The Open Championship, or the British Open, as it's called in the United States, returns to Royal Birkdale this July. If you're planning to make the trip, or simply "planning to plan," now is the time.
Royal Birkdale is located in Southport, England, just north of Liverpool. Being near such an urban 
center as Liverpool should provide traveler with a number of choices for lodging, even at this relatively late date.
As of today's date, there are at least a couple of hotels with rooms remaining for the Open Championship week, according to AboutBritain.com:
- Holiday Inn, Haydock - Located between Liverpool and Manchester, certainly within commuting distance to the Open. Rooms start at £135 per person.
- Britannia Adelphi - Located in Liverpool. This hotel was first built to accomodate passengers of the Titanic. Rooms start at £64 per person.
Both hotels were given 4-star ratings by AboutBritain.com.
As for attractions, virtually everything in Britain is within a relatively short rail trip. In Northwest England, there are six castles, 15 gardens, two amusement parks, 54 museums, and lots of beautiful countryside, just to name a few things.
Time is of the essence if you want to see the Open Championship and stay nearby.
Alan L. Hammond is a freelance golf and travel writer. He can be reached via this blog, at ashwriting@insightbb.com or through Suite101.com.
In golf, we've cause and effect backwards. We keep trying all those mechanics we think the pro's use, but the pro’s are not using them. They are simply swinging with good timing and balance and the mechanics are the outputs of their swing, not the inputs. A DIFFERENT WAY TO (MUCH) BETTER GOLF by RH Clark, shows how to shift from a mechanical approach to one that explores balance and timing. See www.golfdifferently.com for more details.
Posted by: rh clark | December 14, 2008 at 01:59 PM