Golf course at sunset on the Sefton Coast
Sefton Coast · Lancashire · England

Le plus grand corridor de links golf au monde

Six parcours de championnat. Un seul littoral. The Open Championship revient à Royal Birkdale en juillet 2026.

Avant The Open Championship

145
jours
12
h
18
min
34
s
6
Championship Courses
10
Open Championships at Birkdale
1873
Oldest Club on the Coast
~£40–£350
Green Fee Range
The Open Championship 2026

Royal Birkdale. July 2026.
The Greatest Show in Golf.

The 155th Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale — a course that has produced some of the most dramatic moments in golf history. Arnold Palmer's legendary recovery in 1961. Tom Watson's fifth claret jug in 1983. Jordan Spieth's wire-to-wire victory in 2017.

If you're planning a links golf trip to the Sefton Coast, The Open week is the defining calendar moment. Accommodation within 20 miles books 12+ months ahead. Plan now.

Open 2026 — Full Guide

Past Champions at Royal Birkdale

2017Jordan Spieth
USA-12
2008Pádraig Harrington
IRL-3
1998Mark O'Meara
USA-9
1991Ian Baker-Finch
AUS-8
1983Tom Watson
USA-5
1976Johnny Miller
USA-9
1971Lee Trevino
USA-1
1965Peter Thomson
AUS-2

Ready to Book Your Sefton Coast Trip?

Golf Breaks is the UK's leading specialist golf holiday platform — tee times, hotels and packages across the Sefton Coast, from a weekend at S&A to a full week with The Open as the finale.

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Why the Sefton Coast?

There are links golf corridors in Scotland — St Andrews, Carnoustie, Muirfield — that get the attention. The Sefton Coast gets overlooked. That gap is the opportunity for every visiting golfer.

Within a 10-mile stretch of coastline, you have six genuine links courses ranging from Royal Birkdale (consistently top five in the world) to Southport Old Links (genuinely good golf for £40). You can play a different course every day for a week and not cover the same ground twice — and the variety is striking. Birkdale through dramatic willow scrub dunes. Hillside through ridge-and-valley terrain. Formby through coastal pinewoods. West Lancashire with raw Irish Sea exposure.

The practical case for the Sefton Coast over Scotland is simple: it's easier to get to from mainland Europe and North America via Liverpool and Manchester airports, the accommodation is better value, and the courses are more accessible to visitors than their Scottish counterparts at the same quality tier. Royal Birkdale is cheaper than Muirfield and easier to book.

And in July 2026, the world will be watching. The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale — the venue that gave us Spieth's miraculous escape from the drop zone in 2017, Watson's clinical 1983 win, and the 1969 Ryder Cup concession that defined sportsmanship in golf. If you've ever thought about a links golf trip to England, now is the time.

Easy to Reach

45 min from Liverpool Airport, 60 min from Manchester. Direct rail to Southport from Liverpool city centre.

Visitor-Friendly

Four of six courses actively welcome visitors. Better access than equivalent-quality courses in Scotland.

Genuine Value

Green fees from £40 (Old Links) to £350 (Birkdale). Comparable Scottish courses cost more at every tier.