Staying in Blackpool for The Open 2026? Here's Your Golf Itinerary

If you've left it too late to book accommodation in Southport or Formby for Open week, Blackpool is a realistic alternative. It's 35 miles from Royal Birkdale — around 45 minutes by road. The price difference for accommodation is significant and availability is considerably better than anywhere on the Sefton Coast.

I live in Churchtown, three miles from the first tee. I understand why people stay locally. But if you can't, here's how to build the week properly from a Blackpool base.

The Logistics

Drive time from central Blackpool to Royal Birkdale is approximately 40–50 minutes in normal traffic. During Open week, add 15–20 minutes on championship days — the A565 into Southport will be congested in the mornings. Leave early. By 'early' I mean arriving at Birkdale by 8am means leaving Blackpool by 7am.

The train is worth considering on the days you're attending. Blackpool North to Southport via Preston takes around an hour. From Southport station, the championship shuttle buses run to the course on all championship days. Book the shuttle in advance if you're using this route.

If you're not attending on a given day, you don't need to fight the traffic. Those days are for golf.

The Golf Itinerary

A week based in Blackpool, attending The Open on two or three days and playing golf on the others, is a very good golf trip. Here's how I'd structure it:

• →Day 1 (Sunday, pre-Open): Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club — championship course, Ryder Cup history, excellent value, 40 minutes from Blackpool. Start the trip properly.
• →Day 2 (Monday practice round): Get to Royal Birkdale early for practice round day. Walk the course, watch the pros hit shots you couldn't contemplate, study the 18th.
• →Day 3 (Tuesday): Hillside Golf Club — extraordinary layout adjacent to Birkdale, often overlooked. Book it before you come. One of the best courses in England.
• →Day 4 (Wednesday championship day): At Birkdale for the opening round. Train from Blackpool North, shuttle from Southport.
• →Day 5 (Thursday): Recovery day. Drive the A565 along the coast, have lunch in Formby or Southport. Optional: walk Ainsdale beach at low tide.
• →Day 6 (Friday championship day): Back to Birkdale for the cut day — always worth watching.
• →Day 7 (Saturday): West Lancashire Golf Club — elemental links, right on the coast, worth doing on your way back north.

Where to Eat Near the Course

Birkdale village — the suburb immediately adjacent to Royal Birkdale — has a cluster of independent restaurants and pubs within walking distance of the club. It fills up during Open week but is quieter than Lord Street in Southport town centre. Worth knowing if you want to eat close to the course.

Southport town centre is 10 minutes from the club by car. Lord Street has the best concentration of restaurants. Book ahead for the whole week — I cannot emphasise this enough. Every good table in Southport is reserved by championship week. If you haven't booked, you're eating at Southport Market (which is actually fine) or driving further afield.

Blackpool to Birkdale: Practical Notes

• →A584 south to Lytham, then A565 north to Birkdale is the cleanest route.
• →Avoid the M55 to Kirkham then coast road — it saves nothing and the junction is often congested.
• →Park-and-ride for the Open is clearly signposted. Follow it. Do not park on residential streets.
• →Fuel up the night before. Petrol stations near the course are not the place to queue on championship morning.
• →Pre-book lunch if you're going into Southport after the golf. Everyone else had the same idea.