Lancashire Golf Packages and Breaks: Where to Stay and Play
No coastline in England carries more championship weight: Royal Lytham's eleven Opens on the Fylde, Royal Birkdale hosting its eleventh in July 2026, and a supporting cast, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby, West Lancashire, that would headline any other county. Here is how to package the coast into a break, what the 2026 fees really total, and which of the two bases fits your group.
Photograph: Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, by Hao Ding, via Google
Who this trip suits
Golfers who measure a trip in Open venues. Within forty miles you can play the links where Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros and Ernie Els won at Royal Lytham, walk the dunes where Jordan Spieth won at Royal Birkdale, and add the course many call the best in England without an Open, Hillside, next door. It is also a trip that scales honestly: the same coastline carries a value build, Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire and St Annes Old Links, that plays world class sand for club golf money. Trains run direct from Manchester Airport toward both bases, so this is one of the few marquee links trips that works without a hire car.
The two bases
Base one is Lytham St Annes on the Fylde coast, for Royal Lytham, Fairhaven and St Annes Old Links; Royal Lytham's own Dormy House, sixteen en suite rooms a pitch from the 1st tee, carries discounted green fees and is the single best golf and bed pairing in the county. Base two is Southport, the self styled capital of England's Golf Coast, where Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale and Formby line one unbroken duneland and West Lancashire waits twenty minutes south toward Liverpool. The towns sit about an hour apart around the Ribble Estuary; a five night break splits two and three.
Three package shapes, costed
| Package | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| The Open rota break | 3 nights, Royal Lytham (published 2026 peak rate £460), Royal Birkdale (around £495 in its Open year, limited days) and Hillside (£335). Roughly £1,290 per person in green fees alone before beds; the bucket list build |
| The full coast week | 5 nights across both bases: Lytham, Hillside, Formby (indicative £160 to £210), Southport and Ainsdale (around £300 summer peak) and West Lancashire (around £225 to £295 peak). Five championship links, roughly £1,500 to £1,700 in fees |
| The value build | 4 nights in Southport: Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire, St Annes Old Links and Fairhaven, with winter and shoulder offers cutting fees sharply, S and A winter packages start from around £65 with a meal. The same dunes for a fraction of the rota price |
Hotel and golf bundles through the clubs and Southport's golf hotels often beat piecing it together yourself. Compare packages · Check tee times · Browse stays.
When to go and when to book
May, June and September are the prime windows: long evenings, running turf and the fullest visitor tee sheets. The hard date to plan around in 2026 is the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July, which lifts demand across every course and bed on the coast for weeks either side; if your trip is not about attending the championship, leave July alone entirely. Royal Lytham closes to visitors from November 1 2026 to February 28 2027, and most of the marquee clubs sell specific visitor days rather than open tee sheets, Birkdale's rose about 24 percent in price for the Open year, so the rota break needs four to six months of lead time and flexibility on which day each course falls.
The value build is far more forgiving. Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire, St Annes Old Links and Fairhaven welcome visitors most days, winter golf on this sand is honestly playable, and shoulder season society packages with a meal included are a northwest England institution. For the day by day version of the marquee run, see our 4 day England Golf Coast itinerary.
Getting there and staying
Manchester is the gateway airport, about an hour from either base, with Liverpool closer still to Southport. Direct trains reach St Annes and Southport, and taxis cover the short hops between clubs. In Lytham St Annes, the Dormy House and the seafront hotels are the golf addresses; in Southport, the Lord Street grand hotels and a deep stock of golf friendly B and Bs serve every budget. Lock the visitor days at Lytham and Birkdale first, then build the beds and the supporting rounds around them. Browse partner stays.
Plan your Lancashire golf break
Tell us your group, your month and the courses you care about, and one concierge secures the visitor days, pairs the right base for each leg and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
Lancashire package questions
How much does a Lancashire golf package cost?
Built around the marquee links, this is one of England's priciest coastlines in green fees alone: Royal Lytham's published 2026 peak visitor rate is £460, Royal Birkdale sits around £495 in its 2026 Open year, and Hillside is £335, so three headline rounds approach £1,300 per person before beds. A value build around Southport and Ainsdale, West Lancashire and St Annes Old Links plays the same coastline for a fraction of that. All fees are indicative for the 2026 season; always confirm directly before booking.
Where should the break be based?
Two bases cover everything. Lytham St Annes serves Royal Lytham, St Annes Old Links and Fairhaven, with Royal Lytham's Dormy House yards from the 1st tee. Southport serves the Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby and West Lancashire stretch of England's Golf Coast. The towns are about an hour apart around the Ribble Estuary.
Can visitors play Royal Birkdale in 2026?
Yes, on limited visitor days, but 2026 is the hardest year of the decade: the club hosts the Open Championship in July and access tightens severely around it. The peak visitor rate rose about 24 percent for 2026 to around £495. Book months ahead, target spring or autumn, and hold Hillside and Southport and Ainsdale as same trip alternatives.
When is the best time to go?
May, June and September for daylight, firm turf and full visitor sheets. Royal Lytham is closed to visitors from November 1 2026 to February 28 2027 and most marquee clubs sell specific visitor days, so even shoulder months need planning. Winter golf on the sandy Southport links is genuinely playable and far cheaper if you accept the weather risk.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Fee changes, booking windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Green fees verified June 2026 against club published rates. Last reviewed June 2026.