Hillside Golf Club: Course Review, Tee Times and Key Info

Aerial view of Hillside GC

(Image credit: Beyond Drones)

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By Fergus Bisset

last updated 9 April 2025

Hillside Golf Club Key Information

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Address	Hastings Road, Hillside, Southport, PR8 2LU
Phone Number	01704 567169
Website	https://www.hillside-golfclub.co.uk
Email	secretary@hillside-golfclub.co.uk
Visitor Times	Mon, Thurs, Fri - 9am-12 noon, 2pm-4pm; Tues & Weds - some afternoon availability; Sat - Some availability after 3.30pm; Sun - 12noon-2pm
Par	72
Slope Rating	138 (Black), 137 (White), 136 (Blue), 128 (Yellow), 127 (Red)
Opened	1911
Designed by	Fred Hawtree

Golf Monthly Verdict

Hillside is an unusual and attractive links delivering quality holes and stunning views. Improvements made a couple of years back have elevated the offering. The front nine is strong and continues to be improved, but the back nine is where the course really shines. A succession of tremendous holes and some incredible views to take in.

REASONS TO PLAY HILLSIDE GOLF CLUB

– One of the best back nines in the country, the layout gets better and better on the way round.

– Follow in the footsteps of great players at a course that has hosted the British Masters and The Amateur Championship

– Unusual links with mature trees lining many holes

RANKINGS

UK & Ireland Top 100 Golf Courses 2025/26 - 30

Hillside is recognised as one of the most unique and challenging courses in our Top 100 golf courses UK&I.

The 2019 British Masters hosted by Tommy Fleetwood showcased the quality of the layout at Hillside, with both players and fans singing the praises of the layout. The event was won by Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult. Hillside is one of the best courses in Lancashire.

Hillside is an unusual links in that many of the holes are framed by mature pine trees. The towering dunes that line the fairways, particularly on the back nine, are long established and the thick rough that covers them is brutal in places.

The course begins gently, with a short par 4 then a reachable par 5. The test mounts from the 3rd – a challenging par 4 with water short and right of the green.

The front nine is excellent and I think much improved in recent years, but it’s on the back nine that Hillside really shines. In fact, in a letter to the club, Greg Norman has described the holes on the run for home as, “the best in Britain”.

The short par-3 10th takes you up and into the dunes, before the excellent par-5 11th (one of my very favourite holes in golf) sweeps to the left between the dunes then rises slightly to a sloping green backed by pine trees.

Elevated tees on the run in provide wonderful views to the Lake District in the north and Snowdonia in the south, but these shouldn’t distract from the sheer quality of the holes. The superb uphill 13th and par-5 17th are particular highlights.

Hillside Golf Club was founded in 1911, sharing its centenary with Golf Monthly this year. But the layout of the course as it plays today is more recent. Fred Hawtree completed an extensive redesign in the 1960s, with significant changes made to the back nine.

Martin Ebert of MacKenzie and Ebert oversaw a significant programme of improvements at Hillside over the winter of 2019/20. A good deal of work has been done to strengthen the course and it has been very successful.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

Jason Eaton

Far better than I remembered and the work undertaken to improve the front 9 in recent years is noticeable. I love the back 9. if you could be a member of any club in the UK playing only the same course for ever more then this would be a contender for me given the condition, the test and the visual appeal.

Mark Rollins

Great credit to the Hillside Team for designing and implementing the recent upgrades, which, given they look so natural, the first-time visitor is unlikely to even notice. The perfect combination of a top-quality course and “pleased to see you” atmosphere.

Nicholas Hercules

Verdant course with flat front nine and back nine running through tall dunes. Enlarged ponds have attracted more wildlife though no reference is made to this on their website. Sand scraps are attractive as are tall pines which frame many holes.

Hillside Golf Club Location

Hillside Golf Club Course Scorecard

Best Courses Near To Hillside Golf Club

For all the best courses in the area, check out our guide to the best golf courses in Lancashire.

Best Places to Stay Near Hillside Golf Club

The Vincent Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
This stylish 4-star boutique hotel has a 6th-floor gym and a relaxed restaurant with chic surroundings. The Vincent Hotel is on Southport's main shopping street. Just a couple of miles from Hillside.

Waterfront Hotel Southport - Book now at Booking.com
On Southport’s Promenade, the 4-star Waterfront Hotel Southport offers stylish rooms and a waterside terrace. The luxury hotel also has a modern fitness suite and an excellent restaurant.

Hillside Golf Club Course Gallery

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Hillside Golf Club Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I

2025/26 - 30
2023/24 - 31
2021/22 - 31
2019/20 - 34
2017/18 - 30
2015/16 - 30
2013/14 - 30
2011/12 - 32
2009/10 - 33

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a handicap to play at Hillside?

Yes - Handicap certificates are required to be shown by all visiting golfers

Is there a dress code at Hillside?

Information on Dress Rules from the club reads as follow:

REQUIREMENTS OF THE CLUB

We expect members, their guests and visitors to always be smartly attired both on and off the course. On the Course – Please wear recognised golf attire.

Golf shoes must be worn – metal & soft spikes are allowed on the course however only clean soft spikes are allowed in the Clubhouse.

Hats and waterproof clothing are not allowed in the bars or dining areas. Waterproofs are permitted in the 19th & 20th lounges.

Examples of inappropriate clothing - blue denim garments, tracksuits, cargo pants, casual t-shirts, football type clothing, gym wear, flip flops, soiled, worn or ripped clothing will not be allowed.

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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