Silloth on Solway Golf Club: Course Review, Tee Times and Key Info

Silloth on Solway Golf Club Key Information

Silloth on Solway Golf Club is set in a beautiful county and heads the list of the best golf courses in Cumbria. This superb links would be far better-known if it were not quite so remote. As is the case at some other Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland, such as Royal Dornoch and Woodhall Spa, the club’s relative inaccessibility serves both as a blessing and a curse. For those who do make the effort as I did a couple of Summers ago, it is extremely rare for a golfer to leave with anything but positive memories of what is certainly one of the best links courses in the UK.

There are plenty of keen golfers who haven’t really heard of Silloth on Solway or who know little about it, and this is their loss as it’s a fabulous course that is more than worth any effort made to get here. It is also a course about which you will rarely if ever hear a bad word. Its rumpled fairways run serenely back and forth over a dreamy, idyllic, pastoral setting. Apart from the par-3 9th, it is not particularly heavily bunkered. However, all those that do exist are perfectly placed and can cause a great deal of trouble!

You will also need to avoid the abundant gorse and heather. I didn't! These, and whatever wind is present (there is never none), will test every department of your game.

Golf has been played here on the wild west coast of Cumbria since 1892 with Davy Grant responsible for designing this very strong links. It was one of the first to feature blind holes and sandy waste areas, and some changes were made later by Willie Park Junior.

The views alone are magnificent, over to the Galloway Hills to the north and across the Solway Firth, over the sea to the Isle of Man, and even inland to the lakeland fells to the south-east.

Highlights include the par-3 9th - Silloth’s own Postage Stamp - which plays from a raised tee down to a heavily-bunkered green. While it may not look too tricky, the green will shrink before your eyes, especially if the wind means a longer club is required.

The par-5 13th also asks a number of questions. There is a tight second shot through a gully, and then a pitch to a raised green that is cleverly shaped to reject all but the most precise approach.

Silloth on Solway regularly heads the list of the best value courses in the Top 100, and is actually one of the best value courses anywhere, especially for golf of such quality. It may be remote, but whatever effort you make getting here will be more than offset by a brilliant day out on the links. I also really enjoyed the informal atmosphere, so much so that I played a second round after lunch.

What The Top 100 Panel Said

Chris Boakes

As a horticulturalist, I would generally snub the use of artificial turf as with the revetted bunker faces here. But I must admit they were very tastefully done. Where moss had grown over, I almost didn’t notice the difference until closer inspection. Best value quality golf to be found in the UK & Ireland.

John Slater

If The Open Championship courses are the Premier League, this is a solid Championship division links. You would be happy to play here every day. The first hole tells you all about Silloth; lightly bunkered, well framed with a blind shot and a deceptive green.

Nicholas Hercules

Friendly members with the best polished shoes I’ve ever seen add a Silloth sparkle to the round on these timeless links. It never fail to charm or challenge from the scratch to the bogey golfer.

Silloth on Solway Location

Silloth on Solway Scorecard

Best Courses Near To Silloth on Solway

SOUTHERNESS

This beautifully-sited course sits on tranquil linksland between the sea and some brooding fells. It is a stern test with eight par 4s over 400 yards, the loveliest of which is the 12th which works its way from left to right down to the shore.

SEASCALE

The unusual links at Seascale occupies a relatively small plot of land and is a real gem. Standout holes include the scary left-to-right 3rd with OOB hugging the right, the par-4 9th which plays downhill to a green bordered by a stream, and the super-tough 16th which is played up to a blind green.

Best Places To Stay Near Silloth on Solway

The Golf Hotel, Silloth - Book now via Booking.com

A short walk from the club, this award-winning hotel offers en suite rooms with digital TV and modern décor. The restaurant offers a cooked breakfast, evening meals and packed lunches on request. The bar and lounge serve local beers and malt whiskies as well as afternoon tea and light meals.

Wheyrigg Hall Hotel, Wheyrigg - Book now via Booking.com

A few minutes drive away, this award-winning, family-run hotel is an old converted farmhouse with a garden, a bar and a restaurant. A full English breakfast is served in the large dining room and guests can enjoy frequently changing lunch, tea and dinner menus.

Silloth on Solway Gallery

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Historical Top 100 Rankings UK&I

• 2025/26 - 51
• 2023/24 - 51
• 2021/22 - 51
• 2019/20 - 47
• 2017/18 - 46
• 2015/16 - 51
• 2013/14 - 53
• 2011/12 - 55
• 2009/10 - 49

Frequently Asked Questions