Ten weeks. That's what's left before The Open Championship comes to Royal Birkdale on 12 July. I've lived three miles from the course my whole life and I've never seen the pre-event buzz start this early. The enquiries started arriving on SouthportGuide in April. The accommodation section has seen traffic I'd normally associate with a sold-out Flower Show weekend, except it's May.
So here's the honest state of play. What's already gone, what's still available if you move quickly, and what the week is actually going to be like for people who live here as well as those visiting.
📅The Open Championship 2026 is at Royal Birkdale, Southport. Championship rounds run 16-19 July. Practice rounds 13-15 July. The course is in Birkdale, the southern end of Southport, PR8 3LJ.
Accommodation: mostly gone, but not all
The Grand on Lord Street has been fully booked for Open week since January. The Bold Hotel in Birkdale, which is the closest quality hotel to the course, has been sold out for longer. If you're expecting to find a decent hotel room in Southport itself at this stage, I'd be surprised.
What's still possible: Formby, 20 minutes south of the course, still has some options. Ormskirk (30 minutes east) likewise. Self-catering properties on Airbnb within five miles of Birkdale are worth checking daily as cancellations come up. Some serviced apartments in Southport town centre are still showing availability for certain nights of the week.
If you're coming for a single day, the accommodation situation matters less. The shuttle buses from Southport town centre to the course will be well-organised. You can park in town, get a shuttle, and not need to be anywhere near Birkdale overnight.
Tickets: the R&A is your only legitimate source
Championship round tickets are scarce. Practice round tickets (Monday to Wednesday, 13-15 July) are easier and genuinely worth considering if you just want the atmosphere without the championship-day crowds. You can get close to players on the range and fairways during practice rounds in a way that's impossible on Thursday through Sunday.
Check theopen.com directly. Don't buy from secondary sites at elevated prices unless you've exhausted legitimate options. The R&A does release returns.
Getting here: don't plan to drive to the course
Road closures around Birkdale during Open week make driving to the course impractical. The park-and-ride sites will be the main option if you're arriving by car. Details are published at theopen.com as the event approaches.
Train is the sensible choice from Liverpool. The Merseyrail Northern Line runs direct to Birkdale station, which is a 15-minute walk from the course. From Manchester, train to Southport takes around 75 minutes.
What the week actually feels like
I was here for the 2017 Open. I know what the town is like that week. Lord Street is busier than any other week of the year. Every restaurant is full by 7pm. The energy is genuinely electric in a way that doesn't happen at the Flower Show or any other event. It's one of the few times Southport is on every sports broadcaster's screen simultaneously.
It's also chaotic if you're not prepared. Traffic is bad. Parking is limited. Some residents in Birkdale rent their driveways. The seafront is busy. None of that is a reason to avoid it. It's a reason to plan properly.
💡Practical tip: if you're arriving by car and not using park-and-ride, Victoria Road car park (PR8 2LZ) and Marine Drive car park (PR8 1RQ) are the main town centre options. Both will be busy from early morning on championship days.
Ten weeks. Plenty of time to sort it properly.
If you haven't booked anything yet, you're behind but not out. Move on accommodation in the next week or two. Get your transport sorted. The rest will follow. And if you're already booked: good. You're going to have one of the best weeks of your life.
Full Open 2026 visitor guide for Southport:
The Open 2026 at Royal Birkdale: Complete Guide →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk. Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
