King Kenny Kicks Off Formby Hall Anniversary Celebrations

The Liverpool legend joins in Formby Hall's 25th anniversary celebrations

King Kenny
(Image credit: Gareth Jones)

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, affectionally known as King Kenny, joined the 25th anniversary celebrations at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa on August Bank Holiday weekend

King Kenny Kicks Off Formby Hall Anniversary Celebrations

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, affectionally known as King Kenny, joined the 25th anniversary celebrations at Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa on August Bank Holiday weekend, the course he officially opened back in 1996.

King Kenny

King Kenny poses with the trophy ahead of the 25th anniversary celebrations at Formby Hall [Gareth Jones]

Dalglish, who's no stranger to the fairways in the north west of England, was part of the field of 160 men, women and junior golfers competing for the club's inaugural "Anniversary Cup".

And although everyone had eyes on the trophy, including Dalglish, who has his fair share of silverware, the day was an opportunity to raise funds for the Paper Cut Project and Woodlands Hospice.

Related: 20 Things You Didn't Know About Tommy Fleetwood

A Fine Place To Celebrate

Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa has been strongly linked with Liverpool Football Club since opening, and it's where current boss Jurgen Klopp took his team to celebrate after winning the Premier League title in 2020.

Klopp knows more about padel tennis than golf, but former Reds manager Dalglish is something of a golf nut and he's well qualified to discuss Formby Hall's credentials.

"Formby Hall is a wonderful golf course that I’ve loved to play over the last 25 years," he said.

"There’s a great team at the club and I was really happy to come along today and help mark the occasion."

King Kenny

King Kenny stripes one down the fairway [Gareth Jones]

Mark Williams, Golf Manager & Head Professional, who has been with Formby Hall for 13 years, added: "It is extremely satisfying to be involved in the 25th anniversary milestone celebrations, having seen Formby Hall flourish and develop into the vibrant resort that we have today.

"Today was the perfect way to acknowledge how far we’ve come and with aspirations and continued investment from our owners.

"I am excited to be involved in the next chapter for Formby Hall and to see how the resort will develop over the coming seasons."

Tommy's Place

Tommy Fleetwood, whose Academy is based at Formby Hall, would have relished the chance to go head to head with Dalglish, but the Evertonian was busy preparing for the Italian Open.

Tommy Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood is a frequent visitor to Formby Hall where his academy is based [Getty Images]

The Southport man recorded his first professional victory at Formby Hall when he claimed the Formby Hall Classic in 2011 on the EuroPro Tour.

With exciting plans in place for the Merseyside venue, you can be sure the five-time European Tour winner will be back for a round soon - as will King Kenny.

Michael Weston
Contributing editor

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. As a multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the men's European Championships, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers, and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's now a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including six world number ones, and has attended and reported on many Major Championships and Ryder Cups. He's a member of Formby Golf Club.