The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale runs 12 to 19 July. I have lived in Churchtown for 41 years and I have been here for Open Championships before. Here is what actually changes and how to navigate the week if you live here rather than visiting.
What Gets Difficult
Traffic is the main issue. Birkdale village is effectively a no-go area for through traffic on championship days. The A565 southbound into Southport from Formby gets congested in the mornings. Waterloo Road and the roads immediately around the club are controlled with closures and enforcement.
Parking everywhere in the Birkdale area fills up by 9am on championship days. If you need to be south of town for any reason during Open week, allow an extra 30 to 45 minutes and do not plan to park anywhere near the course.
Restaurants will be full. The good ones will be booked solid for the entire week by the time you read this. If you want to eat out somewhere decent during Open week, book now.
What Gets Better
The atmosphere in the town is genuinely worth experiencing. Lord Street is busy in a way it rarely is. The pubs are packed but in a good way. There is an energy to Southport during Open week that you only get when 250,000 people are in and around the town over seven days.
The independent restaurants and pubs make more effort during Open week because the demand forces them to. Birkdale village has a specific buzz to it in the evenings. If you are not going to the course, spending an evening in Birkdale village during Open week is worth doing for its own sake.
Southport Market is a good option all week. No booking, high quality food, and it does not feel overwhelmed in the same way the sit-down restaurants do.
Getting Around
Stay off the A565 between Formby and Southport on championship mornings. The Coastal Road through Ainsdale is a reasonable alternative. Within Southport, the town centre is largely unaffected. The congestion is around the course and the shuttle corridors, not the town itself.
If you need to get to Birkdale on a championship day for a genuine reason, go early or after 7pm. The roads clear considerably once the golf is done for the day and the spectator buses have run.
Full transport guide for The Open 2026:
Getting to the Course →Practice Round Days
Sunday 12 to Tuesday 14 July are practice round days. The town is noticeably quieter on these days than during the championship rounds. If you are thinking about going to the course, practice round tickets are still available from The R&A and the experience is genuinely excellent. Closer to the players, full access to walk the course, less crowd pressure.
Things Worth Doing During Open Week
- →Evening in Birkdale village: restaurants, pubs, the atmosphere from being close to the course
- →Practice round tickets from theopen.com: still available and underrated
- →Southport Market for a relaxed lunch without the reservation pressure
- →The Atkinson for an hour away from the golf noise if you need it
- →Avoid Waterloo Road and the Birkdale residential streets on championship morning
The complete Open 2026 visitor and spectator guide:
The Open 2026 at Royal Birkdale →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk. Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
