Formby

The pine tree sections at Formby bring a parkland quality to a course that is otherwise entirely links in character, and this contrast gives the round an unusual rhythm. Shots under the canopy require a lower, penetrating flight, while holes out on the open sandhills call for the higher, shaped shots that exposure to the wind demands. The greens are consistently excellent and the bunkering, set naturally within the sandhill terrain, has a settled, age-worn quality that feels entirely appropriate.

Formby sits within the Lancashire links belt that includes Royal Birkdale, Hillside and Southport and Ainsdale, making it part of one of the finest stretches of links golf in England. The nearby asparagus fields, once a distinctive feature of the local agriculture, have diminished over the decades, but the broader character of the area remains intact. For any golfer visiting the north-west of England, Formby belongs on the itinerary alongside its more famous neighbours up and down this coastline.