Written and collated by Jenny Cope
The 154th Open Championship will take place at the historic Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport next month so let’s delve into the photograph archive of Sefton’s golfing history.
The promise of sea air and a rest cure attracted the unwell to Sefton. In the 1860s, mayor Samuel Boothroyd called for Southport to be advertised as a place of resort for invalid visitors and the town became a resort for Leisure and pleasure.
Golf courses now cover over a quarter of Sefton’s sand dunes systems and have helped to protect rare plant and animal species. The courses were mostly founded between 1870s and 1930s, when golf as a sport was growing in popularity and accessibility. The clubs across Sefton have earned widespread recognition within the sport. They have hosted many major tournaments, national and international, amateur and professional, including The Rider Cup and the Open Championship. Local sports hero Tommy Fleetwood has won the European Tour five times and hosted the British masters at Hillside.
Scroll down to the slideshow before to enjoy a taste of Southport’s Golfing History.
Our local history museum, Between Land & Sea, tells the stories of the people who have lived and worked along Sefton’s coast.
Links to individual Clubs telling their own Histories:
Bootle Golf Club, West Lancashire Golf Club, Formby Golf Club, Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Hesketh Golf Club, Royal Birkdale Golf Club.