Sport at Warren House · Golf in Southport
Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Formby and five more courses within about twenty minutes, and three Open Championship venues within a day trip. Base yourselves at Warren House and play a different links every day.
Eight courses in about twenty minutes
Warren House sits in Ainsdale, right in the middle of the finest run of links golf in England. The Sefton coast between Southport and Liverpool packs championship courses into a few miles of dunes, so a golf week here is all golf and very little driving. Play in the morning, be back in the hot tub by mid-afternoon, and never check out of a hotel.
The lie of the land
The courses line up along the same strip of dunes, with the Merseyrail line running beside most of them. Times are by car from the house door.
The courses
Six courses within about ten minutes of the house. Most golfers never get to play this many great courses this close together.
About 10 minOpen Championship venue
The headline act. Royal Birkdale has welcomed The Open many times, most recently in July 2026, and staged the Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969. Its fairways run along the flat valleys between towering sand dunes, and the white art deco clubhouse is one of the great sights in golf.
Good to know: visitor tee times are limited and summer dates go early, so book this one first and build the week around it.
Directions from the house →About 10 minLinksBeside Hillside station
Royal Birkdale's next-door neighbour, sharing the same dunes. The back nine climbs into some of the biggest sandhills on the coast and is often talked about as one of the best nines in England. Hillside has hosted Open Final Qualifying.
Good to know: the station is right beside the club, so this is the easiest championship course to reach by train.
Directions from the house →About 5 minLinksRyder Cup 1933 & 1937
Known locally as S&A, and the closest championship links to the house. The Ryder Cup was played here twice, in 1933 and 1937. Firm, fast fairways run between heather and sandhills, and the greens reward a running approach as much as a high one.
Good to know: a perfect first round of the week to find your links game.
Directions from the house →About 10 minLinks through the pinesBeside Freshfield station
Unlike anywhere else on the coast: the fairways run through pine woods as well as dunes, which gives shelter on a windy day and a real feeling of seclusion. Formby has hosted the Amateur Championship.
Good to know: red squirrels live in the pines, so keep an eye on the trees between shots.
Directions from the house →About 10 minLinksFounded 1896
One of the oldest ladies' golf clubs in the country, with its own 18 holes laid out within the Formby links. Shorter than its famous neighbour and full of charm, and visitors are welcome.
Good to know: a lovely choice for mixed groups who want a championship setting without the championship length.
Directions from the house →About 5 minResort courseDriving range & spa
The closest course to the house, and a different flavour: a resort course with a driving range and a spa. Ideal for a warm-up on arrival day, a practice session between links rounds, or treatments for anyone who would rather not play.
Good to know: the range is the place to get used to the wind before the big rounds.
Directions from the house →About 15 minLinks
Founded in 1885, the oldest club in Southport itself, on the edge of the Ribble estuary north of town. Big skies, birdlife and proper links turf, and it has hosted Open Final Qualifying.
Directions from the house →About 20 minLinksBeside Hall Road station
Founded in 1873, one of the oldest links clubs in England, running along the shore at Blundellsands with views across Liverpool Bay.
Directions from the house →Day trips
Royal Birkdale is ten minutes away. Royal Liverpool is across the Mersey on the Wirral, and Royal Lytham is across the Ribble estuary to the north. Very few places in the world put three Open Championship courses within a day's reach.
About 50 minThe Open 2023
Founded in 1869, one of England's oldest seaside links, and host of The Open in 2023. A pilgrimage for anyone who loves the history of the game. The drive goes through a Mersey tunnel, which has a small toll.
Directions from the house →Just over an hourThe Open 2028
The Open returns here in 2028. Lytham sits slightly inland with no sea views, and is famous for its bunkers, well over 150 of them. Seve Ballesteros won two of his Opens here. Our guide to The Open 2028.
Directions from the house →About 40 minLinks
The club where Dr Frank Stableford devised the Stableford scoring system, and a fine links in its own right on the north Wirral shore. Easy to pair with Hoylake for a 36-hole Wirral day.
Directions from the house →Make a week of it
One way to play the coast in seven nights. Swap the order to suit the tee times you get.
The nineteenth hole
Come home to a private bar with a mini pool table, a big screen for the highlights, and a dining table that seats twelve in comfort for the post-round dinner. Six bedrooms and four bathrooms mean nobody shares with the snorer, and the hot tub takes care of tired backs.
"From the well lit driveway to the incredible bar space, we were so blown over by the small touches that made the stay special. We all said we didn't want to tell anyone about this gem of a house and wanted to keep it for ourselves! We've already booked to be back."
Tarandeep, November 2025Travelling from overseas
The house is easy to reach from two international airports, and a hire car makes the most of the week.
The north of England's main long-haul airport, with direct flights from North America, the Middle East and Asia. The drive to the house is about an hour.
Handy for flights from Ireland and mainland Europe, and closer to the house.
Trains from London Euston reach Liverpool Lime Street in about two and a quarter hours. Walk a few minutes to Liverpool Central for the Merseyrail Southport line to Ainsdale. Ainsdale station is a 20 minute walk from the house, or a quick bus, taxi or car journey.
Before you book
Not everyone in the group plays? The four beaches, Southport's villages and parks and Liverpool and the wider area are all close by.
Quick answers
About ten minutes by car, a little longer in the rush hour. Hillside and Southport and Ainsdale are closer still, and Formby is about ten minutes south.
Yes. Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby, Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham and the other clubs on this coast all welcome visitors on set days. Book direct with each club, as early as you can for summer.
Most championship clubs ask visitors for a current handicap certificate. Bring your home association's World Handicap System record, such as GHIN, and check each club's visitor rules when you book.
Liverpool John Lennon is about 40 minutes by car and Manchester, the main long-haul airport for the north of England, is about an hour. Both have car hire on site.
Some of them. Hillside, Freshfield and Hall Road stations sit right beside Hillside, Formby and West Lancashire, all on the Merseyrail line through Ainsdale. Ainsdale station is a 20 minute walk from the house, or a quick bus, taxi or car journey. For the rest, a car or taxi is easiest.
Warren House sleeps up to fourteen across six bedrooms, which is three fourballs with room to spare. House rule: maximum occupancy is 14 people in total, including children and infants.
Yes. The boot room is the place for golf bags, wet waterproofs and muddy shoes, and there is off-road parking for six vehicles with room to fit more, plus an EV charging point.
Sleeps up to 14 · 10 minutes from Royal Birkdale · the best 19th hole on the coast.
All included, all to yourselves
Everything below comes with the house. Dip into any of them, or see every reason on one scrolling page.
A room for every mood, together or apart
A table for twelve, BBQ & sunset patio dining
Your own cocktail bar & games room
Soak, relax & play in the gardens
Sunsets, lighting & the house after dark
Six luxury rooms & marble bathrooms
Private, gated & away from it all
Mini pool, consoles & garden games
A TV in every room & the big screen
Bring the whole family, including the dog
Beaches, golf, pubs & days out