Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club
Ranked #65 in Golf Monthly’s 2025/26 Top 100 Courses in the UK & Ireland, Southport & Ainsdale is a classic championship links with an exceptional place in Ryder Cup history.

Founded in 1906, the course was designed by five-time Open Champion James Braid, with his 1925 layout remaining largely unchanged today. Routed through natural undulating dune land, the course combines traditional links terrain with subtle heathland characteristics to create a varied and strategic test.

Southport & Ainsdale famously hosted the Ryder Cup in both 1933 and 1937. Great Britain won the first encounter, while the 1937 match saw the United States record its first Ryder Cup victory on British soil.
The club's championship pedigree has continued throughout its history, hosting numerous leading amateur and professional events, including serving as a venue for The Amateur Championship in 2023.

Strategic bunkering, natural dunes, firm-running fairways and the ever-changing coastal wind ensure that intelligent course management is essential throughout the round.

A genuine Ryder Cup venue and a superb traditional links on which to begin the North of England Open.

Formby Golf Club
Ranked #40 in Golf Monthly’s 2025/26 Top 100 Courses in the UK & Ireland, Formby is one of the most distinctive championship courses on England's famous Golf Coast.

Founded in 1884, the course has been influenced by some of the greatest names in golf course architecture. Willie Park Jr. established the original links before alterations were made by James Braid in 1922 and Harry Colt in 1933.

What makes Formby particularly special is its unusual combination of links and heathland golf. Mature pines and large areas of heather sit alongside natural sand dunes, undulating fairways and traditional links terrain, creating a course of remarkable variety.

Formby also possesses outstanding championship pedigree. The club has hosted The Amateur Championship on four occasions, with winners including future Masters Champion José María Olazábal in 1984 and Matteo Manassero in 2009.

It also hosted the Curtis Cup in 2004, the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2016 and the PGA Seniors Championship in 2021 and 2022.

With its combination of links, heathland, dunes and pine, Formby offers something genuinely different and provides an outstanding second round of the North of England Open.

Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Ranked #6 in Golf Monthly’s 2025/26 Top 100 Courses in the UK & Ireland – and the highest-ranked course in England – Royal Birkdale is one of the great championship links courses in world golf.

Established in 1889 and granted Royal status in 1951, Birkdale has built an extraordinary championship history.

The club has now hosted The Open Championship eleven times, most recently in 2026, with its list of Open champions including some of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Royal Birkdale has also hosted two Ryder Cups, six Women's Opens, the Senior Open and numerous major amateur championships. The 1969 Ryder Cup became one of the most famous matches in the competition's history, remembered for Jack Nicklaus conceding Tony Jacklin's final putt in an extraordinary act of sportsmanship that became known simply as “The Concession”.

The course itself is a magnificent example of championship links golf. Fairways run through towering sand dunes that provide natural amphitheatres around many holes while also offering golfers clearly defined targets from the tee.

Strategic bunkering, firm links turf and exposure to the coastal wind demand complete control of the golf ball, while the layout provides a fair but exacting test of every part of the game.

Hillside Golf Club
Ranked #30 in Golf Monthly’s 2025/26 Top 100 Courses in the UK & Ireland, Hillside completes an exceptional four days of championship links golf.

Situated immediately alongside Royal Birkdale, Hillside occupies the same outstanding stretch of golfing coastline and is widely regarded as one of England's finest courses never to have hosted The Open.

The course provides two contrasting nines. The opening holes have a more traditional links feel before the landscape becomes increasingly dramatic on the back nine, where towering dunes, mature pines and significant changes in elevation create one of the most memorable stretches of golf on the English coast.

The back nine in particular has earned Hillside an outstanding reputation, combining spectacular views with demanding golf through dramatic natural terrain.

Hillside also has significant professional tournament pedigree. The club has hosted the British Masters, the English Amateur Championship and numerous other elite events, attracting many of the world's leading players.

Firm-running fairways, natural dunes, heather, pine and carefully positioned bunkering combine with the coastal wind to create a course where accuracy and imagination are every bit as important as power.
After Southport & Ainsdale, Formby and Royal Birkdale, Hillside provides a fitting conclusion to an extraordinary four-round journey through England's Golf Coast.

Four UK & Ireland Top 100 courses. Two Ryder Cup venues. An eleven-time Open Championship venue. Four days of outstanding championship links golf.

Waterfront Southport Hotel
Our base for the North of England Open will be the Waterfront Southport Hotel, ideally positioned in the heart of Southport for three nights of our championship golf trip.

Overlooking Marine Lake and next to Southport's famous promenade, the hotel provides a modern and comfortable base with the town centre, bars, restaurants and seafront all within easy walking distance.

The hotel features contemporary bedrooms designed for a comfortable stay after a day on the golf course, alongside its own restaurant and bar where guests can relax, enjoy a meal or meet for drinks.

One of the biggest advantages of the Waterfront is its location. Guests can easily explore Southport in the evenings, with Lord Street and the surrounding town centre offering a wide selection of restaurants, traditional pubs and bars.

More importantly, the hotel places us right in the heart of England's Golf Coast.

Southport is surrounded by one of the greatest concentrations of championship links courses anywhere in Britain, making it the perfect base for our four rounds at Southport & Ainsdale, Formby, Royal Birkdale and Hillside.

Royal Birkdale and Hillside are both located in Southport itself, while Southport & Ainsdale is just a short journey away and Formby lies further down the same famous stretch of coastline.

After four days featuring two Ryder Cup venues, four UK & Ireland Top 100 courses and one of the world's great Open Championship links, the Waterfront provides a convenient central base from which to enjoy everything this exceptional golfing destination has to offer.

72-hole Individual Stableford (95% of Course Handicap)

Handicap Limits: Men – max 24, Women – max 30

GAGT Order of Merit points awarded for each competition round

Men - Yellow Tees
Women - Red Tees

Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place for every round, as well as for first, second, and third place overall.

There are two Nearest the Pins each getting a £25 GAGT voucher.

• An optional sweep of £40, £10 per round, collected in cash during check-in before the first round.  The sweep will be paid out daily for the leading three scores and anyone who scores a two.

The draw will be available on our website 2 days before the each round. The Draw for the last round will be made in score order. 

If you have any requests for early or late tee times, or specific playing partners, please use the message facility in your Locker/account. We will do our best to accommodate your requests.

Merit points will be awarded for all four rounds.

Points will be awarded on the basis of 100 points to the winner, 99 points for runner-up, 98 points for third, and so on.

Participants need to be a current member of the GAGT to qualify for merit points.

To check membership status and join, call Kelly/Debbie on 0345 466 2222.  The subscription fee is £40 for 12 months from the day of joining.