Formby Golf Club: The Sefton Coast Course That Plays by Different Rules

The Sefton Coast is known for its open, exposed, wind-battered links golf. Royal Birkdale, Hillside, West Lancashire: courses built on coastal duneland where the sea is visible and the wind arrives uninterrupted from the Irish Sea. Formby Golf Club is not that. It sits about a mile inland from Formby Beach, runs through pinewoods and silver birch, and on a calm day it feels like a completely different discipline of golf to its neighbours up the coast. That is not a weakness. It's the reason to go.

What makes Formby different

The course mixes genuine links terrain: sandy subsoil, firm turf, elevated greens: with tree-lined corridors that compress landing zones and change wind behaviour entirely. You're still playing links golf in the sense that matters: the ground game is real, the greens are firm, and the turf runs fast. But the trees mean you can't always see the flag, the drives need to be placed rather than bombed, and the course rewards patience and course management in a way that open links courses don't.

The pines at Formby are a significant feature. Maritime pines border several fairways on the back nine and provide both a visual backdrop and a very practical wind block. On a day when the exposed courses are being battered by a westerly, Formby can be genuinely sheltered in sections: which can either help you or mess with your club selection, depending on how well you read it.

The course data

• →Par 72. 6,701 yards from the back tees.
• →Green fees: approximately £75–£110 depending on season and day.
• →Handicap certificate required.
• →Visitor days: restricted on certain Saturdays and competition days: check the club website before booking.
• →Location: Golf Road, Formby, L37 1LQ. Follow Golf Road from the village; sat-nav is unreliable on the final approach.

The holes worth knowing about

The front nine runs through more open ground: longer carries, wider views, closer to the typical Sefton Coast links feel. It's a good introduction. Then the back nine tightens. The pines close in. The angles become more precise. The 13th is a long par 4 into a slightly elevated green guarded on both sides by tree encroachment: if you've been riding a draw all day, you'll stop here.

The short holes are excellent across the board. The par 3 16th is the one I'd pick out: a green set against a backdrop of mature pines with a slope that feeds the ball away to the left if you miss the right portion of the putting surface. I've hit it straight and still three-putted. I didn't begrudge it.

Visitor experience

The clubhouse at Formby is traditional and well-run. The pro shop staff are helpful and the facilities are what you'd expect from a well-established private club that takes visitors seriously. Don't expect the same ease of access as Southport & Ainsdale: Formby is fussier about visitor days and will turn you away if you haven't checked ahead. But if you've booked properly, the welcome is good.

Who should play Formby

Golfers who have already played the more exposed Sefton Coast courses and want to understand the full range of what's available. Golfers who prefer target golf: placing a drive rather than trying to overpower a hole. Golfers who want high quality at a green fee that doesn't require apology. And golfers visiting during the Formby Ladies': held here every year, one of the oldest women's amateur championships in England.

If you're only playing one Sefton Coast course and you want the full coastal links experience, Hillside or S&A is the right call. If you're playing three courses over a trip and you want variety, put Formby in your itinerary. It genuinely plays differently and you'll use different parts of your game.