I have lived in Southport my whole life. I have seen the Open at Royal Birkdale three times: in 1991, 1998, and 2008. This is the fourth time in my lifetime the championship has come here. The town changes in a specific way when it happens and it is difficult to describe to someone who has not been here for it.
What Happens to Lord Street
Lord Street on a normal Tuesday in July is a pleasant shopping street with the Victorian canopies and a reasonable number of people. Lord Street during Open week is something different. It fills up from mid-morning with people who have come off the course or who are killing time before their session starts. The restaurants that are normally bookable on the day start requiring reservations. The pubs have the golf on every screen.
The nationalities mix is the thing I always notice first. American accents, Australian accents, Japanese visitors with proper cameras, people from places you would not normally associate with Southport on a Tuesday morning. The Open brings a genuinely international crowd and they spread through the town in a way that transforms the atmosphere.
Birkdale Village
Birkdale village is the part of Southport that changes most dramatically. It is ten minutes walk from the Royal Birkdale entrance and in a normal year it is a quiet residential area with a handful of good restaurants. This week it is the closest thing Southport has to a tournament hub. The pavement cafes are full by mid-morning. The restaurants are booking days in advance. Even the Co-op on Liverpool Road is noticeably busier.
The Traffic
Do not drive around Birkdale this week. The roads around the course are either closed or so congested that they are not worth attempting. The people who learn this lesson on Monday morning do not repeat the mistake on Tuesday. Use the shuttle from town or walk from Hillside station. Everyone who has been here before knows this. Everyone who has not finds out the hard way on the first day.
What It Means to Live Here
I will be honest: the week is genuinely brilliant. The town has a different energy. It is louder, busier, more expensive, and more chaotic than normal. It is also more alive than at any other point in the year. Southport is a town that has had a complicated couple of decades and The Open, when it comes, reminds the place and its people what it is actually capable of. I am glad it is here.
Everything about The Open 2026 in Southport:
The Open 2026 Guide →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk. Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
