No Ticket to The Open 2026? Here Is What Golfers Actually Do Instead

Championship round tickets for The Open at Royal Birkdale went months ago. Resale prices are steep. If you are coming to Southport for the week without a championship day ticket, you are not alone, and you are not missing as much as you think.

Practice Rounds: Still Available and Actually Better

Practice round tickets are still available via The R&A at theopen.com. The practice rounds run Sunday 12 July to Tuesday 14 July. These are not consolation prizes. They are genuinely excellent.

On a practice round day you can walk the entire course, get close to the players, watch them work through their shot selection, see how they handle the specific challenges of Royal Birkdale. You can move freely. There are no crowd restrictions pushing you back from the action. Championship round days are more atmospheric. Practice round days are more educational, more interactive, and frankly more enjoyable if you actually care about golf.

I would take a practice round over a first-round championship day seat most of the time. Less crowd, more access, same players.

Play the Courses During The Open Week

This is what the serious golfers do. Hillside Golf Club is directly adjacent to Royal Birkdale. Playing Hillside on a Tuesday in Open week, with the noise of the championship audible from the fairway, is a specific experience. Book it months out because everyone else has the same idea.

Southport and Ainsdale, Formby, and West Lancashire are all still bookable during Open week for visitors. Green fees are higher than normal because demand is high. But they are available. These courses will be in the best condition of the year: the greenkeeping teams know what week it is.

• →Hillside: best for proximity to Birkdale, you can hear the roars from the fairway
• →Southport and Ainsdale: closest alternative with Ryder Cup credentials
• →Formby: quieter, different character, good if you want to be away from the Open buzz
• →West Lancashire: the most different of the four, south of Formby

The Town During Open Week

Southport town centre during Open week has its own atmosphere worth being part of. Lord Street is busy. Birkdale village is buzzing. Pubs are showing the golf. There is a specific energy in the town that does not require a ticket to experience.

The R&A runs associated events and exhibitions in Southport during Open week. The town puts on its own programming. Being in Southport during Open week without a ticket is still a much better experience than being at home watching it on television.

If You Are Watching From Outside the Course

Royal Birkdale has elevated dunes around parts of the course from which you can see onto the fairways without a ticket. This is not official viewing and should not be encouraged. But it happens, and the club cannot reasonably prevent people from walking the public footpaths adjacent to the course.

The Honest Summary

Come to Southport. Get a practice round ticket if you can. Play Hillside. Eat well. Watch the coverage in a good pub. The experience of being in the town during Open week, even without a championship day ticket, is worth the trip.