Formby Golf Club Merseyside

Formby Golf Club, founded in 1884, is a magnificent traditional links of charm and elegance situated close by the shoreline of the Irish sea, near Southport.

Bernard Darwin sang the praises of Formby in his 1910 book “The Golf Courses of the British Isles” and, whilst the course has changed from that he played, his words still ring true. “… we finish with a good two shot hole on to a fine big green in front of a fine big club-house.

The greens are beautifully green; they are likewise very true and keen enough, without ever being bare and hard. The lies, too, are excellent, and it is altogether one of those courses where the player’s fate is entirely in his own hands. If he plays well everything will conspire to help him on his way, but he has got to play really well – good, sterling, honest golf: there is no mistake about that at Formby.”

Ben Wright in his description of Formby in the Official Programme for the 1967 Amateur Championship, a copy of which hangs in the Golfers’ Bar, refers to Formby as “…a magnificent golf course …” and goes on to say “Formby is unique amongst all our great seaside courses in that it is blessed with such a profusion of pine trees, whose smell is so delicious, and whose presence does so much to soften and beautify the landscape.” and “Developments to the course were made as and when required by continually improved playing methods and equipment, but thankfully successive Green Committees at Formby have never allowed their ideas to run away with their judgement, and influence them to spoil the natural features of the original layout.” Ben Wright goes on to describe the course hole by hole.