Formby Hall Golf Club

I visited this course 20/9/2012 and was extremely impressed.The quality of the greens were excellent, fast and true. The course is a tough one for the high handicappers as there is lots of water not only at the edges of the fairways but also in front of greens. There are lots of decisions to make...go for it or lay up! The course certainly makes you think thrice! The bunkers are also excellent and are links style with riveted faces...the only issue I had on the day was the length of the round...5 hours!! We were behind a three ball on a corporate event day and it was quite clear that they were non golfers, a course of this "difficulty" should warrant handicap certs. We stayed for a meal afterwards, the service was excellent and food although a tad expensive was good... Overall a tremendous course for the value with good facilities and service. We will definitely go back. I would recommend if the likes of Hillside, Birkdale and Formby are too expensive for your pocket.

Being a local I've played this course a few times now in the past few weeks and it's always been a challenge every time.Greens in superb condition (glass like)and well spiked for this time of year,the fairways also in really good nick cut sharp and well maintained by the excellent work of ground staff having been one myself at Formby ladies/Gents.I thoroughly recommend this course to anyone who is a keen golfer and likes parkland links courses.This is a fine example of a PGA approved course here in the Northwest.There is also a very difficult par three course just outside the grounds which is also water based,all in all a spectacular view from the 7th green looking towards the complex a must for any photo album!!!!.Holes to watch are 3rd,5th,7th,11th,12th,14th(558yrds from yellow tee,15th,18th.at this time of year your best bet is to get on the first at the latest by 11am due to it going dark at around 4pm. 10/10

Played on a twilight rate £25 with a 5pm tee time. In all honesty not overly impressed with the course. water features on virtually every hole which became quite tiresome even though i only visited one !!!! the back 9 were better than the front 9. the 14th and 15th were IMO the best two holes on the course. The greens although lightening quick were not in good nick with pitch marks a plenty. Great driving range and a lovely bar and restaurant on site. To sum up £25 decent value but had i paid the full price (double that) i would have felt let down. would probably play it again at £25 but there is plenty of choice in the area for that sort of deal

Played on a Sunday/Monday deal first weekend in October, following heavy rain the previous couple of days and that morning that had seen such Celtic Manor unable to get players out in the Ryder Cup. The clubhouse facilities are first rate - "swanky" was a comment used by one of our group. The pro shop staff were pleasant enough, and the practice facilities excellent. When we arrived at the course, we got a glimplse of the first green, which was practically under water. The 9th and 18th greens were in a similar condition, so we assumed there was no chance of play at any point during the day. An hour later, with the rain having eased a little, we were teeing off with conditions underfoot extremely wet, and that 9th green still resembling a lake - they just don't want to offer us our money back was the general feeling. Astonishingly, we didn't find a green all the way around that was holding water - even that 9th green had cleared by the time we played it. Some of the fairways had standing water, and we'd agreed preferred lies was order of the day, but that aside it was fine. The pro had told us how quickly the greens drained, and he was proved right to our pleasant suprise. This is strangely not an overly tight course, though water is in play on so many holes, but it is fairly long, made longer by the ground conditions which gave no run at all. I wouldn't actually say it's an overly difficult course if you're playing anything like, and I imagine you wouldn't be at all overawed when dry. The greens weren't at their best, far too many unrepaired pitch marks over the season looked to have taken their toll, but they were ok, particularly considering the weather. Bunkers had no sand in them, so were very difficult to play out of. The conclusion in the end was to play out of them as by nipping the ball as if you had a tight lie around the green, taking little or no sand. The following day most standing water had completely gone, though negotiating the bridge across the brook between 7 and 8 was entertaining! The only thing I would say is I've never played any course where I've repaired so many pitch marks - I was doing half a dozen plus per hole! Tee beds and fairways were well maintained, and there are some super looking holes on the course. I imagine on a normal day holes 3, 7, 10 and 18 are really good risk reward holes, but in these conditions were almost impossible to take on so laying up was order of the day. The 4th was a great hole, as too were 11, 12 and 17. The hotel is superb. Good spa facilities, rooms recently refurbished and very well done to the highest quality, food excellent, and drinks not ridiculously expensive compared to some I've been to - though clearly not your local pub rates! The staff were great too - very welcoming, very friendly. As a package, £89 for 2 rounds of golf, dinner bed and breakfast represents fantastic value and is very difficult to argue with. Well worth a visit and we're sure to return at a later date.

Our Golf Society visited Formby Hall last weekend, playing 2 rounds on the Sunday and Monday. We were all very impressed with the condition of the course. The greens were in particularly good condition. I've based my "Value for money" rating as a 10 due to the fact that for £79 each, we had 2 rounds of golf, a 3 course evening meal, an overnight stay and breakfast - fantastic value for money. The only complaint I'd have is that the pro shop ran out of water on Sunday morning and didn't replenish their stocks until Monday afternoon. Given that it was the hottest weekend of the year, I felt that they should have made more of an effort to get more in.

The first thing to hit me on this course was its condition - so well maintained - pga academy was good too - didn't think I needed any tips (who does!) but the guys there were very helpful, and have definately added something to my game. Overall great resort - a certain return neext time I am up on the coast.

Played the course last week on a winter warmer deal and found it to be in excellent condition. The greens, fairways and tee boxes were pristine given the recent rain and general poor weather. With bacon sandwich and hot pot included for £30 should definitely be considered as course to play in the winter months when many others are closed.

This is now an excellent course to play. It is well maintained, has many water features and good greens. It is an ideal course for society golf with generous fairways. Having played at Formby Hall in its early days when I found it did not meet my expectations, the improvements made to the course over the last five years or so are significant - those concerned should be commended for their efforts.