# Formby Golf Club



## Captainron (Apr 29, 2012)

Hidden away along a tree lined driveway, pulling up to Formby Golf Club really gets the pulse racing. An impressive clubhouse with friendly staff welcome you to one of the most famous courses in the North West. Host to many Championships, most recently the 2009 Amateur Championship won by a young  Matteo Mannasero.   The views from the clubhouse are magnificent . You can see a lot of the holes on the Formby Ladies Links which is totally surrounded by Formby Golf Club.   After an excellent club sandwich and some coffee I got stuck in.
Formby opens up with two par fours and a par five which run north along  a railway line, these and the short fourth lull you into a false sense of security and are holes where a good score is possible should you avoid one of the many bunkers. The fairway bunkering on the course being both clever and penal,  rarely affords you the opportunity of an heroic shot to the green. The fifth is a great little par three which plays longer as its uphill and into the prevailing wind.  A gully on the right pulls any weak faded shots into it, making any par unlikely. The course then bears its teeth with the hardest holes being from six to nine. The sixth, which also plays into the prevailing wind, is a tremendous hole with a testing drive obscured by a huge dune on the left which draws your eye to three bunkers on the right. The second shot is blind to a large green without any bunkers but severe run offs which gather any mishit shots. The seventh is a gorgeous short par 4 with a split level fairway. Ideally you should try and draw the ball to the lower slope leaving a 120 yard uphill shot to a long green with some severe slopes. A par is a great score on this hole. The eighth is a brute of a par 5 back into the wind.  The fairway runs out at around 270 yards and playing for position is key in order to leave yourself with any chance of making the green in two. The green slopes heavily from back to front and taking  two putts from anything outside 20 feet is an achievement.  The ninth again plays into the prevailing wind and anything other than a good drive leaves you too far back to reach the green. After this the course becomes much more links like. The tenth is a solid par 3 and the eleventh with its amphitheatre green is a good test of your iron play. Twelve and thirteen are fairly similar holes and are you good birdie opportunities.   The fourteenth is a dog leg left where the corner can be taken on as it plays down wind but be careful as OB runs all the way down the left. The fifteenth is a tough driving hole where you need to be dead straight to thread your ball between two large dunes. The downhill second shot is obscured by another two dunes in front of the green. Sixteen is a short par three which plays all of its 120 yards as being short leaves you in one of two deep bunkers.  The seventeenth is a short par five which provides the best birdie opportunity on the course.  The two tiered green is this holes main defence so make sure you hit the right level. The par four finishing hole looks short from the tee but a massive green adds about 50 yards and makes club selection for your second key.  
Given the recent rain Formby was extremely playable and there was no standing water anywhere on the course and the bunkers were great. The greens were furry but ran true and allowed you to commit to your putts. I can imagine that in the height of summer any iffy putters will struggle to two putt on many of these sloping greens.  Formby provides hole after hole of entertainment, agony, thought and pleasure. It rightly deserves its place in the top echelons of courses in the UK. I would play there again in a heartbeat.


----------



## In_The_Rough (Apr 29, 2012)

Good innit and tough as old boots. When did you play there? Just to think a lad at my college went round in 62 the other week


----------



## Captainron (Apr 29, 2012)

Played on Friday afternoon when the weather was at its best it has been for the past 2 weeks.  62 is some score around there.


----------



## In_The_Rough (Apr 29, 2012)

Captainron said:



			Played on Friday afternoon when the weather was at its best it has been for the past 2 weeks. 62 is some score around there.
		
Click to expand...

Well done on picking a nice day Friday in the NW was very nice. Yes 62 is unreal round there, 10 under I think it is. Still he is an England International that has a handicap of +4 so he can play a bit


----------



## Foxholer (Apr 29, 2012)

Played this a few years ago and remember loving the front 9, including the 6th that some folk hate (because of the blind 2nd). Last few holes werea tad disappointing, but only compared to the front 9.

Played Hillside the following day and thought that was slightly better overall, but definitely a nice place to play golf!


----------



## Liverbirdie (Apr 29, 2012)

Very well described, and I can still picture each hole (which is the sign of a good course).

Next year I will be taking advantage of the Â£200 for a fourball option again, which they had on in March.

How was your night out in Liverpool, and was Eccleston a let down, after the glory that is Formby?


----------



## In_The_Rough (Apr 29, 2012)

Yes Hillside is better. Although I was new to Golf when I played it so hacked it round rather than getting to enjoy it properly. Looking back on it now I realise what a super course it is the back 9 in particular is fantastic


----------



## Piece (Apr 30, 2012)

Excellent review. We're playing Formby in October (as well as Lytham), having already played Formby Ladies in 2010.


----------



## Snelly (Apr 30, 2012)

Nice review.  Lovely course Formby.  

I agree that Hillside and Birkdale are better but it is a very nice course all the same. Southport and Ainsdale is super too..


----------



## In_The_Rough (Apr 30, 2012)

They are all good round there really. Hesketh is another good un to try.


----------



## thecraw (Apr 30, 2012)

Any pictures?


----------



## Captainron (May 1, 2012)

thecraw said:



			Any pictures?
		
Click to expand...

Took loads on a Nikon 3100 which mt sister brought me from Japan. Took the sd card out and put it in the computer and a message popped up saying the thing needed to be formatted. So I am going to go to a photography shop and get them burned to disk and upload them. The course is beautiful


----------



## Foxholer (May 1, 2012)

Remembered one more thing about this course.

There were lots of pheasants about - or one real ******* one! Squawked at the top of virtually every one of my swings - only mine! And on those it didn't squawk, it was nearly as off-putting NOT hearing it! :angry:


----------

