Forty four Open Championships and five thousand years of human history

If you have an appetite for deep heritage, one of the world's great cities and sterling golf, England serves a feast. Think Stonehenge and King Arthur, Dickens and the Beatles, Birkdale and Sandwich. English clubs are routinely well represented in the world 100, nine are so recognized by Golf Magazine's 2005 ranking. Five have British Open pedigrees. All welcome your visit.

The parade along a 50 mile stretch of the Northwest coast is unlike any other in the British Isles. Beginning with ten time Open host Royal Lytham & St. Annes just north of Southport and closing with Royal Liverpool who will host for the eleventh time in 2006, there are six more championship caliber layouts of particular significance. Royal Birkdale is arguably the crown jewel, an eight time Open venue and current world #31. Southport & Ainsdale is a James Braid design and former Ryder Cup host in 1933 and 1937. Hillside, Formby and West Lancashire are regular Open qualifying sites. Wallasey was originally designed by Old Tom Morris in 1891 as a traditional links course dotted with huge, dramatic sandhills.

The collection of heathland layouts in and around London measure as one of the world's finest in such proximity to a great city. Wentworth, Walton Heath and Sunningdale Old are fixtures among world's top 100. An excellent base in the area is The Grove in Hertfordshire, 40 minutes northwest of central London. This venerable country house retreat on 300 acres is now infused with cheeky urban chic, and, a bold design by Kyle Phillips (Kingsbarns). Two worthwhile hours southeast of London is Royal Cinque Ports, a former Open host (1909, 1920) and now a final qualifying site when the championship is hosted nearby at fourteen time venue Royal St. George's.

Wales has earned a bright new spotlight with its award of the 2010 Ryder Cup at luxury resort Celtic Manor. Play there plus exceptional Pyle and Kenfig and South Wales' best, Royal Porthcawl, before you travel again. Steering north along the coast you'll find classic links after classic links: James Braid's Tenby and Pennard (described emphatically by Tom Doak as "one of my all time favorites" and "the site is one of the most spectacular I've ever seen!"), Royal St. David's naturally, plus Nefyn & District which plays out into the bay and back on finger of land likened to the deck of a battleship. Two of Edward I's most impressive castles, Caernarfon and Conwy, built in the late 13th century are well worth a visit.

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Golf & Travel Editorial

A Welsh Sampler -- Nefyn, Aberdovey and Royal Porthcawl (recommended by John Hopkins) by: Chris Santella
As far as golf travel to Great Britain is concerned, Wales – the small nation of three million souls tucked between the central  section of England and the Irish Sea -- is simply not on the radar for most Americans.  John Hopkins, the golf correspondent of The Times (of London) and a Welsh native, has a practical explanation.   “Wales doesn’t have the pure number of ... Read more

Welsh golf exceeds the hype, in unexpected ways by: Hal Phillips
The PGA Championship is underway, and so this should begin the run-up to the Ryder Cup Matches in September. The two events are inextricably linked, after all, not just by their proximity on the golf calendar but also by the fact that all but the at-large Ryder Cup places are etched in stone, for the U.S. team anyway, based money list standings immediately post-PGA. But as ... Read more

Killer Wales by: Anita Draycott

A Celtic swing from quirky ancient links to the new 2010 Ryder Cup course By Anita Draycott The story goes that after God created the world an angel confronted Him: “I thought all countries were supposed to be created equal?” she questioned. “Yet you’ve given Wales the most wonders: grand mountains, rivers teeming with fish, the most beautiful women, the most virile men, miles of spectacular ... Read more

My Name is Earl: Courses Around London Fit for Royalty By Jeff Wallach

Thirty minutes from both Heathrow Airport and Big Ben, The Grove Hotel, in Hertfordshire, imparts a modern twirl to the former longtime home of the Earls of Clarendon.  The first house was built on the 300-acre wooded estate during Elizabethan times.  In the 18th century, one particular Earl essentially created the notion of the “country weekend” house party on the property.  Guests included all manner ... Read more

North by Northwest: Lancashire Coast Home to England’s Finest Links by: Brian McCallen
Shortly after the Royal & Ancient acquired 10 acres of land adjacent to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 2002, the clinking of glasses could be heard wherever traditional links courses are cherished. The parcel of land, to be used for the all-important tented village required to host a major event these days, is all that had stood in the way of the R&A awarding ... Read more