Founded in 1886, Royal Lytham & St Annes is one of the premier links courses in the world. It has hosted eleven Open Championships, two Ryder Cups and many other great events, including the Women’s and Seniors Open Championships and the 2015 Walker Cup.
The layout has stayed faithful to the original created by the club’s first professional, George Lowe, with improvements by the great Harry Colt in the years after 1919. Unusually for a links, it sits a little way from the sea, surrounded by houses and a railway line, but the sea breeze still plays its part. The golf writer Bernard Darwin famously called it “a beast of a course, but a just beast”.
Expect a warm northern welcome in a famous clubhouse. Lytham is easy to combine with Royal Birkdale and the other great links of England’s Golf Coast.
Course: 18-hole championship links. Address: Links Gate, Lytham St Annes FY8 3LQ
Planning a round at Royal Lytham & St Annes? See our guide to golf in the North West for nearby courses, hotels and tours, or visit the Royal Lytham & St Annes website.