Links turf threaded through Scots pine and dunes, a short walk from Freshfield station.
Formby is the links on England’s Golf Coast that looks least like one. Scots pines line many of the fairways, heather and dune grass fill the gaps, and the sea is out of sight for much of the round. It is a private members’ club that sells visitor tee times online all year, often for less than the Open venues nearby, and has a six-room dormy upstairs. Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Matteo Manassero have all played Amateur Championship finals here.
Book through the visitor tee-booking link on the club website, which runs on the BRS platform and shows live availability, or call +44 1704 872164 or email teetimes@formbygolfclub.co.uk. Visitors are welcome on weekdays. Saturdays and Sundays are members’ competition days, so weekend times exist but are limited, and dormy guests get the best access. Bring a current recognised handicap certificate: the limits are 28 for men and 36 for women. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or American Express only; the club no longer takes cash. For corporate days or societies, the club can host up to 72 golfers.
Weekday visitor green fee, November 2026 to February 2027 (£175 at weekends). £320 on weekdays and £350 at weekends from April to September 2027. Juniors pay half.
| November 2026 to February 2027, Monday to Friday | £155 |
|---|---|
| March 2027, Monday to Friday | £180 |
| March 2027, Saturday or Sunday | £205 |
| April to September 2027, Monday to Friday | £320 |
| April to September 2027, Saturday or Sunday | £350 |
Formby was founded in 1884, and its first pines were planted in 1887. Willie Park Jr, a two-time Open champion, laid out the links in 1912. James Braid altered it in 1922 and Harry Colt in 1933. After coastal erosion took holes near the shore, Donald Steel remodelled the course in 1980, moving play into the higher dunes. From the back tees it is a par-72 course of 7,128 yards. The opening hole sets the tone, with out-of-bounds along the whole right side. The par-three 16th is the shortest hole, 140 yards from the back tee and 115 from the front, and the inward half is two shots shorter in par than the outward one. The club has staged four Amateur Championships, the 2004 Curtis Cup and the 2021 and 2022 PGA Seniors Championships.
Formby’s winter rate is one of the best values on this coast, but the club warns of possible temporary greens, bunker closures or a shortened course from November to February, so save it for a firm-weather spring day if the full course matters to you. Evening dining upstairs is on Wednesdays all year and also on Fridays from May to September. The clubhouse dates from 1901 and keeps a few curiosities, including a tower clock given in 1909 by Bruce Ismay of the White Star Line.
Freshfield station, on Merseyrail’s Northern Line between Liverpool Central and Southport, is a short walk from the club on Golf Road. Trains from Liverpool take about 30 minutes. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is roughly 45 minutes by road and Manchester Airport about an hour.
Nearby: 1. Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club (5 km) · 2. Hillside Golf Club (7 km) · 3. Royal Birkdale Golf Club (7 km) · 4. West Lancashire Golf Club (8 km) · 5. Hesketh Golf Club (12 km) · 6. Wallasey Golf Club (15 km) · Compare all England’s Golf Coast tee times
The club’s dormy has four twin and two single en-suite rooms on the second floor, beside the bars and overlooking the 18th green, for up to ten guests. Bed and breakfast is £135 per person per night, and 2027 packages with two rounds start at £477.50 per person midweek in a twin. Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa is about ten minutes inland. Southport’s Lord Street hotels are 15 minutes north.
Formby Ladies Golf Club, a separate club with its own shorter links laid out within Formby’s grounds, offers dormy guests a discounted round. Southport & Ainsdale, Hillside and Royal Birkdale are all within 15 minutes, and West Lancashire at Blundellsands is about 20 minutes south. Off the course, Antony Gormley’s Another Place, 100 iron figures facing the sea on Crosby beach, is a 20-minute drive. Liverpool’s waterfront and museums are half an hour by train.
These packages have a confirmed round at Formby Golf Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Royal Liverpool · Royal Birkdale · Royal Lytham & St Annes · Formby · Hillside
Stay: England’s Golf Coast between Liverpool and Lytham
Three Open venues within an hour of each other, with Formby and Hillside as the rounds locals rate just as highly.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Formby is open to visitors all year. The lowest rates run from November to February, with March a step up and the full rate from April to September 2027. Winter maintenance can mean temporary greens or closed bunkers on the cheapest dates.
Explore golf by monthYes. Formby is a private members’ club that welcomes visitors and sells tee times online through its booking platform. Weekdays are easiest; weekends are members’ competition days with limited visitor availability.
From April to September 2027 the fee is £320 on weekdays and £350 at weekends. March costs £180 on weekdays and £205 at weekends, and the winter rate from November 2026 to February 2027 is £155 midweek. Juniors pay half.
The maximum handicap is 28 for men and 36 for women, and visitors are asked to produce a current recognised certificate when they register. Bring the certificate itself, since the club asks to see it at registration.
No. Formby Golf Club is the historic links at Freshfield. Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa is a separate parkland resort with a hotel, about ten minutes away, and is a practical base for groups with cars.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesFlat fairways in deep dune valleys, an Art Deco clubhouse and eleven Opens.
Heather, pine and two classic courses, a short train ride from Waterloo.
Thirteen Opens on an old racecourse, with Hilbre Island and the Dee estuary beyond.
