Formby Hall (Old) - Lancashire - England

Parkland course located on the golf Coast, plays a lot more mature than its age, with tees that push it to championship length. Typical resort course feel with large water hazards and greens. Throughout the summer months it usually is in good condition but have experienced wetter conditions when I have played in winter months.

Formby Hall Golf and Spa Resort is an impressive place to stay and base yourself whilst playing the high quality courses on the Gold Coast. It really feels like you're on a 'proper' golf break with high class hotel, restaurant, practice facilities. And thats before we get to the course itself.

The course is a parkland course wandering through acres of trees and water hazards a plenty. The scorcard shows 18 different water features and some of these come into play on multiple holes.

The fairways are tight and the rough when i played yesterday was penal. Sticky 1st and 2nd cut rough but once you wandered further off line, deep knee length lush grass. Basically, drive straight or you will lose a few balls.

At 6500 yards off the yellows, its a tough enough test, but given the firm conditions, both fairways and greens, the holes often played shorter than their yardages.

The water hazards in most cases line the fairways so shouldn't come into play that much. But there are a number of holes where the water hazards tuck in front of the greens making the choice of club on your approach absolutely vital. Holes 4, 11 and 14 are giod examples of this. There are other holes where the green is directly behind water, the 3rd and 7th plus the par 3 16th all have this feature. And then theres the 10th, a real rusk and reward hole. At 280 yards, drivable but if you go left water awaits all the way down the hole. Aim right to avoid the water and youre in deep rough.

The standout holes were for me the 11th, a dig leg left par 4, with the tee encouraging you out right, where deep rough awaits and an approach where a pond tucks into the fairway and in front of the green for your approach and the 16th, played over water with bunkers front and rear on this 150 yard (yellows) par 3.

The strongest section of the courses is holes 11 - 16 as you head out into more spacious countryside away from the Resort.

The conditioning was excellent, the greens ran true, not fast, the pot bunkers well maintained and the fairways and rough well managed.

The wildfowl on the course was a delight to see as we wandered through the trees, up the cowslip and long grass and wild flower edged fairways.

On the basis of this visit I would recommend a visit. The views across the 18th from the outdoors patio, with beer in hand made the completion of the round even more enjoyable.

this course should be far higher on the list. A real test and lovely looking course. There is a reason that it holds euro pro events. . . The facilities are top class.

I've played Formby Hall a few times as part of Society tours to the many standout local links - Formby, West Lancs, Birkdale etc. However, it's a great place for a day of golf - good practice facilities, value food and drink and the par 3 course is a good laugh for a warm up betting match. The course itself is quite tough with typically fast greens, plenty of water, and the holes "out in the country" allow you to open your shoulders and give it a go. Slightly weak start, but nice par 3's and everyone I have played with there has enjoyed it much more than they thought they would what with its being "the wrong side" of the main road, if that's a slightly backhanded compliment !

Last July I was able to play the 3 Royals near Formby, but the day of arrival and after 2 long flights from Buenos Aires, we shared a round here and it was fantastic. It is not the typical links course you expect to play in the UK, but it is the perfect "warm up" before facing the "Big 5" you can play near it: Royal Lytham & St Annes, Hoylake, Birkdale, Formby and Hillside. The course can be considered a parkland, easy to walk with short distances from green to next tee. Greens rolled pretty fast and true and I was suprised by some very challenging shots and also some reachable short par 4s like 9 & 10. Par 5s are reachable, usually needing to face some danger when going for them but if you hit a good shot it pays the price. A very nice Club House, a great hotel where you can make base to play the other ones and stay for a week. I really recommend this place for staying and the course to be played. A special note to final par 5: tough tee shot and even tougher second one, if you are not 100% confident do not take more risk, it is the final hole and a bad score will leave you with bad taste after a great round of golf.

The Formby Hall resort is a super place to stay and play and ideal to use as a base to visit the courses along England’s Golf Coast. The course starts slowly for me and being honest some of the early holes are a little predictable and un-inspiring – the par-5 7th stands out; certainly reachable in two for some but a huge lake short of the green provides plenty of protection. Without a doubt the back-9 is considerably superior; better design, stronger variation and water involved on nearly every hole. I like the 11th a lot; under 400 yards with a slight dog-leg to the left and water at the green. The 17th is another one of my ‘picks’ another par-4 of mid length with a really tough approach to a well-protected green. As mentioned at the start, I would always choose Formby Hall as the place to stay when golfing in this area – a resort perfect for golfers – but remember that the course here should be used as a warm-up before playing the local big guns at Royal Birkdale, Hillside and Formby and also a little further away at Royal Lytham and Royal Liverpool.