Can I Play Royal Birkdale During The Open 2026?

The most common question I get asked about The Open 2026, once someone finds out Royal Birkdale is hosting it, is: "Can I book a tee time while I'm there?" The answer is no: and the sooner you know that, the better your trip planning will be.

Royal Birkdale closes to visitors before The Open starts

Royal Birkdale stops taking visitor tee times in the months leading up to a hosting Open Championship. Course preparation: overseeding, bunker reconstruction, rough growing, infrastructure installation for the tournament: begins long before the week itself. Based on previous Opens, visitor access typically ends around 6–8 weeks before the championship starts.

With The Open beginning on 13 July 2026, you should assume no visitor play from roughly late May onwards. If you want to play Royal Birkdale, book before May 2026. Green fees are £320. A handicap certificate is required and you'll need to book well in advance under any circumstances.

What you can actually play during Open week

The other five championship courses on the Sefton Coast remain open during Open week. That's remarkable: within ten miles of The Open Championship, you can play five other courses that have collectively hosted the Ryder Cup, the Amateur Championship, and multiple European Tour events. Most visitors to The Open don't realise this.

• →Hillside Golf Club: sits immediately adjacent to Royal Birkdale. Same dune system, same wind. From certain holes you can hear the Open crowd. The obvious first choice for golfers during Open week. £75–£110.
• →Southport & Ainsdale: Ryder Cup host (1933 and 1937). Top-50 course in England. Green fee includes a meal. £65–£100.
• →Formby Golf Club: a heathland-links mix with a different character. 20 minutes from the Open venue. £75–£110.
• →West Lancashire Golf Club: the most exposed course on the coast. Raw links golf at its most honest. £80–£130.
• →Southport Old Links: less well known but genuine links terrain. The most accessible and affordable option. Under £50.

The Hillside factor

Hillside during Open week is genuinely special. The course shares boundary fencing with Royal Birkdale. During championship rounds, you'll finish a Hillside hole and hear the crowd reaction at Birkdale from the fairway. If you're strategic about Open week golf, there's no better plan than a Hillside morning tee time followed by an afternoon at The Open as a spectator.

Planning the full trip

The itinerary that works for most serious golfers: two or three days playing Sefton Coast courses, one or two days at The Open as a spectator. The courses are good enough that you don't want to miss them for spectating every day: and the atmosphere at The Open is something that watching on television genuinely cannot replicate.