Liverpool & The 3 Royals

Hoylake, Birkdale & Lytham St. Annes

The place

Soccer, Golf and Rock & Roll

Liverpool is a maritime port city, cradle to The Beatles and known for its historic rivalry with Manchester (a city located 45 km). It is strategically located facing the sea, and very close to most golf courses. Liverpool has attractions littered throughout the city and more museums and galleries than any other city in the UK. This lively city offers a variety of “after golf” entertainment especially for music lovers.

The 3 Royals are the 3 Open Rota golf courses: Royal Lytham St. Annes (Ernie Els 2012), Royal Birkdale (Jordan Spieth 2017) and Royal Liverpool (Rory McIlroy 2014). These courses are all very nearby.

Golf

The 3 Royals, plus some other excellent courses

Royal Liverpool

"Hoylake", as it is also known, is a classic links course. Despite being considered at first glance flat and gentle, it requires players to be extra strategic on distance, control and accuracy.
The Club celebrated its 150th birthday in 2019 and it features one of the most emblematic Club Houses in the UK. Do not miss the Spike Bar: the ideal place to prepare for your round of golf or relax afterwards.
Royal Liverpool Golf Club will host for the 13th time the Open in 2023. Rory McIlroy won the last occasion in 2014, Tiger Woods in 2006 and Roberto De Vicenzo in 1967 when he defeated Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

Royal Birkdale

This spectacular course is a tough golf test with no ocean views but great slopes and challenging sand dunes on both sides. It is one of the clubs in the rotation for both the Open Championship and Women's British Open and it has hosted the Open Championship ten times from 1954 through 2017.
Winners of the Open at the course include Pádraig Harrington, and Jordan Spieth who defeated Matt Kuchar with his unforgettable shot passing the trucks in the Driving Range.

Royal Lytham & St Annes

Home to golf pros Bobby Jones and Seve Ballesteros, experience the welcoming and friendly atmosphere within the historic Club overlooking the 18th hole.
Renowned as a course in which it is hard to scramble a good score, with 174 bunkers along the fairways and surrounding the greens. Thought and accurate shots are essential; beware of the sea breeze.
Just a chip away from the 1st tee, The Dormy House is a great lodging option, enjoy the opportunity of experiencing the heritage of Royal Lytham by staying here.

Hillside GC

Hillside neighbours with Royal Birkdale.
The layout of the course is balanced in two halves, the front 9 are flatter holes and the back nine go through some of the highest and wildest dunes found anywhere. The back nine are considered to be the best 9 link holes in England.
Excellent course conditions, fast greens and a landscape that combines forests with dunes, playing at Hillside is a worthwhile experience.

Other recommended golf courses

Wallasey GC, Formby GC, Southport & Ainsdale, West Lancashire, Delamare Forest.

Other things to do

Liverpool is a wonderful city to explore and enjoy, soccer fans and music lovers can tour dozens of bars and enjoy live music every night. Relive the Beatles Story, check out Paul's childhood home, but also leave time for exploring Liverpool Cathedral and the Walker Art Gallery.

If you have some extra time visit Manchester or London and visit the top rated tourist attractions like: Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, the Tower of London and the London Eye.

Thinking about playing more golf: complement your stay with Prestwick (Turnberry & Troon) in Scotland, or Wales and play the Celtic Manor (home of the Ryders Cup 2010) or Royal Porthcawl (several times home of the Senior Open and the Walker Cup), among others .

Planning

Where to stay

Liverpool is the ideal location, since it is close to the courses and walking distance to restaurants, and bars. Royal Golf Travel offers a selection of comfortable apartments ideal when travelling in groups, and 5 and 4 star hotels lodging options.

Time to book

If you want to travel during The Open, you need at least a year in advance. Outside of The Open, if you would like to play the 3 Royals we recommend 9 months of planning.

When to travel

The best time to travel to the UK, is from May to September, trying to avoid August (month in which Europeans vacation) due to lower availability of accommodation.

How to get there

Liverpool and Manchester receive flights from many European cities. If you are travelling international London is the best option. From you have several options: take a connecting domestic flight, go by train or rent a car and drive 5 hours.