Formby Hall Golf Resort (Old)

It’s not easy for a parkland track on England’s Golf Coast to compete against all the links courses strung out along the coastline, but the 18-hole Old course at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa does rather well as a credible alternative to the other links offerings.

Opened for business in 1996, the resort wasted no time in making a mark on the professional circuits, hosting annual events on first the European Challenge Tour, then the European Senior Tour and finally the PGA Europro Tour.

Extending to more than 7,000 yards from the back tees, the layout is configured as two returning nines, with water coming into play at more than half the holes. With a nod towards its illustrious golfing neighbours, many of the sand hazards are fashioned as links-style pot bunkers.

Highlight holes include the left doglegging par four 5th, rated stroke index 2, and the shortest of the par threes at the 16th, where the tee shot carries over a pond to a green that’s fronted by four bunkers – with a sneaky fifth sand hazard positioned behind the putting surface.