Macdonald Hill Valley Spa, Hotel & Golf - Sapphire Course

Played the sapphire course and regretted it almost immediately we were given the wrong scorecards so didn’t have a clue what was going on, pace of play was poor as 3 teenagers playing out one bag in front of us. General condition of the course was awful everything was broken signs, tee boxes etc greens in a very poor state. First few holes absolutely no way of finding your ball due to all of the leaves on the fairway. Signposting no good either

Walked off at 15 as couldn’t put up with it any longer

I played this course at a quiet time of year after some bad weather. The course is a nice layout with some testing holes. I played it by myself as I was on holiday with just my wife in the area, I payed £15 for the round and for that much it’s a steal. They did call out prior to tee off they’d had bad rain and the greens had been sanded so the greens not being in great condition was expected before teeing off. The only other issue I’d call out is signage around the course is not great and it can be tricky to work out where you’re heading next. Other then that no complaints. Lovely and helpful staff and a great deal

Ive played this course before and will play it again, very nice course in good condition and great value for 18 holes, one of the area.

The Sapphire Course at Hill Valley is a shorter, par-66 layout measuring just under 4,800 yards. Despite its modest length, it offers a thoughtful test of golf with narrow fairways, water hazards, and well-placed bunkers that reward accuracy over distance. The design encourages careful shot selection and a strong short game, making it appealing to both newer players and those looking to refine precision.

Course conditions are generally well kept, and the routing provides a varied mix of holes that keep the round engaging without being overly punishing. It serves as a quicker alternative to the Emerald Course, but still delivers enough challenge to remain interesting throughout. Overall, the Sapphire Course is best described as compact, strategic, and enjoyable for a wide range of abilities.

A lovely welcome in the pro shop and my son got given a free ball marker, little things like that can make a lads day.

A tough short course especially some of the par 3’s surrounded by water, narrow fairways on some holes made it a technical round of golf.

Not sure what’s happened to the course recently, I know the weather has been very up and down but huge chunks of the greens were just completely bare. Which is a huge shame as I really enjoy the course especially for the price. Hopefully the greens team are able to restore it as it’s a great little course

Got to be the worst golf course in England . Smallest greens but you still needed a driver to putt how they say the greens are fine is a mystery I do think the pro who said there fine is in the wrong job he should do stand up . Don't get me started on the facilities haven't been updated for at least 20 years and it stinks food is just as bad never ever ever again .

Enjoyed the golf. Greens not in the best condition. Pro shop staff were very good. Bar staff disgusting, myself and my wife went into the bar for a drink after playing, waited 3 minutes then bar staff walked passed us twice without acknowledging us then walked off.we left in disguised. Good experience ruined.

The Sapphire course is not long in overall distance, but is technical challenging. Tee box ask for shots to be shaped both ways and with a number of two tiered greens it’s a perfect course to test yourself on

Have played the Sapphire umpteen times but not for about 3 or 4 years. I have to say that the hotel have finally put the work in to tidy up the course which is now in very decent condition. The greens are still a bit ragged but you can see they have been worked on so this was all very pleasing. It's still a tough challenge off the tees but exactly how it should be. Really good value for money at the moment and not too busy. Staff were really helpful as well as I needed to phone them up and delay my booking for 24hrs which they were more than happy to do.

Greens were absolutely dreadful, as were the tee boxes. You can tell which course the greenkeeping staff see as a priority. As the title says, can understand why it’s only £15 so can’t complain too much. Generally speaking the tight, short course is a challenge but wouldn’t play it again due to my first comments.

4 out of 5 stars but course conditions let it down. Not sure if this is a regular occurrence but the greens were in very poor condition, particularly the first 6 or so holes. If course conditions improved this would be an outstanding course.

Was looking forward to playing the sapphire course after really enjoying the emerald course previously. The setting is beautiful and the layout is fine, although signage on the course isn’t the best. The greens were in a poor state and the tee boxes were similar. The course is tight and challenging but quite short. If this had the TLC it deserves it could be a gem.

Not played the sapphire course before, but gave it a try as we were very impressed by the emerald course which we have played before. Signage needs to be improved, tee boxes and greens were not great at all. This is a very tight pretty little course, which could be stunning given some tlc. Wouldn’t play this course again.