Guides
Golf guides and answers for the North West
Plain answers to the questions golfers ask, with every fact linked to where it came from and the date we checked it.
Where to play
Area guides built on our verified course directory.
- Driving ranges in Merseyside, Cheshire and LancashireWhat a bucket of balls costs at North West driving ranges, which have Toptracer or floodlit bays, and what a PGA lesson adds, from our own directory.
- Golf courses in CheshireCheshire golf explained, heathland at Delamere Forest, resort courses with hotels at Carden Park, Portal and The Mere, and how to reach each one.
- Golf around Chester and mid CheshireEaton, Carden Park, Portal, Delamere Forest and Vale Royal Abbey explained, what each course is like, the roads in, and the nearest stations and airports.
- Golf courses in LancashireLancashire golf explained, Open Championship links on the Fylde coast, moorland at Rossendale, municipal golf at Wigan, and how to reach each one.
- Golf in Lytham St Annes and the Fylde coastRoyal Lytham, St Annes Old Links and Fairhaven explained, with the right train station for each, roads in from the M55, and why Blackpool Airport won't help.
- Golf courses in MerseysideMerseyside golf explained, links on the Sefton coast and at Hoylake, parkland and municipal courses inland, plus roads, trains and airports for each.
- Golf on the Sefton coast: Southport, Formby and BlundellsandsThe Sefton coast's links golf explained, Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby and West Lancashire, with trains, roads and visitor booking.
Famous courses
The UK’s top-ranked courses: who can play, what it costs, how to get there.
- Muirfield: the visitor's guideMuirfield in Gullane is ranked 4th in the UK and Ireland. Green fees, visitor days, how to book, getting there and where to stay, all sourced.
- North Berwick West Links: a visitor's guideNorth Berwick's West Links, East Lothian: visitor days, 2026 green fees, the Redan and Pit holes, getting there and where it sits in the world rankings.
- Royal County Down: the visitor's guideRoyal County Down is ranked the best course in Britain and Ireland. What a visitor round costs, which days you can play, and how to get there.
- Royal Dornoch Championship Course: a visitor's guideRoyal Dornoch's Championship Course, Highlands: visitor days, 2026 and 2027 green fees, getting there, where to stay and its world rankings.
- Royal Portrush: the visitor's guideRoyal Portrush's Dunluce Links is ranked 5th in the UK and Ireland. Green fees, tee times, how to book, getting there and where to stay, sourced.
- Royal St George's: the visitor's guideRoyal St George's in Sandwich is ranked 6th in the UK and Ireland. Green fees, visitor days, how to book, getting there and where to stay, sourced.
- Royal Birkdale: a visitor's guideRoyal Birkdale, Southport: visitor days, 2026 and 2027 green fees, the 154th Open, getting there, where to stay and where it sits in the world rankings.
- The Old Course, St Andrews: the visitor's guideThe Old Course is public land, no membership needed. What a round costs, how the ballot and advance booking work, and how single golfers get a game.
- Sunningdale Old Course: a visitor's guideSunningdale's Old Course, Berkshire: visitor days, 2026 and 2027 green fees, how to book, getting there and where it sits in the UK rankings.
- Turnberry, Ailsa course: the visitor's guideThe Ailsa is a four-time Open venue on Scotland's Ayrshire coast. What a visitor round costs, when to book, and how to get there.
Plan your golf
Trips, society days, pay and play and winter golf.
- Organising a golf society day in the North WestGroup sizes, deposits, typical packages and formats for a golf society day, read from North West clubs' own society pages, with prices where published.
- Where you can play in the North West without a handicap certificateWhich of Golf Metric's 33 North West courses ask visitors for a handicap certificate, checked on each club's site, and where the answer is simply not stated.
- The North West links trail: Hoylake to LythamNine links courses from Royal Liverpool at Hoylake to Fairhaven at Lytham, in driving order, with road distances, where to base yourself and when to go.
- Playing Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Royal Lytham as a visitorVisitor days, 2026 and 2027 green fees, handicap advice, booking, caddies and dress code at all three North West Open venues, from each club's own site.
- Winter golf in the North West: what stays playable and whyWhy links and heathland courses drain faster than clay parkland, which North West directory courses are which, and the rules you'll meet on a wet or frosty round.
Weather and golf
Rain, wind, cold, frost, lightning and light.
- The best time of year to play links golf in the UKWhen North West links courses play firmest, when the wind picks up, and when green fees drop, with real club prices and Met Office climate figures.
- Can you play golf in the rain?Yes, there's no rule against it. What actually closes a course is waterlogged ground, not the rain itself. Here's how clubs decide, and what relief you get.
- How cold is too cold for golf?There's no official limit, but golf balls go shorter in the cold, and near freezing the risk shifts from comfort to safety and frozen ground.
- How the Golf Metric Weather Score worksGolf Metric scores your tee window out of 100 from rain, wind, temperature and daylight. Here is the method, the limits and what it does not know.
- How late can you tee off and still finish before dark?The latest sensible tee time for 18 or 9 holes across the year in the North West, worked back from local sunset with a 30-minute safety margin.
- What to do if there's lightning on the golf courseStop, leave your clubs and trolley, get away from trees and off open ground, and get inside a proper building or car until 30 minutes after the last thunder.
- Temporary greens, trolley bans and preferred lies explainedWhat temporary greens, trolley bans and preferred lies are, why clubs use them in wet or frosty weather, and what they mean for your round and score.
- What is a frost delay, and why do courses have them?A frost delay holds golfers off frozen greens until they've thawed, because frozen grass is damaged by feet far more easily than grass that's just cold.
- What to wear for golf in the rain and the coldLayers, waterproofs, gloves and shoes for a wet or cold round in the North West, plus what clubs actually allow on the course and in the clubhouse.
- What wind speed is too windy for golf?There's no official cut-off. From around 20 mph, most golfers lose control of shots and putts; gusts above 30 mph make the ball hard to control at all.
Handicaps and rules
How handicaps work in England, and the rules you meet most.
- Course rating and slope, explainedCourse Rating shows how hard a course plays for a scratch golfer, Slope Rating how much harder for the rest of us. The maths, worked through with real figures.
- How does a golf handicap work in England?Your Handicap Index comes from your best 8 scores out of your last 20 rounds. Here's how the World Handicap System turns your scores into a number, plainly.
- How to get a golf handicap without joining a clubEngland Golf's iGolf scheme gives you an official Handicap Index without club membership, for £47 a year. Here is what it costs and the steps to get one.
- Can you play a golf course without a handicap?Yes. Nothing in the Rules of Golf requires a handicap to play, or even to compete in a scratch event. Here's where a handicap actually starts to matter.
- Golf etiquette for your first round at a clubKeep up with the group in front, shout "fore" if a shot could hit someone, repair your marks, rake bunkers, and let faster groups play through.
- What happens if you lose your golf ball?Stroke and distance: one penalty stroke, replay from your last spot. The three-minute search, the provisional ball, and a faster local rule some clubs use.
Starting out
Costs, kit, booking and your first round.
- How long does a round of golf take?There's no single official time. The R&A leaves it to each course, but its examples put a nine-hole three-ball under 1 hour 45 minutes and tee times 8 to 12 minutes apart.
- How much does golf cost in the UK?From £4 for a bucket of balls to £1,560 a year for full membership. A dated cost table for lessons, pay-and-play rounds, visitor fees and joining a club.
- How to book a tee timeMost North West clubs book online through BRS Golf or intelligentgolf, linked from the club's site. What you'll be asked for, plus deposit and cancellation terms.
- How to start playing golf as an adultBook a beginner session or a PGA lesson, hit balls at a range, then try a short or pay-and-play course. No clubs, handicap or membership needed to start.
- Junior golf in the North WestChildren can start around age five through England Golf's Get into Golf Rookies and Girls Golf Rocks. Junior membership costs vary by club, some free.
- What to wear to a golf clubA collared shirt tucked in, tailored trousers or knee-length shorts, and proper golf shoes covers most North West clubs. Clubhouse rules are often stricter.
Events, news and where to watch
What’s on, what’s changing and who runs golf.
- Golf events in 2026 and 2027The men's and women's majors, the Ryder Cup, UK tour events and North West championships from September 2026 to the end of 2027, each dated from the organiser's own site.
- What's changing in UK golf: autumn 2026A dated roundup of UK golf in autumn 2026, participation figures, the handicap allowance decision, HowDidiDo's relaunch, and North West news, each sourced.
- Who runs golf in the North WestEngland Golf, the Lancashire and Cheshire county bodies, the PGA, The R&A, disability and junior golf, and BIGGA: what each does and where to find them.
- Where to watch and follow golf in the UKWhich broadcaster holds which golf events in 2026 and 2027, BBC's free highlights and radio, official tour YouTube channels, and UK golf YouTube and podcasts.