Who this trip suits
There is nothing in golf like The Open. The oldest of the four majors, played on a links by the sea in the long northern light, it rewards the traveller who plans early and well. This is for golfers who want to be there in person, and who would rather pair the spectating with rounds of their own than simply watch.
- Golfers who want the bucket list experience of an Open in person, whether for a single day or the full Championship week.
- Groups who want to wrap days at the Open around their own tee times on the surrounding links, the smart way to do it.
- Couples and corporate guests who want the comfort of official hospitality and a confirmed ticket rather than the lottery of the ballot.
- Anyone planning ahead for St Andrews in 2027, the most coveted Open ticket of all, where demand is extraordinary.
The links to play around the Open
Royal Birkdale sits at the heart of England's Golf Coast, one of the densest runs of championship links anywhere. With the host course closed around the Championship, these are the rounds to build your own golf around. Every detail below was checked at the time of writing.
Royal Birkdale
The 2026 host and one of the finest links in England, a fair, classic Open venue among towering dunes. A members club that closes to visitors around the Championship itself.
Hillside
Right next door to Birkdale and rated by many tour players as its equal, a glorious back nine through the dunes. The natural first round of a Southport trip.
Southport and Ainsdale
A former Ryder Cup host with a famous sleepered par 5, a classic links a short drive from the centre of Southport and an easy addition to the itinerary.
Formby
A beautiful blend of links and pine woodland just down the coast, repeatedly ranked among the best courses in England and a regular final qualifying venue.
Royal Lytham and St Annes
A former Open host across the Ribble estuary, a stern, bunkered links where Tom Lehman and Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug. A great day trip from Southport.
How to get to the Open
There are four ways in, and they trade certainty against cost. The ballot is the cheapest and the least certain; hospitality and official packages are the guaranteed routes.
- The One Club ballot. General admission tickets are released through a ballot on The One Club, the free to join digital membership presented by Mastercard. Join, enter when the ballot opens the year before, and hope. This is the value route, but places are limited and far from guaranteed.
- Official hospitality. Packages in the on course suites such as Dunes House, the Links and The Retreat include a confirmed seat, fine dining and prime viewing. The certain way to be there in comfort, from a higher price point.
- Destination package. An official travel package bundles a confirmed ticket with a hotel and travel into one booking, the simplest route for a visitor coming any distance and the one we build trips around.
- Official sales agents. Authorised partners offer guaranteed ticket and hospitality packages when the ballot has closed. We work with the official channels so your ticket is always genuine.
A sample structure
One way to shape an Open week at Royal Birkdale that mixes spectating with your own golf. We tune it to your tickets, tee times and hotel.
Arrive into Manchester or Liverpool and settle into Southport. An evening to find your feet on the famous Lord Street before the week begins.
Your own round at Hillside, next door to Birkdale and the equal of many Open venues, to warm up the golfing legs.
Into the Championship. Two days inside the ropes, in hospitality or general admission, watching the world's best on a links in the July light.
A second round of your own at Southport and Ainsdale or Formby, or a day trip across the estuary to Royal Lytham and St Annes.
The final round of the Championship and the presentation of the Claret Jug, then a celebratory dinner before travelling home the next morning.
Indicative costs
These are third party ticket, hospitality and package guides gathered while writing this page, not our pricing. We are a guide and trip planner, never the operator.
| Option | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General admission, early week | from about £30 per person | By One Club ballot; limited, not guaranteed |
| General admission, final day | up to about £150 per person | Rises through the week to the Sunday |
| Official hospitality | from about £2,145 per person | Dunes House, Links and The Retreat suites |
| Destination package | from about £845 per person | Confirmed ticket plus hotel and travel |
| Platinum hospitality | premium, on application | Top tier suites and lounges |
Prices are indicative for the 2026 Championship and move with demand and availability. Always confirm directly before booking.
Best time to go and to book
The Open is always in July, four championship days from Thursday to Sunday after a run of practice days. Royal Birkdale hosts from 16 to 19 July 2026, and the Old Course at St Andrews follows in July 2027. The when is fixed; the work is in the booking. Join The One Club early and enter the general admission ballot as soon as it opens the year before, because it closes months ahead and demand is enormous. Official hospitality and travel packages go on sale earlier still and sell out, particularly for St Andrews, so the guaranteed routes reward planning a year or more in advance. Southport and St Andrews both have limited hotel stock for the week, so lock accommodation as early as you possibly can, before you have even secured your ticket if need be. The earlier you start, the better the trip and the lower the scramble.
Build your Open trip
Send the brief and a concierge costs the tickets or hospitality, the tee times on the surrounding links, the hotel and the transfers as one all in number, to the head, within one working day.
The Open, answered
How do you get tickets to The Open Championship?
General admission tickets are sold through a ballot run on The One Club, the free to join membership presented by Mastercard. Demand far outstrips supply, so the guaranteed routes are official hospitality or a travel package that bundles a confirmed ticket with hotel and transfers.
Where is The Open in 2026 and 2027?
The 154th Open is at Royal Birkdale near Southport in England from 16 to 19 July 2026. The 155th Open returns to the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland in July 2027, the most coveted ticket in the game.
How much do Open Championship tickets and hospitality cost?
Indicative 2026 general admission tickets start from about 30 pounds early in the week and rise to around 150 pounds for the final day. Official hospitality runs from about 2,145 pounds per person, and a destination package with a confirmed ticket, hotel and travel starts from around 845 pounds per person. Always confirm directly before booking.
Can you play Royal Birkdale around The Open?
Royal Birkdale is a members club that closes to visitors around the Championship itself, but the surrounding England's Golf Coast is one of the great links runs anywhere. Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby and Royal Lytham and St Annes are all within reach, so a spectating trip becomes a playing trip too.
Should you make The Open a full golf trip?
Yes. Southport sits at the heart of England's Golf Coast, a cluster of championship links, so the smart play is to pair days at the Championship with rounds of your own. We build the spectating, the tee times, the hotel and the transfers into one itinerary.