Liverpool & The 3 Royals

Hoylake, Birkdale & Lytham St. Annes

Destination

Soccer, Golf and Rock & Roll

Liverpool is a maritime port city, cradle to The Beatles and known for its historic rivalry with Manchester (a city located 45 km). It is strategically located facing the sea, and very close to most golf courses. Liverpool has attractions littered throughout the city and more museums and galleries than any other city in the UK. This lively city offers a variety of “after golf” entertainment especially for music lovers.

The 3 Royals are the 3 Open Rota golf courses: Royal Lytham St. Annes (Ernie Els 2012), Royal Birkdale (Jordan Spieth 2017) and Royal Liverpool (Rory McIlroy 2014). These courses are all very nearby.

Golf

The 3 Royals, plus some other excellent courses

Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Hoylake was created to be (and still is) a demanding test of golf, and lies at the very heart of the history and development of golf in Britain. Built in 1869, on what was then the Liverpool Hunt Club racetrack, Royal Liverpool is the second oldest links course in England behind Royal North Devon. It dates back to 1869 and was the site of 11 British Opens, the last one in 2014 brilliantly won by Rory McIlroy.

Royal Birkdale

This spectacular course is a tough golf test with no ocean views but great slopes and challenging sand dunes on both sides. It is one of the clubs in the rotation for both the Open Championship and Women's British Open and it has hosted the Open Championship ten times from 1954 through 2017.
Winners of the Open at the course include Pádraig Harrington, and Jordan Spieth who defeated Matt Kuchar with his unforgettable shot passing the trucks in the Driving Range.

Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club

Opened in 1886, this course has more than 200 bunkers, firm fairways and some of the most demanding greens in the Open Rota. It's not your typical link as it's not right on the sea and it doesn't have those huge dunes bordering fairways, but it has all the tradition one would expect from a UK course. It has some blind shots (not many) and the great challenge of getting around the cross bunkers from the tee, perhaps the most difficult part.

Hillside GC

Hillside neighbours with Royal Birkdale.
The layout of the course is balanced in two halves, the front 9 are flatter holes and the back nine go through some of the highest and wildest dunes found anywhere. The back nine are considered to be the best 9 link holes in England.
Excellent course conditions, fast greens and a landscape that combines forests with dunes, playing at Hillside is a worthwhile experience.

Formby

It is one of the classic courses on the Lancashire coast. Although somewhat sheltered from the elements by the pine trees that line several of the holes, the course is rough, especially when the wind picks up. Such is the profusion of wildlife and plants in Formby that it has been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest with the magnificent and fragile dunes as a designated conservation area.

Other recommended golf courses

Wallasey GC, Southport & Ainsdale, West Lancashire, Delamare Forest.

Other things to do

Liverpool is a wonderful city to explore and enjoy, soccer fans and music lovers can tour dozens of bars and enjoy live music every night. Relive the Beatles Story, check out Paul's childhood home, but also leave time for exploring Liverpool Cathedral and the Walker Art Gallery.

If you have some extra time visit Manchester or London and visit the top rated tourist attractions like: Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, the Tower of London and the London Eye.

Thinking about playing more golf: complement your stay with Prestwick (Turnberry & Troon) in Scotland, or Wales and play the Celtic Manor (home of the Ryders Cup 2010) or Royal Porthcawl (several times home of the Senior Open and the Walker Cup), among others .

Planning

Where to stay

Liverpool is the ideal location, since it is close to the courses and walking distance to restaurants, and bars. Wegolf offers a selection of comfortable apartments ideal when travelling in groups, and 5 and 4 star hotels lodging options.

Time to book

If you want to travel during The Open, you need at least a year in advance. Outside of The Open, if you would like to play the 3 Royals we recommend 9 months of planning.

When to travel

The best time to travel to the UK, is from May to September, trying to avoid August (month in which Europeans vacation) due to lower availability of accommodation.

How to get there

Liverpool and Manchester receive flights from many European cities. If you are travelling international London is the best option. From you have several options: take a connecting domestic flight, go by train or rent a car and drive 5 hours.