1925
Designer: James Braid
Major Course Updates: Donald Steel, Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie, Marc Westernborg
Events Hosted: Women's Open Championship, Ryder Cup (2 times)
Key Rankings: 43rd best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022)
Located in the popular beach town in northwest England, Southport & Ainsdale is located near Royal Birkdale, but holds its own with some notable design elements. The bunker-less par 3 8th is generally regarded as a standout, with a raised table-top green repelling mishit shots and providing challenging approach shots. Where Birkdale is a difficult, challenging golf course notable for the events hosted, this James Braid golf course is sporty, unique, and fun, providing a brilliant experience in itself.
Hillside
Location: Southport, England
Open: 1911
Designer: Unknown
Major Course Updates: Fred Hawtree, Donald Steel, Jonathan Tucker
Events Hosted: British PGA Match Play Championship
Key Rankings: 22nd best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022)
While nearby Royal Birkdale gets all the Open Championship fame, Hillside plays an important part in being in England's best links golf region, hosting the 1982 British PGA Match Play Championship. In that championship, Tony Jacklin tied Bernhard Langer in regulation, but Jacklin went on to win on the first playoff hole. Dunes and rumpled fairways further treat those who step away from Birkdale and Southport & Ainsdale, while all three combine to create one of the best three-course rotations in England.
Formby
Location: Formby, England
Open: 1884
Designer: Nature, with an additional 9 from Willie Park Jr.
Major Course Updates: James Braid, H.S. Colt, Donald Steel, Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie
Events Hosted: 2004 Curtis Cup
Key Rankings: 23rd best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022)
An impressive list of architects that reads like a discussion for the best architect ever, including H.S. Colt, James Braid, Willie Park Jr., and Donald Steel, have laid hands on Formby, a stunning golf course on the coast of England. Interestingly, the golf course benefits from both seeing links land near the ocean, and diving into the forest inland, all while playing around Formby Ladies Golf Club.
West Lancashire
Location: Liverpool, England
Open: 1891
Designer: Unknown
Major Course Updates: James Braid, Charles Cotton, Donald Steel, Martin Ebert & Tom Mackenzie
Events Hosted: N/A
Key Rankings: 35th best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022)
In a golf-rich area like Liverpool, golf courses like West Lancashire help establish the area as a go-to area to travel to, mainly because they add depth and options. Such is the case at this superb golf course, which opened in 1873 at the hands of unknown locals, or mother nature, perhaps. The opening hole is a brute of a start, while the shorter par 4 13th gains praise from enthusiasts, curving around a dune to a green on a low plateau. Interestingly, West Lancashire is home to the longest hole-in-one ever, per the Guinness Book of Golf Facts & Feats, on the 393-yard par 4!
Wallasey Golf Club
Location: Wallasey, England
Open: 1873
Designer: Tom Morris Sr.
Major Course Updates: James Braid, Hawtree and J.H. Taylor
Events Hosted: Open Qualifying Course 1930, 1936, 1956 and 2006
Key Rankings: 61st best golf course in England, Top 100 Golf Courses (2022)
A traditional classic links course with undulating fairways and sand dunes that is a testing 6,649 yards. Situated on the Wirral Peninsula overlooking Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea, there are far-reaching views of the Welsh Mountains. The view from the 4th tee is spectacular with Liverpool Bay immediately to the right. The final 3 holes are very demanding. The 16th is a very tough par 3 especially if played into a reasonably strong wind.
Explore Liverpool Off the Course
Photo Reel