Links Gate, St Patrick's Rd South,
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 3LQ
Office
+44 (0)1253 724 206Pro shop
+44 (0)1253 720 094Fax
+44 (0)1253 780 946Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Ben Squires (Head Professional)The Course:
18 holes. Seaside links. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Residential setting.
Designer:
Original layout by George Lowe (1897). Modifications made by Harry Colt (1919).
Above distances are for the championship course. Also at Royal Lytham is the 9-hole Short course (par-31, 2000 yds from back tees, SSS 60).
53.749722
-3.018142
5 miles S of Blackpool
From Preston follow the A583 direction Blackpool. After approximately 4 mi turn left onto the A584, direction Lytham St Annes. After 7 mi, having entered Lytham, the Lytham windmill will be on your left. After a further 2.8 mi on the A584, turn right at traffic lights into St Thomas Rd. After o.4 mi and just after railway bridge turn right into St Patrick Rd South. After 100 yds Clubhouse is in front of you.
Royal Lytham & St Annes
Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club: "Lytham" is perhaps the least "seaside" in style of the revered links courses on the Open Championship roster. Set half a mile back from the sea, the course doesn't offer coastal views, and towering sand dunes are not too much in evidence. Flanking the layout on the south side is a small suburban railway line, and unobtrusive red brick houses line-up beyond the perimeter. But be assured, to play at Royal Lytham is to play one of the world's greatest and arguably toughest links courses.
Any potential distraction from the railway and perimeter housing quickly melts away as you become acquainted with the gentle undulations, charms and subtleties of this captivating layout. However, there is nothing subtle about Lytham's bunkers, all 206 of them. Some of the deepest revetted bunkers in Britain are to be found around Lytham's testing greens, not least guarding the excellent collection of par-3 holes.
Complementing the greenside bunkering is an equally fierce array of fairway bunkers. You may find yourself in "Bobby Jones’ bunker" at the long doglegging par-4 17th. It was from here that the great man played a fabulous shot out and onto the green, on his way to winning the 1926 Open Championship.
Starting with a long par-3, the front-nine is predominantly played with out-of-bounds and the railway on your rightside. With the exception of the par-4 4th, the line of outward holes takes you to the far end of the course. Here you will find a modest amount of elevation change, and the unforgettable par-3 9th, its green ringed by nine feisty pot bunkers.
By contrast to the unidirectional outward-nine, the back-nine tacks this way and that, the wind direction varying on each hole you play. Royal Lytham is certainly one of golf’s great tests. The par-4 18th with its 17 rampaging bunkers, makes sure you don't forget that simple fact. And as for the absence of sea views, for most golf enthusiasts this doesn't detract one iota from savouring Royal Lytham's superb layout.
Stay&Play at Royal Lytham: onsite accommodation is available in Royal Lytham's Dormy House (see Where2Stay section below).
Visitors welcome on Mon and Thur and late-afternoon on other days.
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: men & boys 21; women & girls 30. Proof of handicap required.
Contact club for full details, packages, Dormy House guest rates, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
This is a walking-only course. Players genuinely unable to walk the course can apply for permission to hire one of the Club's two golf carts (buggies). Caddies available if requested in advance.
Good
Dormy accommodation is available at the club, and needs to be booked well in advance.
George V conferred the Royal prefix on Lytham & St Anne's GC in 1926. By royal prerogative, 19 English golf clubs use the "Royal" title, namely: Ascot, Ashdown Forest, Birkdale, Blackheath, Cinque Ports, Cromer, Eastbourne, Epping Forest, Household (Windsor Castle), Liverpool (Hoylake), Lytham & St Annes, Mid-Surrey, North Devon (Westward Ho!), Norwich, St George's, West Norfolk (Brancaster), Wimbledon, Winchester, Worlington & Newmarket.
Royal Lytham has played host to many major championships including The Open and Women's British Open, as well as some of the biggest team competitions in golf, not least Ryder and Curtis Cups. For more details see Top Golf Tournaments at Royal Lytham Golf Club.
England's 7th best course (Golf World, 2023).
Britain & Ireland's 30th best course (Golf World, 2024).
World's 74th best course (GOLF Magazine, 2023/24) and 43rd best public access course (Golf World, 2023).
Links Gate, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 3LQ
+44 (0)1253 643 790
Visit websiteWhen staying in Royal Lytham & St Annes Dormy House, the clubhouse, professional's shop, car park and first tee are all just a few steps away. Lockers are provided and meals are served in the Clubhouse, where you also have free access to the snooker room, card room and main bar. The Dormy House has 16 single rooms, six bathrooms, two shower rooms, and facilities for disabled golfers. The rooms have computer points and wireless network facilities. The Dormy House has a comfortable sitting room with satellite television.
Royal Lytham & St Annes
St Annes Old Links; Heron's Reach.
Fairhaven; Lytham Green Drive.
West Beach, Lytham, Lancashire FY8 5QJ
+44 (0)1253 739 898
Visit websiteThe Clifton Arms Hotel (a Grade II listed property) has been privately owned by the Webb family since 1993. The 4-star luxury hotel has an enviable location in the heart of Lytham, whilst enjoying spectacular views of the sea front.
No
Royal Lytham & St Annes; Fairhaven; Lytham Green Drive; St Annes Old Links.
Heron's Reach
The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.
Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.
Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.
Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
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