Southport & Ainsdale, known locally as S&A, sits on the inland side of the Liverpool to Southport railway, a short walk from Ainsdale station and directly across the tracks from Hillside. It staged the Ryder Cup in 1933 and 1937, a double it shares on this coast with Royal Birkdale and Royal Lytham. It is a members’ club that sells visitor tee times online all year, at rates well below Royal Birkdale’s. Book early for summer: the club says May, June, July and September are always in high demand, and many international visitors book several years ahead.
Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club green fees and tee times.
Visitors book through the club’s BRS online booking page, which shows the published rates and takes full payment by card at the time of booking. Groups of up to 12 book there too; bigger parties contact the golf operations manager on +44 1704 578000, extension 1. The booking terms ask for a handicap certificate and say players must be of a reasonable standard, because this is an Open Final Qualifying course. No numerical limit is published. Read the cancellation terms closely: they refund the deposit only if you cancel more than three months before play, and they also say that failing to cancel within seven days of booking means no refund. You can transfer a booking to a friend or family member. If the course is closed by weather, you get a refund or a voucher for another day.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From £110
Weekday rate, November 2026 to February 2027, as published on the club’s BRS visitor booking page. April–September 2026 was £270 on weekdays and £300 at weekends; rates vary with demand and time of day.
Weekday, 1 Nov 2026 – 28 Feb 2027
£110
Weekday, March 2026
£150
Sunday, March 2026
£170
Weekday, April–September 2026
£270
Weekend & bank holiday, April–September 2026
£300
Weekday, October 2026
£150
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
The club was founded in 1906, and James Braid shaped the course that plays today in the early 1920s; Planet Golf dates his layout to 1923, and the club still refers to its original Braid features. The ground is links turf among dunes, gorse and heath, but the dunes are smaller than Birkdale’s and the sea is out of sight to the west. The round opens with a 202-yard par three, and the 2nd is a 577-yard par five from the black tees. The best-known hole is the 16th, a par five of 529 to 540 yards, where Planet Golf describes a large cross-bunker faced with railway sleepers, called Gumbley’s, in the path of the second shot. From the white tees the course measures 6,797 yards, par 72; the black tees stretch it to 7,007.
Know before you go.
Handicap
Certificate required; no limit published
Payment
In full when you book online
Buggies
For medical reasons, booked through the office or pro shop
Shorts
Tailored, with knee-length hose or white sports socks
Winter
Hole closures or fairway mats possible, normally November–March
Make the trip work.
The club’s Sunday Driver package, from £399 a head with two sharing a room, pairs a round here with a round at Hesketh and a night at the four-star Waterfront Hotel in Southport, with breakfast; availability is limited. Collarless shirts, jeans and trainers are not allowed, but mock-neck shirts are. Pull trolleys cost £5 and electric trolleys £15 from the professional’s shop on +44 1704 577316. The clubhouse has a Ryder Cup Room, and the 1937 match here was the first time an American side, captained by Walter Hagen, won the cup away from home.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is about 25 miles south, roughly 45 minutes by car; Manchester is about an hour away via the M58. Merseyrail’s Northern line runs every 15 minutes or so from Liverpool Central to Ainsdale, and the clubhouse on Bradshaws Lane is about a 10-minute walk from the station. That makes a car-free trip easy if you stay in Southport or Liverpool.
Southport, ten minutes north, is the obvious base. The Waterfront Hotel on the Marine Lake is the club’s own package partner, and the Vincent Hotel on Lord Street is a boutique option a few minutes from Southport station. Lord Street has the town’s restaurants and Victorian arcades. If you want to mix golf with a city break, Liverpool Central is about 40 minutes away on the same Merseyrail line that stops at Ainsdale.
Make a trip of it.
Hillside is across the railway and Royal Birkdale is the next course north, so three championship links sit within a mile or so of each other. Hesketh, at the other end of Southport, shares the club’s Sunday Driver package, and Formby is two stops south on the train. Away from golf, Ainsdale beach and the Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve are a short drive west, with miles of open sand and pinewood paths.
Find your season.
Prime season runs from late April to late September. The club warns that winter work, normally between November and March, can mean closed holes, a shortened course or compulsory fairway mats, which is why winter rates are so much lower. The club co-hosted the Amateur Championship in 2023 and the Boys Amateur in 2015, so check its open competitions page for championship closures before fixing a date.
Yes. The club welcomes visitors all year and sells tee times through its BRS online booking page, where you pay in full when you book. Groups larger than 12 go through the golf operations manager. Overseas visitors often book well ahead because tee times in May, June, July and September go first.
Do I need a handicap certificate at Southport & Ainsdale?
Yes. The booking terms say a handicap certificate is required for general play and that players should be of a reasonable standard, because the course is used for Open Final Qualifying. The club does not publish a maximum handicap figure, so contact the office if you are unsure.
Who won the Ryder Cup at Southport & Ainsdale?
The club hosted the matches in 1933 and 1937. In 1937 the United States, captained by Walter Hagen, won, the first American victory in an away Ryder Cup. Royal Birkdale (1965 and 1969) and Royal Lytham (1961 and 1977) are the other English links to have staged the matches twice.
What is the nearest station to Southport & Ainsdale?
Ainsdale, on the Merseyrail Northern line between Liverpool Central and Southport. The clubhouse on Bradshaws Lane is about a 10-minute walk from the station, on the east side of the railway from Hillside.
Last checked 11 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.
