Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club

The course sits just outside Southport, backing onto the dunes and marshland that make this stretch of Lancashire coast properly special. Two 18-hole layouts carved through links terrain - firm fairways, punchy rough, greens that demand respect. It's the sort of place where wind management matters more than brute distance, and weather can flip the difficulty inside an hour.

Golfers will spend a solid four to five hours out here, depending on pace of play. The greens are quick and undulating enough to catch you out if you're not sharp. You'll need to contact the club directly about visitor rates and handicap requirements - that's still the traditional setup at courses like this. Membership's the usual route if you're thinking regular visits, but they do accept visitors with proper credentials.

This works well if you're basing yourself at Southport Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite, just 2 miles away, or the Leisure Lakes complex a bit further out. Both give you easy access without the faff. The course itself isn't a spectator draw - families won't get much from standing around watching golfers squint at the fairway. But if you play, it's a proper test. The dune landscape is genuinely handsome, and on a clear day the sense of being out on the edge of something wild is real enough. Worth playing if you've got the handicap and time. Not worth the detour if golf isn't your thing.