Build the right Lancashire links swing
Start with the tee times that matter most, then connect Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and Formby into a coherent three-course trip. Add Hillside or Royal Liverpool when the group has the time and energy for a fourth round.
Royal Birkdale · Royal Lytham · Formby.
Add when another Southport links round fits the schedule.
Extend to Hoylake when Liverpool or the Wirral is part of the trip.
Secure premium tee times before fixing the rest of the itinerary.
Build around the scarce tee time, not the map
The distances are compact enough to make several combinations work. The better sequence is driven by live tee-time availability, walking load and the type of round you want next.
Royal Birkdale
Use Birkdale as a fixed point when visitor availability works, then shape the Southport side of the trip around it.
Royal Lytham
Its dense bunkering and inland setting give the trip a different strategic problem from the dune corridors further south.
Formby
Links turf and pine-lined holes make Formby an effective third course when you want variety rather than another copy of the same test.
Where to play—and what each course adds
The core three-course swing is Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and Formby. Hillside and Royal Liverpool are strong extensions when your dates, group and recovery plan support an extra round.
Royal Birkdale
Build the surrounding itinerary around the tee time you can actually secure rather than assuming daily visitor access.
Royal Lytham & St Annes
For 1 April–30 September 2026 the club lists a Monday–Friday visitor fee of £400 per person. It advises Green tees for men, Orange tees for women and is closed to visitors from 1 November 2026 to 28 February 2027.
Formby
Formby lists 2026 April–September visitor rates of £285 Monday–Friday and £315 at weekends. Visitors should confirm live availability and current conditions before travel.
Hillside
Keep the decision availability-led. TGG is not publishing a current Hillside visitor fee here until it is directly revalidated from the club.
Royal Liverpool
Add Hoylake when the wider coast is part of the journey rather than squeezing another premium round into an already demanding three-day schedule.
Use fewer bases and protect the best rounds
Southport works naturally for Birkdale and Hillside; Formby can bridge the journey south; Lytham makes sense when Royal Lytham is the fixed tee time. Avoid changing hotels simply to save a small amount of driving.
Southport
Use one base for Royal Birkdale and Hillside, with Formby still straightforward to add.
Formby
Formby’s on-site Dormy House can turn the third course into an overnight transition rather than another hotel transfer.
Lytham St Annes
Use Lytham when Royal Lytham is the scarce tee time, then travel south after the round or the following morning.
Turn the Course Swing into one itinerary
Give TGG your dates, group size, handicap range and must-play courses. Start with live availability, then sequence the remaining rounds, stays and recovery around it.
Royal Lytham and Formby visitor information checked against club-published sources on 17 September 2026. Pricing and access can change; reconfirm before booking travel.