The Open 2026: Three Weeks Out. What Every Golf Visitor Still Needs to Sort.

The Open Championship starts at Royal Birkdale on 12 July. That is three weeks away. If you are planning to be here and have not finished sorting the details, this is the practical state of play right now.

Accommodation: What Is Left

Hotels in Southport and Birkdale for Open week are effectively gone. If you have not booked a hotel, do not spend time trying. The option that remains is self-catering: cottages and holiday lets in Southport, Birkdale, Formby, and the wider area. These require minimum stays and more planning but availability exists if you look now rather than in a fortnight.

Staying outside Southport is entirely viable. Ormskirk, Wigan, and areas south toward Liverpool all have accommodation at normal prices. Getting to Royal Birkdale by train via the Merseyrail Southport line from most of these locations takes 30 to 50 minutes. Formby is directly on the line south of Birkdale station and worth considering as a base for anyone who wants a quieter base with good train access.

Tickets: Practice Rounds vs Championship Rounds

Practice round tickets for 12 to 14 July remain available through theopen.com. Championship round tickets for the competition days are sold out through official channels. The secondary market has inventory at significant premiums.

Practice rounds at a major are genuinely good value. You get access to the course, watch the players at close range, and the atmosphere on a busy practice day at Birkdale is not what you might expect from the word practice. Players are working through shots, the galleries are engaged, and you get the full run of the course without the formal structure of competition day.

Golf on the Sefton Coast During Open Week

Royal Birkdale closes to visitors entirely from early July for course preparation. Hillside Golf Club, directly adjacent, has limited July availability and is the premium option. Southport and Ainsdale, Formby Golf Club, and West Lancashire all remain accessible through Open week. Green fees at peak rates but the courses are in their best condition of the year.

If you are building a golf trip around The Open, the standard structure is: practice round attendance on a Tuesday or Wednesday, play Hillside or S&A on two other days, and use the remaining time for the competition rounds if you have tickets or for watching from Birkdale village and the town if not.

Getting There

The Merseyrail Southport line runs direct from Liverpool Central to Birkdale station. From Birkdale station it is a short walk to the course entrance. This is the recommended approach for most visitors. Parking within walking distance of the course on competition days will not exist. Do not plan around it.

Shuttle buses run from Southport town centre to the course on competition days. If you are staying in Southport, use the shuttle.

Eating: Book This Week

Restaurants in Birkdale village and Southport town centre are filling up for Open week evenings. Book this week rather than next. The better restaurants in Birkdale are close to being full for every evening from 12 to 19 July. Lunch is more available because crowds are at the course. Evening is the pressure point.