2-fore!-1 Golf in England: North West
19 Courses in Denbighshire, Staffordshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire, Greater Manchester
North West England is comprised of the counties Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The region extends to Scotland in the north, West Midlands in the south, North Wales in the southwest, the Irish Sea to the west and the Peak District and the Pennines to the east. It includes the Lake District, and the highest peak in England, Scafell Pike. It also has England's largest natural lake, Windermere. To the south, the region is largely metropolitan, containing the cities of Liverpool and Manchester and their extended urban reach. The north and the far south, however, are mainly rural environments. The region contains three national parks and three Areas of Outstanding Beauty.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
The Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside, was founded in 1889. It was accorded the "Royal" title in 1951. The club is a regular host of both the Open Championship (hosted ten times, including 2017) and the Women's British Open. It has also hosted the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup, and more recently the Senior Open Championship. The Royal Birkdale course has received ranking of 18th best in the world outside the US, by Golf Digest magazine. The course winds its way through towering sand dunes. It measures 7,156 yards with a par 70.
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
The Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lancashire is also a regular Open Championship course, having hosted the Open ten times and the Women's British Open four times. It has hosted two Ryder Cups and many other major tournaments including the Women's and Seniors Open Championships. The club was founded in 1886 and the present course was laid out in 1897. The course has 204 bunkers (yes, 204), placed all through the fairways and around the greens, and is notoriously challenging.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake)
The Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 1869, making it the second oldest links course in England. It was extended to 18 holes in 1871, and received Royal status that same year. The course was laid out on what was then the racecourse for the Liverpool Hunt Club. Harry Colt redesigned the course in the early 20th century, and other alterations have been made over the years since then. The Royal Liverpool Golf Club is in Hoylake, a small town on the Wirral Peninsula. It is a mostly flat, traditional links course, with the Dee Estuary along its western side. In 1885 the club held the inaugural men's amateur championship, which has since become The Amateur Championship. 1902 it hosted the first international golf match, between Scotland and England. There are a number of other "firsts" that the club initiated, including the precursor to what would become the Walker Cup. The club's contribution to, and driving force behind, the growth and development of the sport of amateur golf, is quite phenomenal. In fact it was at the Royal Liverpool that the rules of amateur golf were first laid down. The club has hosted many championships over the years, including the Open (twelve times, including 2014).
Formby Golf Club
Formby Golf Club, in Merseyside, was founded in 1884. The original links course was designed by Willie Park and this opened in 1912. Over the years the course has undergone various changes and upgrades, and James Braid added his touch in 1922. Formby is a championship true links course that has hosted various tournaments, including the Palmer Cup in 2016, the Curtis Cup, the Amateur Championship, and has also been the Open Championship qualifying course. Formby Golf Club has its own Dormy House, so visitors have the option of taking more time and exploring the surrounds during a stay & play. As well, you'll find excellent dining facilities, bars and a snooker room. While traversing the course, everywhere you look are huge, towering pine trees, which create a timeless, even mythical atmosphere of strength, quietness, and shelter from the storms of life. The course itself has generous, rolling fairways and the entire setting, of 470 acres, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. This is a place where you can still stumble upon rare native plants and wildlife.
Delamere Forest Golf Club
Delamere Forest Golf Club in Cheshire offers a very fine traditional heathland course that opened in 1911. The site was on Crown land next to "an ancient English hunting forest off Delamere". And, by good luck, the land beneath the surface is primarily sand, which makes for a wonderfully free draining golf course on rolling terrain. Herbert Fowler designed the original layout and was recalled in 1921 to upgrade and effectively remodel the entire course. He did this while ensuring the essential classic heathland character of the course was maintained, working with the flow of the land to create tests and challenges for golfers throughout the course. An interesting feature of the Delamere Forest Golf Club is that golfing members are welcome to bring along their dog, to run or walk the course as they play. The course is always in excellent condition, whatever the weather, and has very true greens, knee-high roughs, and new or recently upgraded bunkers. Authentic heathland golf at its finest.
Silloth on Solway Golf Club
Silloth on Solway Golf Club in Cumbria, founded in 1892, may be the archetypal "hidden gem". This true links golf course is absolutely genuine, as in "the real deal", yet with its own unique character. Both Alister MacKenzie and Willie Park contributed to the design of the course. It incorporates some knock-out views over the Solway Firth from the elevated tees, and on a clear day, across to the Isle of Man, north to the Galloway Hills and south to the Lakes. The fairways are lined with heather, gorse and whin, all with bursts of colour in season. However, unless it is a rarer calm day, the wind is a factor that you must be ready for, as it sears through and gnaws at your game. The clubhouse food should not be missed either - fantastic meals. Value is exceptional. Voted number one course in Britain and Ireland for under 100 pounds by National Club Golfer; voted Best Course in Britain and Ireland for under 60 pounds" by Today's Golfer Magazine. It is also in Planet Golf's Top 100 courses in the world. It has also hosted several amateur championships, and was the Regional Qualifying Course for the Open 2002 - 2007.
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