Play an Open venue

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You can’t score at Wembley or hit an ace at Wimbledon, but you can play an Open venue – and England’s Golf Coast hosts three of them

Mile for mile, the stretch of coastline from Blackpool to Hoylake is the best piece of golf land in the world. It’s known as England’s Golf Coast – and for good reason. Seven of the 12 EGC courses feature in the latest Top 100 GB&I rankings. Eleven of those have celebrated their centenary, and three of them are on the current Open rota – the Royals of Birkdale, Liverpool and Lytham & St Annes. Between them, they’ve hosted the Open 32 times (including next month’s at Hoylake).

Divided into three areas – Sefton, Fylde and The Wirral – it’s a superb area to go for a golf break. Indeed, in many ways, it is the golf break. A central UK location and easy motorway access make it convenient; many of the courses are close to each other; there’s tons of accommodation for all pockets; and as all these tracks are links courses, they are always in great shape, whether it’s January or July.

Open experience #1 Royal Birkdale – a golf trip to Southport is possibly as good as it gets

Royal Birkdale
Widely regarded as England’s No.1 course and usually placed in GB & Ireland’s top three, Birkdale is a links paradise. Seaside golf simply doesn’t get any better; there are no weak holes amid the towering dunes. Birkdale has staged nine Opens and is currently preparing to host the Ricoh Women’s British Open (July 10-13) for the sixth time. You’ll love the distinctive art-deco clubhouse, built in the 1930s, too.

Hillside
Sits slap bang next to Birkdale and just as good. Indeed it has many Birkdale attributes and while the front nine is basically plotted on relatively flat terrain and is perfectly pleasant, the fun then really starts on the back side, which was said by Greg Norman to be the best in Britain

Formby
It’s a woodland-links hybrid set in magnificent dunes. Though protected from the elements by pines that line several holes, the course is tough, particularly when the wind is blowing and you must negotiate the penal bunkers, sand hills and swathes of heather. 

Southport & Ainsdale
Not many courses have staged the Ryder Cup more than once, but the magical “S&A” is one of them. The clubhouse houses some impressive Ryder Cup memorabilia as well as stunning views of the dunes. 

West Lancashire
Founded in 1873 it’s among the 10 oldest golf clubs in England – and one of the most natural and testing links in the UK. West Lancs has a new clubhouse to match its pedigree, with superb Mersey views.

Hesketh
Founded in 1885 this is Southport’s oldest golf club – that’s saying something considering its neighbours. It has staged Open final qualifying as well as co-hosting the 2011 Amateur and is something of a rare breed – half the holes thread their way through the dunes, several others border the Ribble estuary and have a parkland-links feel about them and the final five are as good as any finishing stretch. 

Formby Hall
In many ways Formby Hall is the odd one out: an inland parkland which is a change of pace, scenery and style from its links neighbours

Open experience #2 Royal Liverpool – the Wirral packs a lot of quality golf between the Dee and the Mersey

Royal Liverpool
Hoylake, as it’s simply known, lacks the razzmatazz of a Turnberry or a St Andrews, but the links here offer a fine strategic test and tons of history.

Wallasey
Plotted among some of the highest dunes on the coast, Wallasey doesn’t have the airs and graces associated with the “Royals” (or the green fee), but it’s got a superb pedigree. The course itself is a classic, seriously robust links with raised tees and greens, bare fairways, giant dunes, lightning greens, plenty of wind, super sea views down to Snowdonia and pot bunkers galore. No wonder it’s known as the “Diamond in the Dunes”. 

Caldy
Just south of Hoylake on the Dee Estuary, with great views over to North Wales, Caldy tends to get overlooked in favour of its big-name neighbours. It shouldn’t. By controlling the river erosion of the clifftop holes, building tees and greens to USGA specifications and undertaking major drainage work, Caldy is in cracking condition all year round. 

Open experience #3 Royal Lytham & St Annes – it’s easy to see how it has hosted some of the most memorable Opens ever

Royal Lytham & St Annes
A links in every sense, with sandy soil and the wind blowing in from the Irish Sea, even though the legendary layout is surrounded by Victorian housing and a mile away from open water. From the moment you step on to that famous par-3 first, your mind isn’t thinking about the views, but negotiating some of the toughest bunkering in Britain. 

Fairhaven
This flat, easy-walking James Braid links/parkland layout has all the characteristics of a seaside track – fast greens, hard fairways and 122 pot bunkers. With barely a property of any description in sight, other than the clubhouse, it’s a beautiful and peaceful place to stay and as a result of the tranquillity there is an abundance of wildlife.

The shots that will win The Open 2014

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