Often referred to as England’s Golf Coast, the region between the country’s north-west borders with Wales and Scotland is packed with golf of the very highest order. It is home to three current Open Championship venues – the Royals at Liverpool, Birkdale and Lytham & St Annes – and the supporting cast is as strong an assortment as you will find anywhere.
It would therefore be easy for even a top-notch links to be somewhat hidden in the shadows cast by the headlights blazing nearby. So just how did the links at Wallasey win over the Top 100 assessors and indeed the Golf Monthly staff to lead to its promotion into the top-most category of golf in the UK&I?
The journey
There are somewhere in the region of 2,000 courses in England alone, and when you add in the rest of the UK&I, the number is closer to 3,000. When Golf Monthly first published its expanded Top 200 rankings in 2011/12, Wallasey was included in the second tier. In footballing terms, the course was probably considered to be of solid, mid-table standard, but unlikely to challenge at the very top. Happily, there were those who saw beyond this, largely inspired by the fact the links is blessed with some of the finest dunes in the entire country.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Golf Monthly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A GRAND ESTATE
Goodwood in West Sussex may be steeped in ancestral history, but about 20 years ago it elected to take its golf offering down a very different route...
The Tees Valley
Jeremy Ellwood potters about along the famous north-east river for a couple of days, basing himself at Rockliffe Hall, one of England's finest golf hotels
The Western Cape
Along with its stunning scenery, vineyards and welcoming climate, this region is home to a wealth of fine courses
Murcar Links
The 20-mile stretch of coastline northwards from Aberdeen is home to no fewer than four links in the Golf Monthly Top 100.
How to play the chip-and-run
The chip-and-run is one of the most useful shots in anyone’s short-game arsenal but most golfers don’t use it enough.
Is your angle of attack correct?
You can add serious distance to your drives if you get the upward angle of attack into impact correct
LEARN FROM THE BEST!
Star players' signature shots... and how you can play them
Confessions of a golf club fitter
Is everything always as it seems in the customfitting bay? We ask someone in the know how you can avoid some of the more unscrupulous practices
Dining at the TOP TABLE
Aaron Rai's Wyndham Championship victory has elevated his career to a new level. But, as he tells David Facey, he's taking nothing for granted...
Is golf too expensive?
The cost of membership, greens fees, gear and more can give our game a bad rap. Is that fair or are there more affordable ways to play? Michael Weston investigates...
