Fairhaven: One of England Golf Coast’s real hidden gems
Fairhaven is recognised as one of the best tracks in the north west of England and features an unusual but impressive blend of links and parkland.
It is home to many risk and reward holes and several punishing bunkers that can ruin your scorecard. The course is maintained and presented to the highest standards, featuring a sandy sub-soil to make play possible all year round.
History
Originally founded in 1895, the course was situated on what is now Fairhaven Boating Lake.
The club moved to its present site in the early 1920s and James Albert (Jack) Steer, the professional at Blackpool South Shore club from 1908 until its closure in 1940, designed the new course with advice and guidance from the great James Braid.
“The new course at Fairhaven Club, an inland course in a pretty park with something attractively secret about it”, wrote Bernard Darwin in The Golf Courses of Great Britain.
“We walk through a wood and suddenly and surprisingly find ourselves in a big tract of country, very peaceful and remote, which gives the impression of being a hidden valley. The soil is good too, and the holes are interesting”.
What makes it special
There are so many fines course on Lancashire’s “Golf Coast” and Fairhaven might not be a natural choice for those seeking out the big names. But you really will be missing something, something really special if you overlook Fairhaven.
It’s a delightful course and one of the area’s real hidden gems.
Where does it rank?
298th in GB&I, 121st in England, 11th in North West Coast
Where is it?
Fairhaven is situated in between the towns of Lytham and Ansdell on England’s Golf Coast, a short drive south from Blackpool.
Get in touch with Fairhaven
For more information about the club and course, visit its website or call them on 01253 736741.
- Related: NCG Top 100s: Fairhaven Golf Club review
- Related: NCG Top 100s Tour: Register to play Fairhaven now!
Have you played Fairhaven? Let us know in the comments, or tweet us.
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Ben Outhwaite
Ben is National Club Golfer's Marketing Editor and the latest addition to our golf equipment review team.
He specialises in testing golf bags, beginner golf club sets, apparel and golf accessories. He also collates our buying guides so you know which are the latest and greatest bits of golf equipment on the market.
Ben picked up his first golf club when he was five years old – which was in fact a left-handed set of clubs!
He is a member at Rudding Park Golf Club and has a handicap of fifteen.
