Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Here’s the updated version with the 2028 Open added naturally: Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club – Leadingcourses Review Playing Royal Lytham & St Annes was a fantastic and authentic links golf experience. The club was already preparing for the upcoming AIG Women’s Open, with grandstands and tournament infrastructure already in place, which made the visit feel even more special. The course was very dry due to the recent hot weather – exactly what you would expect from a traditional links course. Firm fairways, plenty of run, and a true test of strategic golf rather than just distance. Every hole offers its own challenge, and the famous bunkering demands accuracy from tee to green. The welcome at the clubhouse was very friendly. Before the round, I enjoyed a meal with a beautiful view across the course, which was a great way to start the day. One thing to keep in mind is the clubhouse dress code – long trousers are required in certain areas, so it’s worth checking before your visit. The pro shop is relatively compact, but it offers a great selection of merchandise and everything is conveniently located. Adding even more prestige, Royal Lytham & St Annes has been confirmed as the host venue for The 156th Open Championship in 2028, returning to The Open rota for the first time since Ernie Els’ memorable victory in 2012. (The Open⁠) Overall, Royal Lytham & St Annes delivers exactly what golfers hope for when visiting one of England’s legendary Open Championship venues: history, tradition, outstanding course conditioning, and a genuine British atmosphere. A memorable links experience that every passionate golfer should play at least once.

Initial impressions of Hoylake are similar to Royal Lytham - an imposing early c20th clubhouse, a relatively flat course and housing surrounding the course on 3 sides. Whilst the terrain is relatively flat, unlike the traditional "out and back" links courses, the holes have a lovely flow, twisting and turning in direction so you are constantly thinking about wind direction, club selection and wind direction. The bunkering is excellent - making you think about lines from the tee and strategically guarding the superb greens. Probably the best surfaces I'd played on all year, and that in early October. There are no standout holes, which also means there are no weak holes either. I'd describe it as a fair test - everything is in front of you, you just have to hit the right shots to navigate your way round. The oddity is the new 13th hole (15th in the Open routing). As with all Open venues, Mackenzie and Ebert were brought in by the R & A to look at making "improvements". I'll be honest - I wouldn't let them within a million miles of any golf club of mine. I think they have a very formulaic approach, and their changes are generally out of character with the rest of the course. Nowhere more so than this hole. It's a short par 3, uphill to a small green with no bail out, and severe run offs many would regard as unfair. In isolation, you could regard it as fun - but for average players it's impossibly difficult if any breeze is blowing, and it's totally out of character with the rest of the course. OK, M & E rant over! Hoylake is fully deserving of it's place on the Open rota. First impressions of the flat terrain are deceiving - it's hard but fair, and tests every club and shot in the bag. A wonderful course, and friendly welcoming clubhouse to boot. Well worth the effort to play if you're in the North West of England!

Royal Liverpool. It must be quite an experience to be here during the Open, as the bustling street in Hoylake, full of shops and bars, is just a stone's throw from the clubhouse. Here, you will be welcomed by a concierge, who will explain everything from entering the changing rooms and restaurant and then accompany you to the pro shop. Of course, there is a friendly starter. The course is very pleasant. The greens are of excellent quality. On the back nine, you will be captivated by both par 3s, as 11 and especially 15 are perfect. It might be a good idea to have a marshal here to hurry up the slower flights of foreigners. Otherwise, it's a great experience.

Campo situado a una media hora de Liverpool y una sede del The Open.

Lo primero que quería comentar es que para el coste del greenfee y poder disfrutar del campo necesitas tener un handicap por debajo de 15 como mucho.

Se trata de un campo links pero el rough es terrible y necesitas ir bastante recto porque si fallas con el drive es imposible y he jugado sin viento pero con un día ventoso puede convertirse en una verdadera pesadilla.

El campo está en perfectas condiciones desde el tee hasta el green y visualmente es magnífico.

Jugando te puedes imaginar perfectamente la dificultad del campo un día de Open.

Un gran links, donde disfrutar dependerá de ti día de swing.

El greenfee es alto pero valorar jugar en un campo tan exclusivo como este pues es complicado pero los handicaps altos no lo recomendaría.

Played Royal Liverpool Hoy Lake as part of a golf trip with The Golf Traveler to Liverpool which also included Wallasey, Formby Golf Club and Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Last year Royal Liverpool Hoy Lake hosted The Open and they want to know that too, because the hall of the prestigious clubhouse is full of memories, including a display case with The Claret Jug. The English have a good feel for grandeur…

Grandeur is also something we experienced upon arrival. The club manager was waiting for us, gave us a very warm welcome and, above all, that we should feel like members for the day. “The clubhouse and the course is yours for today”.

Just like on the other 3 courses of our trip, we played with caddies here. An enrichment for your round. It's not cheap (£80, including tip), but you really get your money's worth. They take care of you and do their best to give you a wonderful golf experience, with valuable tips and advice.

The course looks wide and grand, but not very spectacular. Wallasey, which we played the day before, is just as good and in that respect also offers a better price/value ratio. At Hoy Lake you also pay for the name it has.

Some highlights of the round: hole 9, a par 5 with a dangerously sloping green and run off to a very deep bunker, the view over the sea towards Wales on the tee of the 10th, the great par 3 15th and last but not least the par 4 16th. This was the final hole during The Open, a dog leg to the right that you can play sharply over the out of bounds with your second shot. A risk and reward challenge.

All in all, Royal Liverpool Hoy Lake is a course that you want to cross off your bucket list, but at the same time one that as a golf experience does not stand out above all the other beautiful courses that this region has to offer.