In Volume 1 of The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, Tom Doak writes that.

“The course lies just across the railway line from Hillside, but with its clubhouse at the opposite end, it has a much different feel, playing away from town on the outward nine and back in at the finish. The dunes are much smaller than Birkdale, but a minefield of bunkers punctuates the design. The one famous hole is the par-5 16^th, with a famous sleepered cross-bunker called Gumbley’s looming for the second shot. 5 – 6 6.”

Formby received a score of 5 out of 10 from Tom Doak and two 6s from his co-authors.