Open Golf brought Christmas early for village bar

Pubs, bars and cafes near Royal Birkdale have said The Open Golf Championships have given them a much-needed cash boost.

The Grasshopper in Hillside said it had sold about 4,000 pints of draught beer and cider during the week of the event - equivalent to what it would normally sell in the run-up to Christmas.

Owner Katherine Harvey described the Open week as "crazy", but said a lot of the money had gone to cover increased overheads.

The 154th Open Championship was won by New Zealand's Ryan Fox, while Southport's Tommy Fleetwood finished tied fourth after a week of strong local support.

Harvey, who runs the bar with her husband Phillip, said: "We had to buy a lot more products faster and pay premiums to get deliveries every day.

"But we recruited locally. We didn't outsource anything."

Harvey said the pub usually had four members of staff, but brought in four extra workers for The Open, as well as herself and her husband.

She said regular customers also helped staff move furniture and wipe tables at the end of a long day.

"Our regulars were amazing," she said. "I couldn't have got through it without all of them."

In Birkdale, Samuels and Co coffee shop also reported a sharp increase in trade.

Director Joshua Rimmer, 34, said turnover was about three times higher than a normal July week, while coffee sales were also about three times higher.

"It's really bolstered us for the winter," he said.

"The numbers have been off the charts.

"It was lovely to see so many tourists supporting local independents rather than going to Costa, which is only a few doors down."

Rimmer, who grew up in Birkdale Village and previously worked in the golf industry, said the atmosphere across the village had been "fantastic".

He said leading golfers, including eventual winner Fox and world number one Scottie Scheffler, had been seen in Birkdale during the week.

"It's been great to see the big golfers use the village, not just hide away in their homes or hotel restaurants," he said.

Samuels and Co also worked with local photographer James Hogg, Royal Birkdale's official photographer, to produce golf-themed takeaway coffee cups.

Rimmer said Mr Hogg had given his time for free to help create "something special and fun" for visitors.

Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson said about 306,000 people had visited The Open, describing the week as "fantastic" for Sefton and the wider Liverpool City Region.

She said volunteers had handed out more than 40,000 leaflets promoting Sefton's towns and villages.

"The Sefton welcome was mentioned time and time again," she said.

The Liverpool City Region, alongside the Sefton and Wirral councils, has signed a commitment with The R&A to host The Open at least three more times by 2050.

Mr Rimmer said the area's golf coast was a huge asset.

"To have Royal Birkdale, Hillside, Southport and Ainsdale, Formby and Hesketh all on such a short coastline is amazing," he said.

"It brings so much tourism to the area year on year, and locals benefit from that as well."

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