| Great escapes: Lancashire 6 |
| The golf coast |
| Tread the same greens as Tiger Woods himself. Here are four championship courses to test your mettle - and your woods … |
Anyone who knows
anything about golf knows the Royal Lytham and St Anne's course, which played host to the Open Championship just last year. Non-members are welcome to follow in the footsteps of the greats here, and there are a further three excellent courses in the area, all within a short drive of our starting point.
Non-golfing partners can console themselves with the retail therapy to be had in the towns of Lytham and St Anne's-on-Sea, which have a good spread of specialist shops and thriving café societies.
1. Green Drive Golf Club
Zero your trip meter at the end of the approach road to Eastham Hall Caravan Park and turn left at the
T-junction onto Saltcotes Road. Turn right at the mini-roundabout at 0.6 miles, down Mythop Road, then right at the T-junction down Park View Road at 1.2 miles. At 1.6 miles turn right at the
T-junction down Ballam Road then, immediately after, turn right into
Green Drive Golf Club.
Green Drive Golf Club is an
attractive, parkland course just
outside Lytham town centre.
It's 6163 yards, SSS of 69 and has been used as a qualifying course for three British Open Championships. It costs £20
per round for non-members, rising to £30 mid-April, or £38 for a day (27-36 holes). A handicap certificate is preferred.
2. Fairhaven Golf Club
Starting again from Eastham Hall Caravan Park, zero your trip meter at the end of its approach road and turn left at the T-junction onto Saltcotes Road. Turn right at the mini-roundabout at 0.6 miles onto Mythop Road, then right at the
T-junction at 1.2 miles onto Park View Road. Turn left down the conjoining road at 1.5 miles, then left onto Ballam Road at the T-junction immediately after.
At 1.9 miles turn right in to South Park, then left at the T-junction at 2.4 miles
onto Forest Drive. Turn right at 2.9 miles down Oakwood Avenue, then right immediately after, into Fairhaven
Golf Club.
Fairhaven is another parkland course, like Green Drive, and is 6883 yards with an SSS of 73. It is relatively flat but challenging nonetheless. It costs £20 per round in winter and £35 in season.
3. Royal Lytham and St Anne's
From Eastham Hall Caravan Park zero your trip meter at the end of the
Park approach road and turn left at the
T-junction onto Saltcotes Road. Turn right at the mini-roundabout at 0.6 miles onto Mythop Road, then right at the
T-junction at 1.2 miles onto Park View Road. Turn left down the conjoining road at 1.5 miles, then left onto Ballam Road at the T-junction immediately after. At 1.9 miles turn right into South Park, then left at the T-junction at 2.4 miles onto Forest Drive. Turn right at the T-junction at 3 miles, onto Blackpool Road, then left at the mini-roundabout at 3.3 miles, onto Albany Road, which becomes Church Road. At 4.4 miles turn left at the traffic lights down St Thomas's Road, then left at 4.5 miles down Beauclerk Road. Turn right at 4.6 miles down Links Gate, then left into Royal Lytham and
St Anne's Golf Club at 4.9 miles, just after a right-hand bend.
Royal Lytham and St Anne's is the most famous course in the area and has played host to the British Open Championships three times in the past 30 years. Not for the faint of heart or the light of wallet, this big links course has bullied the world's best pros, so be ready to walk away with your tail between your legs. It's 6334 yard long, with an SSS of 74.
To play at Royal Lytham
and St Anne's costs £100 per round or £140 for 36 holes. It is open Monday-Thursday only and
bookings should be made well in advance. A handicap certificate is required: the maximum is 21 for men and 29 for ladies.
4. St Anne's Old Links Golf Club
From Eastham Hall Caravan Park zero your trip meter at the end of the Park approach road and turn left at the
T-junction onto Saltcotes Road. Turn right at the mini-roundabout at 0.6 miles onto Mythop Road, then right at the
T-junction at 1.2 miles onto Park View Road. Turn left down the conjoining road at 1.5 miles, then left onto Ballam Road at the T-junction immediately after. At 1.9 miles turn right into South Park, then left at the T-junction at 2.4 miles onto Forest Drive.
At 3 miles turn right at the T-junction into Blackpool Road, then left at the mini-roundabout at 3.3 miles and left again at the lights at 3.8 miles, into Heyhouses Lane. Take another left at the traffic lights at 5.2 miles, into Kilnhouse Lane. Turn left at the
mini-roundabout at 5.8 miles, then right at the one immediately after, onto Highbury Road East. At 6.4 miles turn right into St Anne's Old Links Golf Club.
Second only to Royal Lytham in terms of its heritage, this compact course sits right on the coast. Each hole has bags of history as the course is yet another used for qualifying for the Open, due to the high standards it demands all round - particularly on the greens. It's a 6583-yarder with an SSS of 72 and costs £38 per round on weekdays and £50 at weekends. You must book one week in advance and bring a
handicap certificate with you.
|
|
|
Distance Green Drive Golf Club 1.6 miles; Fairhaven Golf
Club 2.9 miles; Royal Lytham &
St Anne's 4.9 miles; St Anne's Old Links Golf Club 6.4 miles
Start/finish Eastham Hall
Caravan Park
Suitable for Moderately
experienced golfers.
Information
Green Drive Golf Club
Tel 01253 734782
Fairhaven Golf Club
Tel 01253 736741
Royal Lytham & St Anne's
Tel 01253 724206
St Anne's Old Links Golf Club
Tel 01253 723597
|
|
