The countdown to The Open is well underway with under 50 days until one of the biggest sporting events in the world comes to Wirral.
The 151st Open is being held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake with the formal ticketed practice days on 16 to 19 July and the Championship days on 20 to 23 July.
The Open’s organisers, The R&A, say they are expecting some of the biggest ever crowds at an English golf course for the competition and tens of thousands will be coming each day.
Leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paul Stuart, said, “When The Open comes to Hoylake, the eyes of the world will be focused on Wirral, making this an incredible opportunity to showcase what a fantastic borough this is.
“With our ambitious regeneration plans, which are already underway, and amazing heritage and natural features, Wirral has an incredible amount to offer – and now millions of people around the globe will also be able to see what a great place Wirral is, whether it’s to visit, live, work or invest in.
“We can demonstrate that Wirral can be the best place to visit, start and grow our families and businesses.”
Local businesses are being invited to show their support by displaying a small welcome message to visitors and regular customers alike.
The welcome stickers, which are easily displayed on the inside of windows, were launched at a special meeting on Tuesday (6 June) with representatives from Wirral Council’s licensing team and the managers of licensed venues in Hoylake and West Kirby.
Members of the council’s Open delivery team will be distributing them to venues in the area in the coming weeks. Businesses can also collect one of the free stickers from the drop-in office at Hoylake golf course (Mon-Fri, 9am -12pm & 1pm-4.30pm).
With such a major sporting event there will be some changes for local residents and businesses during The Open as well as in the run-up to it and for a brief time afterwards.
Temporary traffic measures will be put in place to improve safety, cut congestion and ease traffic flow and the council is currently writing to hundreds of local homes and businesses surrounding the Royal Liverpool Golf Club area to advise them of these temporary traffic arrangements.
Other temporary changes being put in place include areas such as bin collections. All those affected will be told directly about this change. In addition there will also be extra teams out every day during The Open to clean the streets and remove litter but if you have any concerns about waste or litter during the event, please email open2023enquiries@wirral.gov.uk 
Also, don’t forget to sign up for the new Wirral Hosts The Open resident email to keep up to date with the latest information which affects you.
Image: The R&A
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