No 35 mile stretch of coast holds more great links than the run from Lytham St Annes down to Hoylake, taking in Southport and Formby on the way. Three Open venues and a dozen more championship links sit within a short drive of one another. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict and how to play each.
Photograph: Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Akihiko Sawada, via Google
England's Golf Coast is the sandy belt of links land along the northwest coast between the Ribble and the Mersey, where firm turf, towering dunes and the sea wind have produced some of the finest seaside golf in the world. Three of its courses, Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and St Annes and Royal Liverpool, are on the Open rota, and around them sits a cluster of championship links, from Hillside and Formby to Southport and Ainsdale and West Lancashire, that would headline almost any other region.
We weighed design quality, championship pedigree, the quality of the links land and the strength of the test in the wind, and we noted access plainly, because most of these clubs welcome visitors but on their own terms. Every fact here, from Open history to club detail, was checked at the time of writing. Green fees are indicative and the links plays best from late spring to early autumn. The verdicts are ours, the order reflects our editors' view, and if you want these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The highest rated course on the coast and one of the world's great links, host of ten Open Championships, fair and majestic among towering dunes, the flat fairways winding through valleys below the sandhills so the wind, not blind shots, defends it. England's finest modern Open venue. Visitor tee times available.
A stern, bunker riddled links hemmed by the town and the railway, an eleven time Open host where Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros and others have won, opening with a par 3 and defended by more than two hundred bunkers. A pure test of ball striking. Visitors welcome midweek.
One of the oldest links in England and a regular Open host, flat to the eye but subtle and exposed, with firm fairways, fierce bunkering and out of bounds that lurks on many holes. Quietly one of the toughest tests on the rota in a breeze. Visitor access available.
Royal Birkdale's next door neighbour and, on its celebrated back nine, the equal of almost anything in England, a glorious run of holes tumbling through huge dunes. Frequently called the finest course on the coast outside the Open rota. Visitors welcome.
A beautiful and unusual links that runs through pine woods as well as dunes, its holes framed by bunkering, sandhills and trees, an Open final qualifying venue and a connoisseur's favourite. A change of texture from its pure dune neighbours. Visitors welcome.
A classic links between Birkdale and Formby and a Ryder Cup host in the 1930s, with the famous Gumbleys bunker and a fine set of dunescape holes. An underrated and thoroughly enjoyable test. Visitor tee times available.
One of the oldest clubs in Southport, a traditional links that has staged Open qualifying, running out to the Ribble estuary and back, quietly excellent and good value. A fine, less crowded addition to a coast itinerary. Visitors welcome.
The oldest club in Lancashire, a firm, fine links along the Mersey estuary near Crosby with views to the Welsh hills, an Open qualifying venue and a true test in the wind. The southern bookend of the Southport cluster. Visitors welcome.
A dramatic, hilly links on the Wirral with huge dunes and sea views, the home of the Stableford scoring system devised here by Dr Frank Stableford, and an Open qualifying course in its own right. Rugged and memorable. Visitors welcome.
A long, well bunkered links on the Lytham coast that regularly serves as an Open final qualifying venue, more open than its royal neighbour and a strong test in its own right. A natural pairing with a round at Royal Lytham. Visitors welcome.
Open history and club detail verified June 2026. Most clubs welcome visitors but on their own terms, with restricted days and dress codes, noted where relevant. Green fees are indicative only. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor tee times and fees directly before booking.
Tell us how many links you want to play and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Royal Birkdale at Southport, host of ten Open Championships, is the highest rated course on England's Golf Coast and one of the great links in the world. Royal Lytham and St Annes and Royal Liverpool at Hoylake, both Open hosts, complete the trio of royal links, with Hillside and Formby close behind.
England's Golf Coast is the roughly 35 mile stretch of links land between Lytham St Annes in the north and Hoylake on the Wirral in the south, taking in Southport and Formby, home to three Open venues and a dozen more championship links within a short drive. Always confirm visitor tee times and green fees directly before booking.
Open venue tee time windows, links season form and the links trips our concierge is quietly building. Every other week.