Golf on England's Golf Coast
Three Open Championship links inside 35 miles of dunes, with Royal Birkdale hosting the 154th Open this July, Hoylake just down the coast and a cluster of championship courses in between. The densest stretch of great links golf in England, and how to play it.
Photograph: Barton on Sea Golf Course, Hannes, via Google
Why golf on England's Golf Coast
No 35 miles of coastline anywhere outside Scotland holds this much great golf. The northwest coast of England, from Lytham St Annes through Southport and the Sefton dunes to Hoylake on the Wirral, carries three Open Championship venues and a supporting cast of championship links that would headline any other region. Royal Birkdale hosts the 154th Open in July 2026, its eleventh, and the whole coast lifts with it. Royal Lytham and St Annes has staged eleven Opens of its own, and Royal Liverpool at Hoylake, founded in 1869 and the second oldest seaside links in England, held its most recent in 2023.
What makes this a trip rather than a single pilgrimage is the depth between the famous names. Hillside shares its dunes with Birkdale and is regularly ranked among the very best in Britain. Formby blends links and pine in a way found nowhere else, Southport and Ainsdale hosted two Ryder Cups in the 1930s, and Wallasey gave the game the Stableford scoring system. With the courses lined up along one short railway and motorway corridor, a golfer can play a different great links every morning for a week, and still not run out.
The areas
Southport and the Sefton coast
The heart of it. Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Hesketh and Formby all sit within a few miles of Southport, the natural base for a links week with the best concentration of courses on the coast.
Lytham St Annes
North of the Ribble, anchored by Royal Lytham and St Annes, the rare Open links set among the houses rather than the dunes, with Fairhaven and St Annes Old Links alongside for a strong two or three day stay.
Hoylake and the Wirral
South across the Mersey, home to Royal Liverpool at Hoylake and its neighbor Wallasey, the birthplace of the Stableford, with Caldy on the estuary, an easy add to a Southport base or a trip in its own right.
The courses that matter
Royal Birkdale
For many the finest links in England, routed through flat valleys between towering dunes so every hole sits in its own amphitheater. Host of the 154th Open in July 2026, its eleventh, with a fair, exacting test and one of the great finishing stretches in the game.
Royal Liverpool, Hoylake
The second oldest seaside links in England and one of the cradles of the amateur game, an open, subtle test that bares its teeth in the wind. Host of thirteen Opens, most recently in 2023, with the internal out of bounds and the closing holes by the estuary that define it.
Royal Lytham and St Annes
The unusual Open links that begins with a par 3 and runs among red brick villas rather than dunes, defended by more than two hundred bunkers. Eleven Opens have been played here, and few courses ask more of a player's nerve and bunker craft.
Hillside
Birkdale's next door neighbor and regularly ranked among the top courses in Britain, with a back nine through giant dunes that many rate the equal of anything on the coast. The connoisseur's choice and an essential round on any Southport trip.
Formby Golf Club
A singular links that runs through both dunes and pine woods, a host of the Amateur Championship and the Curtis Cup. Quieter and more sheltered than its neighbors, it is one of the most charming and underrated rounds on the coast.
Southport and Ainsdale
A classic James Braid links remodeled in the 1920s and host of the 1933 and 1937 Ryder Cups. Rugged, dune lined and full of history, with the famous Gumbleys bunker on the sixteenth, it is a fine third or fourth course for a Southport week.
Wallasey
A spectacular old links on the Wirral with huge dunes and sea views, and the birthplace of the Stableford scoring system, devised here by Dr Frank Stableford in 1931. A wild, atmospheric round and a natural pairing with Hoylake.
Hesketh and West Lancashire
Two more historic links to round out a trip. Hesketh is the oldest club in Southport, and West Lancashire at Blundellsands, the oldest club in Lancashire, is a fine, firm links on the Mersey estuary, both well worth a round when the great names are full.
Designers, host history and Open counts verified June 2026. The three Open venues operate limited visitor access, often midweek, which we arrange where possible. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking.
When to go
| Season | Conditions | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| May to September | Firmest turf, long days, the best of the weather | Prime links season, plan well around Open week in July |
| April and October | Cooler and breezier, courses still running fast | Excellent value shoulder golf with quieter tee sheets |
| November to March | Wet and windy, but links drain and play year round | Hardy golfers only, the quietest and cheapest months |
The wind is always part of the test here. Royal Birkdale hosts the 154th Open from 16 to 19 July 2026, so build visitor rounds carefully around that week. Always confirm course access before you travel.
Indicative costs
| Item | Indicative 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Championship links green fee | Around £90 to £180 | Hillside, Formby, Wallasey and the like, varies by season |
| Open venue green fee | Around £300 and up | Birkdale, Hoylake and Lytham in high season, limited visitor days |
| A few days, all in | Around £1,800 to £3,500 per person | The great courses, good hotels, a car, excluding flights |
Indicative third party figures for the 2026 season, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Getting there and around
England's Golf Coast is among the most convenient links trips in the world. Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester airports are both within an hour of Southport, with Manchester offering the wider long haul network, and the train line up the coast links Liverpool, Hoylake, Formby, Birkdale and Southport directly. A hire car still makes the most sense for a golf trip, since it carries the bags and ties the three areas together, but the distances are tiny: Hillside sits next to Birkdale, and the drive from Southport to Hoylake or up to Lytham is well under an hour. Base in Southport for the heart of it and treat Lytham and the Wirral as easy day trips.
Where to stay
Southport is the obvious home for a links week, a handsome Victorian seaside town with a good range of hotels along Lord Street and within minutes of Birkdale, Hillside and Formby. For a Lytham focused stay, the town itself and nearby Lytham St Annes put Royal Lytham and Fairhaven on the doorstep, and on the Wirral, Hoylake and West Kirby offer comfortable bases beside Royal Liverpool. Book early for the spring and summer peaks, and far ahead for any stay around the July 2026 Open, and let one planner secure the tee times and the right hotel for each leg.
Plan your England's Golf Coast trip
Tell us the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head, handles the visitor tee times and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
England's Golf Coast questions
What is England's Golf Coast?
It is the roughly 35 mile stretch of links land along the northwest coast between Lytham St Annes and Hoylake, taking in Southport, the Sefton coast and the Wirral. It holds three Open Championship venues, Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and St Annes and Royal Liverpool at Hoylake, along with championship links such as Hillside, Formby, Wallasey and Southport and Ainsdale, the densest concentration of great links golf in England.
When is the best time to play England's Golf Coast?
May to September is the prime window, with the firmest turf, the longest days and the best chance of dry weather, though links golf here is played year round. Royal Birkdale hosts the 154th Open in July 2026, so plan visitor rounds well around that week. Spring and early autumn give quieter tee sheets and softer rates, with the wind always part of the test.
How much does a golf trip to England's Golf Coast cost in 2026?
Indicative 2026 green fees run from around £90 to £180 at the championship links up to roughly £300 or more at the three Open venues in high season. A few days playing the great courses with hotels and a car typically lands between £1,800 and £3,500 per head excluding flights. Always confirm directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
New course openings, the trips our concierge is quietly building and the booking windows worth moving on early. Every other week.