The Sefton Coast has suffered some of the most dramatic coastal erosion in Britain over the last half-century – and Formby Golf Club has felt it firsthand.

In the early 1980s, the club lost its seaside holes to the tide. We caught up with consultants Sam Cooper and Joe McDonnell to uncover where those holes once lay and how the land has changed since.

Donald Steel later rerouted the course, adding his name to a remarkable lineage of architects – Braid, Taylor, Hawtree, Colt, and now Cooper & McDonnell – who’ve each added their touch to a layout that feels cohesive, not piecemeal.