Best Places to Play Golf in Liverpool & Why

Golf is a funny old sport. You head out into some beautifully manicured land and try to strike a small ball hundreds of yards to get it into a hole that is only slightly larger than the circumference of the ball itself.

Invariably you mess up, ending up wandering through trees and overgrown shrubbery looking for said ball, muttering swear words, and promising yourself you’re never going to play again.

Towards the end of the round you hit a brilliant shot and all of a sudden the frustrations are forgotten and you know that you’ll play better next time. Or maybe that’s just me?

If you’re in Liverpool then there’s good news, with numerous excellent golf courses on offer in the local area.

Royal Liverpool

Ok, this one is a bit of a cheat given the fact that it is located on the Wirral rather than in Liverpool, but its title is such that it had to feature on our list. Not only that, but it is one of the golf courses that is on the list of the Open Championship, meaning that it is the host venue for the Open every four years or so. A links course in the true meaning of the word, it was founded in 1869 and received its ‘Royal’ designation two years later. Located in the town of Hoylake after which it is sometimes named, it is a very difficult course to play if the wind is blowing. If its not, as Tiger Woods found during the Open in 2006, you can put on some good scores.

Plenty going on here at #RLGCHoylake over the past few days as we hosted the Cheshire County Championships, with some fantastic scores recorded throughout the week on a tough setup. pic.twitter.com/KUmFup5cxM

— Royal Liverpool Golf Club (@RLGCHoylake) June 24, 2024

Royal Birkdale

Another one that might be consider a cheat considering its location in Southport, it is also in the rotation for the Open Championship. That tells you how challenging a course it can be, with golfers enjoying taking it on ever since it opened in 1889. Unlike Hoylake, which became a ‘Royal’ course within two years, it took until 1951 before Royal Birkdale wasn’t just ‘Birkdale’. In 2009, Golf Digest the golfing magazine, drew up a list of the top 100 courses in the world outside of the United States of America, with Royal Birkdale coming in 14th. It hosted the Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969, with the course’s art deco clubhouse being worth a visit alone.

Formy

Formy is a beautiful mix of several different challenges, offering the difficult of a links course alongside an excellent incorporation of tall pine trees that provide tricky obstacles to master. Although it has never hosted the Open Championship, it has hosted the likes of the Curtis Cup and the Amateur Championship and is considered by many to be a tougher course than some of those that are currently in the rotation for the Open. It plays in an anti-clockwise direction, with Formby Ladies, which is another excellent golf course, located in the middle. If you want somewhere that offers a challenge as well somewhere aesthetically pleasing, this is for you.

Is there a good ‘leave’ on our short 16th? #linksgolf #1884 #golf pic.twitter.com/JASI1oTwHb

— Formby Golf Club (@FormbyGolfClub) July 4, 2024

Hillside

If you want to get a sense of how good a course Hillside is then perhaps the words of Greg Norman will suffice. Long before he decided to take blood money from Saudi Arabia as part of LIV Golf, Norman was a top player and took part in the 1982 PGA Championship at Hillside, declaring afterwards that ‘the back nine holes are the best in Britain’. It has sand dunes that you’d more commonly associated with Irish links courses, plus the changes in elevation as you make your way around the course give you the sense that you’re having to deal with natural valleys and trees that look more like amphitheatres. It’s a classy course.

Wallasey

If you have played golf before, there is a very real chance that you’ll have at least heard of the Stableford system of scoring. It was created by Dr. Frank Stableford after he played Wallasey and consistently had his score card ruined by the incredibly tough start that the course presents. Even if you end up struggling in a similar way to the good doctor, the views out to Liverpool Bay are worth the price of admission on their own. Fast-running fairways and firm greens that offer little forgiveness are some of the traits of this tricky links course. Like Royal Liverpool, it is located over on the Wirral, but is close enough to be included.

@manorsgolf Every wondered where the Stableford format was born? The answer: Wallasey Golf Club in 1931, by Dr Frank Stableford. On the second hole to be exact. “I was practicing on the second fairway Wallasey Golf Club one day in the latter part of 1931 when the thought ran through my mind that many players in competitions got very little fun since they tore up their cards after playing only a few holes and I wondered if anything could be done about it” Wallasey held the first stableford tournament in 1932 and it was an instant success. Henry Longhurst, famed golf writer and commentator wrote “I doubt whether any single man did more to increase the pleasure of the humble club golfer” Watch as Nathan Sampson, MANORS ambassador and resident flusher takes on the hole that has induced many a torn up scorecard. #manors #golftravel #golfengland ♬ original sound – Manors Golf

Southport & Ainsdale

If you are the sort of golfer that likes to be presented with a challenge then Southport & Ainsdale will definitely offer you that. ‘Gumbleys’ is the name of the 16th, which asks you to hit a huge drive if you’re able to, but even if you succeed you’ll still be faced with a blink approach to a green that is generously described as ‘narrow’. There are also tall sleepers protecting it, so only the best golfers, or the luckiest, are likely to cope. It hosted the Ryder Cup in 1933 and 1937, with heather, gorse and the challenge of the links environment liable to snaffle up more than a few wayward balls. A picturesque course that asks you to play blind shots on several holes.

Formby Hall

It is back out to Formby for or next course, which asks those hitting off the blue tees to cope with more than 7,000 yards of tough terrain. From pot bunkers to woodland sections via water hazards and a strong wind that can take your ball wherever it fancies, this is far from an easy course to play.

If you like your golf then you might want to fit in the nine-hole course whilst you’re on-site, plus there is a lovely hotel to enjoy some R&R in before taking on the next round. Having hosted events such as the Challenge Tour and the European Seniors, this is a golf course that asks a lot of the competitors who turn up wishing to take it on.

Bowring Park

The final course we’re going to tell you about asks you to travel out to Huyton, but it’s worth it for one of the country’s best-kept golfing secrets. Bowring Park is the oldest municipal course in England, offering beautiful views and well-looked after greens, which come at the end of rolling fairways.

The fact that it’s a municipal course means that it is significantly cheaper than most of the courses on this list, but that doesn’t mean that it is any less challenging or worthy of your attention. If you’re someone that loves your golf then playing on a course with the historic significance of this one should definitely be on your list whilst you’re in Liverpool.