2027 Golf & Music Tour to England

The Royal Liverpool Golf Club, often referred to as Hoylake, is in Wirral in Merseyside, England. It was founded in 1869 on what was then the racecourse of the Liverpool Hunt Club. It received the “Royal” designation in 1871 due to the patronage of Prince Arthur the Duke of Connaught, one of Queen Victoria’s younger sons.

For the first seven years of its life, the links land still performed its original function, doubling as a golf course and a horse racing track – indeed, echoes of this heritage can be found today as the original saddling bell still hangs in the clubhouse.

Notable Legendary Golfer

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, British golf was dominated by Hoylake’s John Ball Jnr, born in 1861, arguably the greatest, homegrown amateur of all time. From 1881 until 1923 he won 92 gold medals at Hoylake and 18 silver. Including in 1887 when he won all six gold medals for that year. Ball’s career was remarkably long – with his first Amateur win at 26, and his last when he was 51.

Great Championships

Royal Liverpool has hosted The Open 13 times, boasting both iconic winners and exciting championships. Some of the winners include J.H. Taylor (1913), Walter Hagen (1924), Fred Daly (1947), Peter Thomson (1956), Tiger Woods (2006), and Rory McIlroy (2014). But no history of Hoylake would be complete without mention of the legendary Bobby Jones, who can be thought of as Hoylake’s adopted son. In 1930 the Club was privileged to host his winning of the Open Championship, a victory that would become the second leg of his remarkable Grand Slam – the winning in the same year of the Amateur and Open Championships of both Great Britain and the United States.

Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club is one of the premier links courses in the world, host to eleven Open Championships, two Ryder Cups and numerous other major tournaments including the Women’s and Senior Open Championships and the Walker Cup.

The Bobby Jones Story

In 1926, standing on the 15th tee Jones was still trailing by two but after picking up two strokes to forge a tie, Jones’ drive on the challenging 17th hole found a sand scrape area. From the dunes, Jones hit a remarkable recovery shot onto the green, closer than Watrous’ approach. After Watrous three-putted, Jones wound up taking the decisive lead in the Open Championship. His final five-hole performance across the challenging final stretch saw Jones record a fourth round of 74, enough to claim a two-stroke victory over his fellow American. It was first of three Open Championship victories, proceeding to claim a further two Claret Jugs in 1927 and 1930.

The Open Championship

Champions of 11 Opens hosted at Royal Lytham & St Annes include Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman, David Duval and Ernie Els.

The West Lancashire Golf Club was founded in 1873 by seven members of Royal Liverpool Golf Club anxious to expand the ‘Scottish national game’ by bringing it across the River Mersey. As such, the West Lancashire Golf Club is the oldest in the county of Lancashire and one of the earliest golf clubs in England.

West Lancs is a favorite of Tommy Fleetwood (who happens to be a favorite of mine). The Club is proud to host R&A and England Golf competitions, as well as being featured in the Top 100 Courses in Great Britain.

In 2024 alone, West Lancashire was the host to The Jacques Leglise Trophy, The Junior Vagliano Trophy, The Rose Ladies Series and the Final Qualifying for the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

In 2023 the West Lancashire Golf Club celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Established on July 30, 1889, Royal Birkdale Golf Club has a rich history steeped in tradition. Originally situated in the Shaw Hills behind Bedford Road near Bedford Park, the Club’s inaugural 9-hole course welcomed its first players in October 1889. However, in 1894, a decision was made to relocate the links to the picturesque Birkdale Hills. By 1897, the Club found its permanent home at the present location, where George Lowe, the professional at nearby Royal Lytham & St Annes GC, laid out an 18-hole course.

The clubhouse at Royal Birkdale is iconic. Constructed in 1935 in the elegant art deco style, the clubhouse was designed by local architect George E. Tonge, who won a prestigious competition for the project. In 1951, Royal Birkdale was granted Royal status, marking a significant milestone in its illustrious journey. Just three years later, the prestigious Open Championship made its debut at the course, with Peter Thompson clinching victory, a feat he repeated in 1965.

Over the years, Royal Birkdale has been the proud host of numerous prestigious events, including 10 Open Championships, 6 Women’s Opens, 2 Ryder Cups–one of which witnessed the famous ‘concession’ incident in 1969–along with one Senior Open and various Professional & Amateur Championship’s.

Formby Golf Club was founded in 1884. The 18-hole course at Freshfield was designed by Willie Park Jr, a two-time Open Champion. The first clubhouse was built in 1891. In 1899 a major fire destroyed the clubhouse and the current clubhouse was built in 1901.

In 1922 course alterations were done by James Braid. Then the pedigree was added to in 1933 when alterations were done by Harry Colt. During the 1980s and 90s Donald Steel was brought in to lengthen the course layout to over 7,000 yards.

Mackenzie and Ebert have also conducted modern comprehensive assessments, altering tees, bunkers, and developing long-term strategies to protect holes affected by coast erosion. Formby is just 4 miles from Royal Birkdale.

In 2004 Formby held the 33rd Curtis Cup won by the U.S.A. Other important events have been played at Formby, like the 2009 Amateur Championship won by Matteo Manassero. In 2016 Formby hosted the Arnold Palmer Cup. And, in 2021 and 2022, Formby hosted the PGA Seniors Championship.

Established in 1891. As an England Golf Championship venue, the Wallasey Golf Club has hosted several prestigious tournaments including qualification for The Open Championship on 4 occasions. In 1930, Bobby Jones famously qualified for The Open Championship held at nearby Hoylake, part of his Grand Slam. A portrait was commissioned, and signed by Mr. Jones, that is displayed proudly in the Clubhouse.

Tom Morris senior of St Andrews, four times Open champion, laid out the links. An 1893 newspaper comment that “…the greens were in excellent condition…” has been repeated continuously ever since. Course improvements were made in 1901 by Alex ‘Sandy’ Herd (Open Champion 1902) and in 1913 by Harold Hilton (four times Amateur Champion and twice Open Champion).

Inventor of Stableford Scoring

Dr Frank Barney Gorton Stableford was an excellent golfer with a handicap of plus 1 in 1907, he won the club championship at Royal Porthcawl. Earlier he had served as a surgeon in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and spent some years in South Africa.

His medical career brought him to Wallasey and he joined the golf club in 1914. During the 1914-18 War he served as a major with the RAMC. He returned to Wallasey after the war, and records of 1922 show that his handicap had risen to 8.

His unique scoring method was born out of frustration with the bogey system of scoring at that time, where the player played against the bogey (or par) for the hole.

Stableford had experimented with a scoring system when briefly a member of Glamorganshire in 1898. However, it was at Wallasey that he devised a formula that worked. “I was practising on the 2nd fairway at Wallasey Golf Club one day in the latter part of 1931”, he said, “when the thought ran through my mind that many players in competitions got very little fun since they tore up their cards after playing only a few holes and I wondered if anything could be done about it” The result was the Stableford scoring system, and club golfers have been indebted to the good doctor ever since.