Golf Tourism England's 2027 convention runs 25 to 27 July at Formby Hall, ten years after the first one was held there. A pre-event trip to Royal Birkdale and Hillside is planned.

Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa will host the Golf Tourism England Convention from 25 to 27 July 2027. The trade body confirmed the venue and dates in its August newsletter, which describes the choice as “returning to where it all began ten years ago”.

The convention is the annual buyer-and-seller event for England’s golf travel trade. It brings international tour operators together with the clubs, resorts and hotels that want their business.

What the convention is

Golf Tourism England describes itself as “the trade body that brings together golf clubs, hotels, resorts, and tour operators to grow England’s share of the global golf tourism market”. Its members include championship courses, hotels and specialist tour operators.

The 2026 convention, its seventh, was held at Saunton Sands in North Devon, according to the body’s events page. Its own report on that event describes the format:

  • a seminar programme on the Monday morning, led by the host venue and the local destination body
  • a “speed dating” session on the Tuesday, where operators and venues hold short pre-booked meetings
  • golf on the host course
  • a gala dinner

The body says the small scale is the point. Delegates have already met over coffee, golf and dinner by the time the formal appointments start, so the meetings go straight to business.

Why Formby Hall

The newsletter sets out the case in the venue’s own terms. Formby Hall sits on England’s Golf Coast, with Royal Birkdale, Hillside and Formby Golf Club as near neighbours. The resort itself, per the same source, has:

  • an 18-hole championship course and the shorter Woodhey Dunes course
  • a PGA golf academy
  • spa and leisure facilities
  • 76 bedrooms and suites
  • 200 acres of parkland

The resort opened in 1996 and the hotel followed in 2008. The original Formby Hall, built in 1523 for the Formby family, still stands as a private residence and is visible from the 16th hole.

The timing is not accidental. Royal Birkdale staged the 154th Open in July 2026, won by Ryan Fox, and the convention will arrive a year after the world’s golf trade last had the Sefton coast on television for four days.

A familiarisation trip is planned

Golf Tourism England says it is “looking at building a pre-convention FAM trip into next year’s plans”. The idea is that visiting operators play some of the neighbouring links before the main programme begins. It names Royal Birkdale and Hillside alongside Formby Hall itself, and says more details will follow in a later issue. That is a plan, not a confirmed itinerary.

Timeline: 2017, first Golf Tourism England convention held at Formby Hall; July 2026, the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale; July 2026, seventh convention at Saunton Sands, North Devon; 25 to 27 July 2027, eighth convention returns to Formby Hall
Key dates on the road to the 2027 convention. Sources: Golf Tourism England, The R&A. Graphic by Southport Today.

What it means for you

  • Local golf clubs and hotels: the people who sell golf holidays to England will be in Formby for three days. Membership of Golf Tourism England is the route in; the body asks anyone interested in joining and attending to contact Andrew Cooke at acooke@golftourismengland.com.
  • Other businesses: delegates stay, eat and drink locally. Sefton’s visitor economy was worth £716.9m in 2025, and events like this one are the trade end of that figure rather than the day-tripper end.
  • Residents near the resort: the convention is a small, closed trade event, not a spectator one. There is nothing in the announcement about road closures or public access, and we will report any traffic arrangements on our Southport roadworks and travel page nearer the time.

Every fact above is from Golf Tourism England’s own publications and The R&A’s Open Championship site. We will report the familiarisation trip itinerary if and when the body confirms it.