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Macdonald Hill Valley Spa, Hotel & Golf - Sapphire 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.
Shorter but no less demanding the Sapphire course at 4765 yards presents quite a different test for Golfers of any standard, with an abundance of water careful and skilful club selection and equally competent execution are paramount and make this course the ultimate challenge for exponents of the short game. Sharpen up this, the most important aspect of playing, and you will undoubtedly reap the benefits which will show in the improvement of your scoring.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 66 | 4765 yards | 64.0 | 124 |
| Yellow | 66 | 4449 yards | 63.1 | 122 |
| Red | 66 | 4079 yards | 65.0 | 455 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White M: 64.0/124 | 388 | 157 | 360 | 123 | 326 | 166 | 314 | 149 | 323 | 2306 | 104 | 288 | 301 | 190 | 308 | 477 | 310 | 169 | 348 | 2495 | 4801 |
| Yellow M: 63.1/122 | 379 | 150 | 345 | 114 | 262 | 155 | 298 | 136 | 310 | 2149 | 90 | 250 | 293 | 169 | 302 | 466 | 297 | 132 | 306 | 2305 | 4454 |
| Red W: 65.0/122 | 288 | 150 | 345 | 114 | 250 | 152 | 298 | 127 | 275 | 1999 | 90 | 250 | 293 | 105 | 294 | 466 | 297 | 95 | 244 | 2134 | 4133 |
| Handicap | 5 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 4 | |||
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 66 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Conference Facilities, Banquet Facilities, SpaAvailable Activities
Swimming, Billiards
Reviews
Reviewer Photos
Course should not have been open , feet sinking into the green and will damage the greens and very wet and waterlogged
Course should not have been open , feet sinking into the green and will damage the greens and very wet and waterlogged
Slow
Took us 4.5 hours to get through 14 holes before we walked off - massive issue with slow play here
Course is fine but could be improved
Quite a lot of money for what is not a very well maintained course. The lay out is good with some interesting holes but some of the greens are hard work due to burnt ground, worm casts and rabbit holes.
Poorly maintained course - needs investment!
I suppose for £12 on a Saturday morning at 7am I shouldn’t expect too much!
I was looking for somewhere to play first thing on a beautiful Saturday morning and this was the only course anywhere within 25miles that had a tee time!
The fairways didn’t appear to be maintained, the greens bobbled and jumped around - they were rutted and had weeeds on them plus it here doesn’t appear to be any standards, I saw people with trainers, t-shirts and hoodies on the course.
I think they should turn the Sapphire into a municipal as that is how it feels,
Sapphire in Winter
Course conditions as you would expect for wet winter golf. It was very boggy in places, tee boxes were okay, and the greens were in good condition all things considered.
Narrow fairways, and challenging holes with slopes and raised greens made for a decent day of golf.
Only thing I would say is green fees possibly a little high considering other courses around Shropshire which are great condition for the time of year.
Get what you pay for
For the £15 I paid, I can't complain, the fairways are slightly long and the greens are very slow and some are a little cut up, but on the whole the course is good for the money.
The only thing I didn't like about it was the fact we had a 3 ball Infront of us who wouldn't let us play through and was holding us and 8 others up as they were that slow.
Poor
This course could be so good but very little care as been taking with it.
Greens are poor,trees could do with been cut back as many holes have stupididly narrow approaches because of overhanging branches but it was fun to play but we will not be back
Excellent Value!
Lovely course, just needs some TLC around the greens.
Lovely course, poorly maintained
It was such a shame as it is clearly a very clever and well designed course but not enough is being done to maintain it.
Although short, it is tricky with narrow tee shots and unforgiving hazards, a wayward shot is a lost ball.
Drainage of greens is a disaster and has massively compromised these surfaces.
Very enjoyable round!
For the price it’s excellent value. Not overly long but a good test especially for the higher handicapper. The course does need a bit of TLC on the greens. Played on 4th August 2021.
Greens and tees shocking
Teeboxs were rock hard, almost impossible to get a tee in, fairways were very good, greens awful, reminded me of a municipal course in the 90s, various shades of brown scorched earth and the one green that had been watered was flooded for half the hole. Will not be returning any time soon.
Treacherous course.
Hill Valley Sapphire was a nostalgic visit as my wife used to be a member there not long after the golf courses opened. Then the Sapphire was only a 9 holes course and it was on that she first learned the game. 40 years on the trees have grown up and another 9 holes have been added. It is a pity the course has been a bit neglected. The bunkers were not in play and we could see why with almost no sand and full of weeds. The greens left a lot to be desired, although the fairways were very good. It is a very testing course and could be so much better after a bit of TLC. The hills and valleys were tiring for us in our 60's and a wee bit treacherous underfoot. My wife tripped and fell in a rabbit hole on the 13th fairway (I think) and hurt herself that she could not finish the round. Thankfully she was OK later on.
Re the bar service: As much as the food at the bar was good, the wait for service was too long. Fully 40 minutes from order to getting the food and drinks on our table and twice I had to remind the staff about drinks I had ordered and not received. So in a few ways Hill Valley needs to smarten up.
Greens
Played the courses at hill valley many times. It’s in a lovely location fantastic views, the course was in great condition it was such a pity the greens did not match up
Greens in poor condition. Chunks missing. Looks like the poor man's course, compared to other course on site
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