St Annes Old Links was founded in 1901 and is one of the finest championship links courses of England’s north-west coast.
It has hosted Final Qualifying for The Open Championship on several occasions, most recently from 2018 to 2022, as well as qualifying for the Women’s British Open and the Senior Open Championship. In addition, in 2022 they co-hosted The Amateur Championship with their neighbours Royal Lytham & St Annes.
The great Bobby Jones once said of St Annes: ‘’It’s difficult to see how you could improve on this’’. If you like links golf, you will love the Old Links.
History
St Anne’s Old Links Golf Club was established in 1901 on land that since 1886 had previously been the home of the Lytham & St. Anne’s Golf Club. The Lytham and St. Anne’s Golf Club had relocated two miles away to the south side of the town to what is now the present championship course of Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1897, after failing to obtain an assurance from their landlord regarding the future tenure of their course.
On the 24th June 1901, a meeting was attended by 22 local businessmen who agreed to establish a golf course on part of the remaining land that had been left tenantless by the departure of the Lytham and St. Anne’s Golf Club and that the entrance fee should be one guinea. George Lowe informed the meeting that two men in a fortnight could make the ground into fair condition and that he himself would give his services to assist in laying out the course free of charge.
In 1909 the club secured a 40 year lease for 90 acres of land to what is the club’s present location and with this prospect of security of tenure, commenced to re-design the course. Lowe had designed the original nine holes, and he was joined by Alex (Sandy) Herd – the 1902 Open Champion – to make changes to the course.
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The layout of the course included the original 10th and 11th greens of the old Lytham & St Anne’s Golf Club, which are now the 17th and 10th greens respectively and can justifiably lay claim to be the oldest in the locality.
What makes St Annes Old Links special?
The hallmark of the Old Links is its fantastic greens all year round. They drain superbly well and putt true and fast whatever the weather. Many a visiting golfer has bemoaned the fact that the Old Links has far better greens in the winter than their home club does in the summer!
Secondly, name us another venue where you can say that the ideal line off the opening tee is straight at Blackpool Tower?
Where does it rank?
72nd in England, 9th on the North West Coast, 32nd in England Value
Where is St Annes Old Links?
St Annes Old Links is located in the northwest of England, on the Fylde Coast. Although not right on the coastline, the Irish Sea can easily be seen from St Annes. The course sits directly next to the boundary of the now-private Blackpool Airport, with the city of Blackpool just a few miles north up the coast. The M55, which runs from the M6 to Blackpool, is the best way of getting to this part of the country by road.
Trains run through both St Annes-on-the-Sea and Squires Gate on the Blackpool to Preston line, with the service operating regularly throughout the day. Both Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport are within an hour from St Annes Old Links, with the latter being the busiest airport in the country outside of the capital city of London.
Get in touch with St Annes Old Links
For more information about the club and course, visit their website or call them on 01253 723597.
You can play at St Annes Old Links on the NCG Top 100s Tour in the 2026 season!
- Book your spot to play at St Annes Old Links on the NCG Top 100s Tour on April 17th, 2026 here.
- You can also play at Fleetwood, Fairhaven and Royal Lytham & St Annes in our Fylde Coast Swing – check that out here.
Now have your say
Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at St Annes Old Links? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!
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