Golf Open Championship 2026 at Royal Birkdale: Parking Guide

Golf Open Championship 2026

The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale from Sunday 12 to Sunday 19 July 2026 for its 154th edition — four practice days (Sun–Wed) followed by Championship play from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 July. It's one of the biggest events in the UK sporting calendar, landing on one of the trickier postcodes in the North West to drive into.

The picture is simpler than it looks. There's no public parking at Royal Birkdale, and the residential streets in Birkdale and Hillside village are locked down by a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order. But the wider Sefton area — central Southport, Ainsdale, Formby, Crosby — has thousands of spaces, and Merseyrail drops you 300m from the main entrance. Park a bit further out than usual and you're fine.

This guide covers how to pre-book the best parking near Royal Birkdale on JustPark, the public transport options to finish your journey, the official Park & Ride, and a tip for locals looking to earn extra across Open week.

When and Where Is The Open? Dates and Schedule

For everyone searching "where is The Open" this summer, the answer is Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside — under two miles from Southport town centre, tucked into the sand dunes of the Sefton coast. Founded in 1889 and granted its Royal charter by King George VI in 1951, Birkdale is consistently ranked among the world's finest links courses and has hosted The Open more often than any venue bar St Andrews.

Here's the day-by-day breakdown for the 154th Open Championship:

• Sunday 12 July 2026 — Practice Day 1 Open to spectators. Best day to walk the course and get close to the players before the championship proper begins.

• Monday 13 July 2026 — Practice Day 2 Includes a Celebrity Pro-Am in the afternoon. A relaxed atmosphere and shorter queues than the championship days.

• Tuesday 14 July 2026 — Practice Day 3 Final practice. Players finalise game plans for the week. Worth attending for player access.

• Wednesday 15 July 2026 — Practice Day 4 The Open's bespoke fourth Practice Day, featuring a dramatic 12-player qualifying contest for the final Open spot, plus short-form challenges testing the biggest names in the game.

• Thursday 16 July 2026 — Round 1 The Open Championship begins. The crowd builds fast after midday and the first scores hit the leaderboard.

• Friday 17 July 2026 — Round 2 (Cut Day) Drama on every hole as the field is whittled down to those who'll play the weekend. The afternoon is peak atmosphere.

• Saturday 18 July 2026 — Round 3 (Moving Day) The leaderboard reshapes. Widely regarded as one of the best days in all of sport for atmosphere.

• Sunday 19 July 2026 — Round 4 (Final Round) The Champion Golfer of the Year is crowned and the Claret Jug presented.

The Open Championship — also widely known as The British Open or simply The Open — is one of golf's four men's majors and the only one staged outside the United States. It's the championship that gives every winner the title of Champion Golfer of the Year and the keys to the Claret Jug.

The Open 2026 Tickets

Tickets for the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale were allocated through the official Ticket Ballot, which closed on 25 July 2025. Successful applicants were notified in waves through August and September. The official Ticket Resale platform is the only legitimate route to additional tickets at face value as Open week approaches — anything via secondary marketplaces sits outside The R&A's official channels.

Driving to The Open 2026? Pre-Book Your Parking on JustPark

Pre-booking your Open Championship parking on JustPark is the cleanest way to lock in a space without circling Southport on a packed Sunday afternoon. The key thing to know up front: you cannot park at Royal Birkdale itself, and the residential streets immediately around the course are covered by a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order for the duration of the Championship.

No parking on Waterloo Road or the streets through Birkdale and Hillside village — those are reserved for residents, accredited media, hospitality partners and officials. Park there and you risk being moved on or ticketed, and you'll miss significant play sorting it out.

The good news: Royal Birkdale sits under two miles from Southport town centre and one Merseyrail stop from Formby, so there are thousands of spaces within easy reach. You just need to drop the car a bit further out and walk or take the train the final leg. Your JustPark options:

• Southport town centre and seafront — driveways within a 20–40 minute walk of Birkdale, often closer still to a Merseyrail station. Bars and restaurants on hand for a pre-round drink and a post-round meal. These go fastest.

• Ainsdale and the Hillside fringe — just outside the TTRO zone, 15–25 minutes from the course on foot. The closest legal option you'll find.

• Formby — one Merseyrail stop south of Hillside. Driveways at a fraction of central Southport rates, with a quick onward train for a clean exit at the end of the day.

• Crosby and Waterloo — further south on the same Merseyrail line. Useful if you're coming in from Liverpool or via the south.

• Liverpool city centre — park on a JustPark driveway near Liverpool Central or Moorfields, take the Northern Line direct to Hillside, and stay overnight in the city.

• Maghull, Ormskirk and the M58 corridor — best if you're driving in from the M6 or the east. Typically much cheaper than central Southport, with the Northern Line into Liverpool and an easy onward connection.

What about the official Open Park & Ride?

The R&A also runs an official Park & Ride for spectators arriving by car or motorcycle, with VMS signs and black-and-yellow AA event signage directing traffic from the M6, M55 and M58 to managed sites away from Birkdale. Dedicated buses run between each site and the main spectator entrance.

It's a valid option if you'd rather not pre-book, but worth knowing that overnight parking is not permitted, return queues for the shuttle can be lengthy after Sunday's final round, and you have no control over which site you end up at on the day. Pre-booking a JustPark driveway gives you a fixed-price space you know is yours before you set off.

Getting to The Open by Public Transport

Royal Birkdale is one of the best-served major sports venues in the UK for public transport, and Merseyrail is genuinely the best way in.

• Train (Merseyrail): Hillside is the nearest station to Royal Birkdale — 300m (a 4-minute walk) from the main public entrance. Services run at 10-minute frequency at peak times, with easy connections from Northern Rail at Southport and National Rail at Liverpool. Tap & Go contactless on a bank card works at either end.

• National Rail: Northern and Avanti West Coast into Liverpool Lime Street, then Merseyrail to Hillside via Liverpool Central. From Manchester, change at Liverpool; from the south, Wigan or Liverpool; from Scotland, Preston.

• Bus and coach: Local buses into Southport and Birkdale run as normal but expect diversions across Open week. National Express coaches into Southport town centre connect onto Merseyrail for Hillside.

• Cycle: Free bike parking near the main entrance. Sefton's coastal paths make this a pleasant option from Southport, Formby or Crosby.

• Walking: Southport town centre to Birkdale is 30–40 minutes along the seafront — easy if you're staying in town.

Live in Southport, Formby or Sefton? Rent Out Your Driveway

You don't need to be heading to The Open to benefit from it. With around 250,000 spectators expected across eight days in Birkdale — and no public parking at the venue itself — residents in Southport, Birkdale, Ainsdale, Hillside, Formby, Crosby, Waterloo, Bootle and the wider Sefton area can earn easy extra income by listing their driveway or off-street parking space on JustPark.

You're fully in control — set your own availability, pick your nightly rate, and manage everything through the JustPark app. Whether it's a single Championship day or all eight days of practice and competition, it's one of the simplest ways to turn an empty driveway into real money this summer.

Driveways within walking distance of Hillside, Birkdale and Ainsdale Merseyrail stations are in particularly high demand for the open golf championship — anything within a 15-minute walk of the train will book out fast.

Secure Your Open Championship Parking Today

With no parking at Royal Birkdale itself, a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order across the residential streets immediately around the course, and around 250,000 spectators expected across eight days, the British Open Championship is one of the busiest weeks of the year for parking in Sefton. Pre-booking a JustPark driveway in central Southport, Ainsdale or Formby — and walking or taking a quick Merseyrail hop to Hillside — is the simplest way to skip the chaos and arrive at Royal Birkdale ready for the golf.

Book your Open Championship 2026 parking on JustPark and turn up to Royal Birkdale sorted.