Swing Through Southport | Travel + Leisure
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Swing Through Southport

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By M. Brandon Wall

Southport, England, is known for its beaches and countryside, shopping and restaurants, but it sits at the heart of what’s considered the country’s “golf coast.” Royal Birkdale (royalbirkdale.com), host of this year’s British Open, from July 17 to 20, is one of three "royal" courses in the vicinity — Royal Lytham & St. Annes (royallytham.org) and Royal Liverpool (royal-liverpool-golf.com) round out the triumvirate — and a total of about twenty courses are within reasonable driving distance.

The seaside town sits in the country’s northwest, in the heart of the twenty-two-mile-long Sefton Coast, the largest stretch of undeveloped duneland in England. Fly into either Liverpool, about a half-hour south, or Manchester, about an hour east. Southport has plenty of excellent lodging options, including the Scarisbrick Hotel (scarisbrickhotel.com) and Prince of Wales (britanniahotels.com), both on Lord Street, the grand boulevard and shopping mecca. Or head to the Macdonald Kilhey Court Hotel (macdonaldhotels.co.uk), in the countryside about a half hour away; for five-star accommodations, stay at the magnificent Chester Grosvenor Hotel & Spa (chestergrosvenor.com) in the ancient Roman city of Chester.

The town also a vibrant nightlife, a new water park for kids, and scores of restaurants, but it’s the golf that’s most intriguing. Along with the royal layouts, there’s Hillside (hillside-golfclub.co.uk), which some say is the best British course never to host the Open; Southport & Ainsdale (sandagolfclub.co.uk), a two-time Ryder Cup host; and Formby Golf Club (formbygolfclub.co.uk), laid over terrain that includes heathland, pineland and linksland. There’s Hesketh (heskethgolfclub.co.uk), one of the oldest links in England, the challenging West Lancashire (westlancashiregolf.co.uk), Old Tom Morris’s design at Wallasey (wallaseygolfclub.com), and plenty of others. The permutations of unforgettable golf trips in Southport are virtually endless.

When you’re not playing golf (or watching it, for those lucky enough to attend the Open this year), visit the town’s famous old iron pier, or Marine Lake, the largest man-made lake in the United Kingdom, or Hesketh Park. Walk down Lord Street or pedestrian-only Chapel Street, another hot spot for shoppers, or take a stroll down the Promenade or along the coast. Southport holds events throughout the year, including a wine festival in July, a flower show in August and an air show in September. And be sure to explore Manchester and Liverpool -- the latter was named the European Capital of Culture by the European Union this year, and the city is commemorating that in various ways (visit liverpool08.com).

Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.