England's Golf Coast Off the Beaten Path

With three Open Championship golf courses located within 20 miles of one another, the area of northwest England near Southport is a popular choice for traveling golfers for fairly obvious reasons. When choosing where to play golf in England, however, many of the H&B Forces will attest that the most memorable experiences are sometimes found off the beaten path.

Although Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, and Royal Lytham deserve much of the golfer’s attention here, England’s Golf Coast is home to many courses that aren’t likely to be found on anyone’s bucket-list, but are still worthy of a place on the itinerary.

For those looking to get off the well worn path, here are a few less-heralded places to do exactly that along England’s Golf Coast.

For additional insight on this storied region, our Golf and the Good Life podcast offers an in-depth look at England's Golf Coast.

Hillside Golf Club

If any other golf courses near Southport could join the trio on The Open rota, Hillside Golf Club would certainly be it. Greg Norman once said that Hillside had the best back-9 in Britain. Our Founder and Chairman, Sam Baker, thinks it’s more like the best closing 12-holes. To help bring some balance to the two sides, the design firm of Mackenzie & Ebert recently completed a number of alterations on the front-9.

Although Hillside may lack The Open pedigree of its Royal neighbors, it has played host to its fair share of championship golf. It often serves as a final qualifying venue when The Open is nearby and the Amateur Championship has been contested here on two occasions.

Credit: England's Golf Coast

Formby Golf Club

If judged by its architectural heritage alone, Formby Golf Club should land on the must-play list of every traveling golfer. Willie Park, Jr., James Braid, Harry Colt, J.H. Taylor, Fred Hawtree, and Donald Steele all contributed in various degrees to the course at Formby as we know it today.

Like nearby Hillside, Formby has served as both a host of the Amateur Championship and a final qualifying venue for The Open. It’s also home to, of all things, a famous hippo. For that story, you’ll want to allow extra time to visit the clubhouse before or after your round.

So just how exceptional are Hillside and Formby? After a recent H&B Expedition to England, Chandler Withington, PGA reported the following…

“We all wanted to play The Open rota courses, but if you were to poll the guys on our trip, Hillside and Formby were just as good.”

Credit: England's Golf Coast

Wallasey Golf Club

The Wallasey Golf Club was founded in 1891 by a group of members at nearby Royal Liverpool who had grown tired of the crowded Hoylake links. It was here that Wallasey member Dr. Frank Stableford invented the scoring system that bears his name. And it was also here that Bobby Jones qualified for the Open Championship held at Hoylake in his Grand Slam year.

In celebration of his victory, Jones sat for a portrait which remains in the Wallasey clubhouse, a replica of which hangs at Augusta National.

Credit: England's Golf Coast

Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club

Thanks to a storied architect, a little bit of history, and a links that’s both a challenge and delight to play, the Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club stands rather comfortably alongside its Royal neighbors. The course was designed by five-time Open champion James Braid and is regarded by many to be among his finest of the links variety.

Less than a decade after it debuted, S&A played host to the first of two Ryder Cups. The 2nd of which was won by the Americans and is noted in the history books as the first victory by a visiting side on foreign soil. The fact that Southport & Ainsdale flies under the radar for many golf travelers drives home just how great the golf is in this part of England.

But make no mistake, this one is absolutely worthy of a place on the itinerary.

Chris Miller, PGA and his Hillcrest Country Club members with the Ryder Cup at Southport & Ainsdale

West Lancashire Golf Club

The West Lancashire Golf Club is one of the oldest in England, having been formed in 1873 by a group of Royal Liverpool members looking to bring links golf to the other shore of the River Mersey.

The current course was designed by CK Cotton, who also lent his expertise to nearby Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

While West Lancs, as it’s affectionately known, doesn’t garner the limelight of the other clubs on England’s Golf Coast, it is an enjoyable test of golf which, like other courses on this list, has served as both co-host of the Amateur Championship and qualifying for The Open within the last decade.