Formby Golf Club offers a distinctive take on links golf. Set among tall pines and rolling dunes, it blends links and heathland characteristics in a way few courses manage. The routing reflects the influence of several leading architects, including Willie Park Jr., James Braid and Harry Colt, each leaving a clear mark on the layout.

The opening holes run alongside the railway line and demand accuracy from the outset, before the course turns inland through forest and then out into broader coastal dunes. Formby is defined by contrast and restraint, with strategy and positioning valued throughout. Long regarded among England’s finest, it remains a standout on the Golf Coast.

Formby Ladies Golf Club offers a truly unique experience. Thought to be the only course in the UK with a ladies only membership, its distinctive routing sits entirely within the main Formby layout, yet feels very much its own.

This is a pure heathland course and a wonderfully varied, deceptively challenging test. The holes may be short, but each one demands careful thought and precise execution. Tight, twisting fairways, gentle dune movement and heather lined rough reward accuracy and imagination rather than strength. The course is rich with wildlife, from mature pines and broad swathes of heather to red squirrels and plenty of birds to spot.

The ladies’ clubhouse is an important part of the experience, welcoming visiting gentlemen and widely known for some of the best home baked cakes in British golf. Formby Ladies is truly one of a kind.

Just a footpath away from Royal Birkdale, Hillside shares the same glorious stretch of coastline as its illustrious neighbour, yet it has a personality entirely its own.

The front nine begins across relatively flat ground, luring you in before the course rises into dramatic dunes. The back nine is extraordinary, with sweeping fairways that twist through vast, secluded valleys, each hole framed by wonderfully natural contours.

The course has welcomed many prestigious events, including the British Masters, the Amateur Championship, and numerous Open Championship qualifiers, assuring its place at the top table of English golf.

Royal Birkdale is a classic links course and is widely considered England’s finest. The holes wind through towering dunes that create a dramatic setting while feeling entirely natural. The art deco clubhouse is an important part of the experience, with views across the 18th that frame the finish and reflect the club’s long championship history.

Birkdale is a demanding but fair test. Elevated tees provide clear views of what lies ahead, giving definition that is rare on true links land and eliminating blind shots. Crosswinds are a constant presence and place pressure on every tee shot, while the fairways reward bold play. Subtly contoured greens demand precision and touch. The list of champions here is remarkable – Palmer, Jacklin, and Watson among them. As you make your way around, you really are walking in the footsteps of the greats.

Royal Liverpool, known locally as Hoylake, is a course that rewards thought as much as power. It lacks the towering dunes of some Open venues, but its challenge lies in precision, strategy and an almost constant breeze that influences every shot.

Out of bounds adds to the test from the very beginning, sharpening focus from the opening tee and setting the tone for the round. The bunkering is intelligently placed and often penal, reinforcing the value of accuracy throughout. The par three 15th is a notable recent addition, set starkly against the horizon and adding a modern note to the historic links. Royal Liverpool has hosted The Open more than a dozen times, with champions including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. This is one of the game’s great strategic tests.

Royal Lytham & St Annes is a legendary course, and one of the toughest tests in championship golf. The opening is an unusual one, a demanding par three that immediately sets the tone for what’s to come.

With more than 170 bunkers and thick, unforgiving rough, this is a course that rewards discipline and precision above all else. The front nine may be your best chance to make a score, but the closing stretch, with six testing par fours, is relentless. Finish strongly over those holes and you’ll have earned your drink in the wonderful clubhouse overlooking the 18th green.

Lytham has a great list of Open champions including Bobby Jones, Tony Jacklin, and Seve Ballesteros – names that define greatness. Royal Lytham is one of golf’s most demanding and distinguished links.

Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club is a classic English links set among rumpled dunes and pockets of heather close to the Irish Sea. Founded in 1906, the course is shaped largely by James Braid’s work in the 1920s, with a routing that makes full use of the natural movement of the land. Fairways are subtly uneven, bunkering is purposeful, and the greens reward accurate approaches played from the correct angles.

The opening hole is a demanding par three, an uncompromising start that immediately asks for control and commitment. One of the defining holes is the par five 16th, known as Gumbleys, which sweeps left through the dunes where positioning is everything. Southport & Ainsdale hosted the Ryder Cup in 1933 and 1937, and the club is rightly proud of its history and place in the game.

Wallasey Golf Club is a historic links on the Wirral Peninsula, overlooking Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. Laid out originally by Old Tom Morris, it occupies a significant place in the game’s story and remains closely tied to championship golf. Bobby Jones famously qualified for The Open here in 1930 during his Grand Slam year, and the club has since hosted Open qualifying on multiple occasions.

The course moves between two distinct landscapes. The opening 9 holes play through bold coastal dunes, including the elevated fourth tee with far reaching views across the bay, before the back nine moves inland onto rolling ground where subtle movement and judging the seemingly every present wind dictate strategy.

Wallasey is the birthplace of Stableford scoring, a fitting legacy for a course that rewards good decision making and precise execution. It remains one of the most characterful links on England’s Golf Coast.

Founded in 1873, West Lancashire, known locally as West Lancs, is one of England’s oldest clubs. This is a course for the connoisseur. The land adds to the interest, with several holes weaving through impressive dunes while others open out across flatter ground, creating a lot of variety throughout the round. Challenge comes from raised, subtly contoured greens and deep, well placed bunkers.

There are many memorable moments at West Lancs. The 2nd features clever centreline bunkers that test decision making from the tee, trains run alongside the 11th fairway, and the 13th offers sweeping views across Liverpool Bay to the hills of North Wales.

West Lancashire is a quality addition to a North West England itinerary, a links course that rewards patience, precision and an appreciation of the game’s oldest virtues.