Wallasey

Wallasey Golf Club, located on the northern tip of the Wirral in northwest England, is one of the best in that region. 

The course sits along the coastline of the Irish Sea, and was founded in the last decade of the 19th Century.  

Old Tom Morris designed the links, with James Braid, Fred Hawtree and J.H. Taylor all involved in the design of the course throughout its history.

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Wallasey Golf Club was one of several links courses in England that was founded in the 19th Century – 1891 to be exact. 

Old Tom Morris designed the links, with improvements coming from Sandy Herd and Harold Hilton shortly after the turn of the century.  

James Braid’s alterations to the course saw Wallasey selected as a host for Open Championship Qualifying in 1930, before a new layout was planned by Hawtree and Taylor. Although that was delayed due to the Second World War, the new course was opened in the early 1950s. 

Wallasey is also well known as being the home of the Stableford format. 1932 saw the first ever Stableford competition, using the format created by Dr Frank Stableford, and to this day, the club hosts the annual Frank Stableford Open Amateur Memorial Trophy. 

Sitting on the coastline of the Wirral, Wallasey Golf Club offers up a real challenge for golfers of all abilities. A number of holes play alongside the coastline, with the Irish Sea on their right, and with this Par 72 layout measuring around 6,600 yards from the tips, there is plenty to deal with – and that’s without even mentioning the usually brisk wind. 

After a 1st hole that takes you from the very walls of the clubhouse towards the estuary, any sense of claustrophobia is immediately dispelled. Imposing dunes and elevated tees are the dominating themes - not to mention an unrelenting headwind – which takes you from the 2nd through to the 5th. Stand on the 2nd tee at Wallasey when a south-westerly wind is whipping across the Wirral from North Wales and it is easy to understand why it was here that the Stableford system of scoring was born. Measuring over 460 yards from the elevated and exposed back tee, with wild duneland either side of a fairway that curves right and to a distant green, it is a hole than can end a medal round almost before it has started. Dr Frank Stableford, a former captain of the club, despaired so much of his chances of making it through the opening run of holes that play into the prevailing wind with a score intact that he invented his new system of scoring in 1931.  

The 3rd is another tricky par 4, with a slight dog-leg left as you aim towards the water with your tee shot. The most spectacular view is undoubtedly from the tee on the par-5 4th, with the fairway stretching out way below and with the sea to the right. Inevitably, there is a slight sense of anti-climax on reaching the flatter land the middle holes occupy. This is not to say the golf is anything less than worthy, only that it is less thrilling. The opening par 3 on the course comes at the 5th, and you play towards the corner of the property, and with the water as the background once more.  

From there, you move inland with the 6th, before the par 5 7th provides one of the trickier driving holes on the course. Five fairway bunkers in the landing zone make accuracy the key. There are five more traps down by the green as well, just to make the 7th even more difficult. The dog-leg right 8th hole and the short 9th, played to an oval-shaped green and with trees as the backdrop, bring you to the end of the front nine at Wallasey. The opening hole on the back nine is a quirky dog-leg right. The longest of hitters may well try and hit a cut to find the putting surface from just 300 yards, but most will take a long iron or hybrid and play to the widest par of the fairway.  

The 12th is one of the signature holes at Wallasey. A short par 3, usually playing less than 150 yards from the tips, is played to a small green, one that is guarded by five large pot bunkers. It is a hole where there is arguably more sand that putting surface, so you have to get your tee shot right. The 13th and 14th are a pair of par 5s which play in opposite directions, meaning on any given day one is a birdie chance and the other effectively a four-shotter for some. The 15th doglegs left and uphill to a raised green while the next is a not-so-short hole of the highest quality played to a target of a ledge, framed by a dune on the right and dropping away to the left. At 200 yards, the 16th is easily the longest of the four par 3s. 

Then comes the 17th, where you can play left towards the 4th fairway if you are prepared for a longer second. Aim at the marker post and trust that the green is located underneath it in a dell. On the last, you must play unerringly towards the clubhouse, across rough and uneven ground to a green that is remarkably flat considering what has gone before it. Assisted by the breeze, a closing par four is by no means unattainable, perhaps even one worth three points.

Dan Murphy: Another course in the process of being transformed. The most exciting stage surely is yet to come and if the club’s ambitious plans come off then the sky really is the limit.

Mike Robertson: Condition-wise it is very, very good and architecturally only going to improve

Greg Webber: It is a delight now but the plan to redevelop the course using more of the available dune land is an exciting prospect

David Walker: A very good links course where recent renovations have closed the gap between some less memorable holes which are mixed with some truly sensational holes that would be worthy of a top 10 course

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Where is Wallasey located?  

Wallasey is one of several golfing venues in the northwest of England to claim a place on the NCG Top 100s: England list. The course sits on the Wirral coastline, with the Irish Sea across its northwestern boundary. The centre of Liverpool is just six miles to the east, under the Kingsway Tunnel which runs under the River Mersey. The course sits right off the A554, which runs from Birkenhead to Bidston. 

Wallasey Grove Road is the nearest train station to the golf club, situated less than a mile away from the entrance to the club. The station sits on the train line between Liverpool Central and New Brighton, with trains running in both directions every quarter of an hour throughout the day. For those travelling from further afield, Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the closest to Wallasey, situated around 15 miles from the venue. Manchester Airport is also within an hour from Wallasey, and provides a wider range of flights. 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?  

There are a number of venues in the northwest on the NCG Top 100s: England list, but only Royal Liverpool – the host of the 2023 Open Championship – is also based on the Wirral. If you go over the River Mersey and drive north, then you will come to West Lancs, Formby, Formby Ladies, Southport & Ainsdale, Hillside and Royal Birkdale.

What golf facilities does Wallasey offer?  

Along with the championship-standard golf course, Wallasey Golf Club is also home to a short driving range which sits on the inside of the 8th hole. Drivers can’t be used, but it is a good space for those wanting to practice their irons and wedge games. There is also a short game at the same area, closer to the 9th tee. Next to the opening hole, there is a putting green for golfers to hone those final touches on the putting surface before taking to the course.  

What are the green fees at Wallasey?  

The price of a green fee at Wallasey changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

For more information on current green fees at Wallasey visit their website here.