Royal Birkdale, 12 to 19 July 2026. Eight weeks out. The Championship is a reality now, not a thing that's coming. Here's the honest picture of where Southport stands and what's still available if you haven't sorted everything yet.
Accommodation: What's Gone, What Remains
The hotels on Lord Street (The Scarisbrick, The Vincent) have been fully booked since the end of last year. Birkdale village B&Bs are gone. The Travelodge near Ocean Plaza still has some availability. Self-catering properties within a mile of the course are largely taken.
What's still available: accommodation in Preston, Wigan, and Blackpool is viable if you're using the train. The park and ride scheme from Southport and surrounding areas removes the need to be close to Royal Birkdale. Some visitors are staying in Liverpool city centre and training it to Birkdale station.
🚂Merseyrail runs direct from Liverpool Central to Birkdale station, which is a short walk from the course. During Open week services are increased. Don't drive to the course. Road closures around Birkdale are significant and residential street parking is enforcement-controlled all week.
Tickets
Championship round tickets (Thursday to Sunday) are sold out through official channels. Practice round tickets for Monday to Wednesday are still available on The R&A website. Returns for championship rounds occasionally appear on Ticketmaster. The R&A does not sanction resale on third-party platforms at inflated prices but it happens.
If you don't have a ticket, you can still come to Southport for Open week. The atmosphere in the town is good. The pubs have big screens and there are fan zones. Read the guide below for what's on.
Restaurants: Book Now
If you're planning to eat at a specific restaurant during Open week, book now. Not next week. Now. The Warehouse Kitchen on Duke Street is typically eight weeks out by this point. The Bold Hotel on Lord Street fills for dinner by early June. Even the pubs are taking reservations for tables during the championship rounds.
The restaurants that will still have walk-in availability during Open week are the chains near Ocean Plaza and the fast casual spots along Lord Street. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want somewhere specific, sort it this week.
What Southport Will Be Like
Busy. Properly busy, in the way it hasn't been since the last Open at Birkdale in 2017. The seafront will be packed on the weekends. Lord Street will be busy every day. Marine Drive car park will be full by 8am on championship days.
It's also going to be brilliant. This town does Open week well. The atmosphere is good, the golf crowd is respectful, and Southport genuinely enjoys having the Championship back. If you're here, lean into it rather than trying to avoid it.
Everything you need to plan your Open week visit:
The Open 2026 Guide →Terry
Chief Editor, SouthportGuide.co.uk. Lives in Churchtown with his wife,
four kids, and Frank the bulldog.
