Break the habit of Scotland and Ireland with a long-overdue visit to England’s Golf Coast. Legendary links Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham & St. Annes headline a roster of more than 200 courses.
Rory McIlroy triumphant. (Image: @TheOpen)
Maybe Rory McIlroy’s thrilling victory in the Open Championship will finally accomplish what even heavily publicized triumphs by Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods couldn’t.
All have captured Open titles on the fabulous stretch of linksland marketed as England’s Golf Coast. And yet many golfers on this side of the great water hazard continue to overlook the destination in favour of repeat visits to Scotland and Ireland. But it’s high time for North American travellers to broaden their horizons.
Stretching from Cumbria in the north to Chester in the south, England’s Golf Coast is so thick with outstanding links—including a trio of officially designated Royal layouts—golfers can often walk from one to the next.
Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale, and Royal Lytham & St. Annes have together hosted 32 Opens. Giants have walked here and so can you. Each is open for public play.
Other courses rich in golf history include Formby (host of the 2004 Curtis Cup), Hillside (site of the 1982 PGA Championship), and Southport & Ainsdale (host of the Ryder Cup in 1933 and 1937).
You’ve done Scotland and Ireland. Now get smart and treat yourself to a long-overdue visit to England’s most storied linksland.
