Wallasey Golf Club

Wallasey Golf Club more than stands its own in England’s Golf Coast – a place area blessed with more of the nation’s best golf courses than any other area. 

Wallasey Golf Club is famously where Dr Frank Stableford – who invented the eponymous scoring format – was a member.

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While the yarn that he created the system as a result of being fed up with a ruined scorecard as early as the 2rd tee gives a flavour of Wallasey’s exacting start, it perhaps obscures the quality of this links.

This is proper stuff, make no mistake. It is a fixture in the ‘Next 100’ of our GB&I ranking and has bags of character and history.

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Founded in 1891, it is a traditional links overlooking Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea that was laid out by Old Tom Morris and later revised by James Braid.

It easily satisfies the most discerning links connoisseur with rippling fairways, hefty dunes, pot bunkers and an almost ever-present north-westerly breeze.

An Open qualifier, it is frequently in rock-hard but tremendous condition, so requires precise striking to control the ball.

The closing quartet are especially tough – but not so much so that you won’t be vowing to return as you walk off the green of the terrific 18th.

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In addition to Dr Frank’s inventive nature (the first Stableford was played at here in May 1932 and a plaque notifying visitors of the club’s part in history sits by the 2nd tee) Wallasey also has a fine collection of oil paintings – including an original portrait of Bobby Jones, who qualified at Wallasey for the 1930 Open he won at Hoylake. Jones had a copy painted for him and it hangs at Augusta.