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Macdonald Hill Valley Spa, Hotel & Golf - Emerald Course
Rating Snapshot
About
Established in 1975, Hill Valley Golf and Country Club has a wide range of golfing and recreational facilities and welcomes visitors and members alike. Its boasts two fine courses and is proud to have employed Ian Woosnam in his early days as a professional.
Pro-shop offers a wide range of golfing equipment, tuition and buggy hire. Practice putting green and driving bays are available. Unwind in the a la carte restaurant or visitors bar. There is a separate bar for members.
Additional facilities include 28 ensuite bedrooms, gym, sauna, solarium, jacuzzi and snooker room. Hill Valley Golf and Country Club also offer a conference / function room for parties up to 200.
Winding its way through rolling, wooded countryside of immense beauty The Emerald Course derives its name from the abundance of mature greenery which presents an unbelievable aura of majesty. The course at 6693 yards from the Championship tees presents the very sternest test for the more experienced players but can be set up and adapted for even the most modest competitors, ensuring all round thorough enjoyment for all. Undulating fairways, natural water hazards and bunkers carefully and strategically placed makes this Course a true test for Golfers of all abilities.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 73 | 6693 yards | ||
| White | 73 | 6630 yards | ||
| Yellow | 73 | 6288 yards | ||
| Red (W) | 73 | 5509 yards |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White M: 73.4/141 | 471 | 405 | 411 | 196 | 524 | 187 | 501 | 434 | 370 | 3499 | 392 | 390 | 355 | 477 | 357 | 178 | 490 | 175 | 401 | 3215 | 6714 |
| Yellow M: 71.6/141 W: 72.7/131 | 455 | 371 | 370 | 173 | 512 | 177 | 467 | 378 | 351 | 3254 | 373 | 382 | 344 | 453 | 344 | 146 | 476 | 152 | 380 | 3050 | 6304 |
| Handicap | 17 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 10 | |||
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 73 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities, SpaAvailable Activities
Swimming, Billiards
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Seriously slow play
Course was excellent. In good condition. But unfortunately back 9 was seriously slow play. A really slow 4 ball just took all the enjoyment out of a really nice course. Over 5 hours golfing for us as a 2 ball. Waiting on every shot on the back 9.
Great round
Easy booking and good pace of play. Greens in good nick
Well managed course in good condition
Fairways and greens in excellent condition.
Pace of play good with wide fairways forgiving.
A challenge for even experienced players.
Great layout and value for money
We arrived at Hill Valley with a little trepidation after reading some of the reviews. Very pleased to report that the Emerald course as befits it’s name is a gem. It certainly is a shot makers course and you need to plot your way round. The course was wet in places but understandable given the amount to rain in recent weeks and certainly didn’t detract from a great days golf. The greens, if not perfect were very good. Special mention to the warm welcome in the pro shop. Amazing value for money as well.
Great course
This is a great course, challenging and long and in very good condition although there are a few minor blemishes on the greens.
Its quite peaceful and scenic and I can't wait to play it again.
Great golf and spa complex
Really enjoyed playing here even in the cold weather. Plenty of variety in the holes, nice scenery and well kept especially just after lockdown.
Great for a weekend with partners who are non golfers as they are catered for. Would definitely recommend and W look forward to playing again
Needs work
It's been about 4 years since I last played the emerald course here and always remembered it as a joy to play however on this visit I could not believe how poor the greens were I'm hoping it's just a little down to covid but other courses seem to be immaculate and maintained during lock down unfortunately I don't think this has been adopted here really need some work as this course has such a great layout that is enjoyable to have every putt bouncing like a basket ball doesn't give you any satisfaction or reward
Poor condition
Friendly staff and welcome. Course in average condition. Expected better. Stuck up members jumping holes causing us delay. No compressor to clean up muddy and grassy shoes and trollies. Not impressed.
Poor
Played this course plenty of times, by far the worst it been 2” of snow/Ice on the greens. Selling this course would be the best option for them accepting the offer is the right choice don’t let this go to ruin
Horrendous
Do not,I repeat do not book this golf course, after being placed into tier 4 and no fault of ours or any of the 2 x 4 balls I had booked we could not attend our booking as it was against the law, after contacting golf now to issue a refund 6/7 times each time I’m met with the same thing, the golf course will not answer the phone to issue your refund, the golf course have been no help whatsoever and basically a joke.
Snow stopped play
Although snow stopped play the staff gave us a voucher to come back whenever. Course was fantastic though despite the weather
Good days golf
Course played very well despite poor weather. Greens in fantastic shape. Good effort on collecting leaves etc.
Good condition despite rain.
Course played very well despite questionable weather the preceding week. Staff were great and app facilities open despite Covid restriction. Greens played a lot better than they looked which was a pleasant suprise. Will be back.
Great for the time of year
Great fun, challenging. Never held up up in play. Greens great for time of year
Very disappointed would not recommed
Although pro and staff very accommodating it was let down by a very..very poorly maintained course. Yes it had been raining for a few days before and was wet but we accept this but fallen branches everywhere, bunkers were the worse I ever seen, the greens were appalling, it just felt unloved like some courses we play, I'm really not sure MACDONALD hotels care about the course at all.
Hill Valley Golf Course
When we booked this course we were really satisfied with a £15 price tag. It’s not hard to understand why it was so cheap!
The course was just SO full of leaves it was impossible to find a ball even when it went straight down the fairway! We must have lost 20 balls between us and it wasn’t because of poor shots. The course was also holding a lot of water. Luckily I was carrying but others had trolleys and were struggling to get anywhere without lots of slippage. The mats we were playing off weren’t great and were coming away and curling up in places. When we finished the round and went to the 19th, we were told that the chef wasn’t very well and there was no food to be had. We asked for crisps and were told that there weren’t any. Ended up grabbing a burger on the way home!
All in all, the experience was very poor. The only good thing was the friendliness of the lady in the pro shop before the round. Had a good chat about lockdown before the round which was nice and there were very good one way systems to get in and out of the shop.
Too many leaves
All 18 tee’s were off matts. Struggled to find your ball with the amount of leaves on the course.
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