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Macdonald Hill Valley Spa, Hotel & Golf - Sapphire Course
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.
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Course Details
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5 Stars
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1 Stars
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5 Stars
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4 Stars
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3 Stars
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1 Stars
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Conditions3.1
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Value3.8
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Layout4.0
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Friendliness4.5
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Pace4.3
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Amenities4.0
Golfer Photos
Golfer Reviews
Greens where awfull
Not played the sapphire course for a while and wont be any soon the green where awfull big holes in them and not cut
Such a shame
Lovely lay out and could be a great little course but the state of the fairways and greens is appalling the greens are worse than most fairways why they have let this course go so bad and the other course looks in perfect condition
Tee off
Think in the winter this need winter tee boxes as we were sliding all over the place trying tee off also needs the bunkers sorting out apart from that good course will be back in the summer
Sapphire course
A little gem. Wet weather weeks before made it a little less enjoyable but that’s not the course fault. Nice little test.
Neglected and Scruffy
Seems the Sapphire has been forgotten and neglected by Hill Valley GC.
Tees were a mess.
Fairways unkempt.
Greens patchy.
Discarded cider tins and litter aplenty.
A real shame on what is a lovely layout.
Poor.
Abysmal course
Absolutely shocking course from start to finish. Very poor signage and no flow from each hole, its as if the space wasn't big enough for a full golf course so they have just squeezed in holes with no thought to where the next hole will be. None of the bunkers have been maintained for several years, and the greens are in very poor state. Half it them have been burrowed into and not repaired and the other have so many trenches and bald patches it was ridiculous. I will not be returning, even if it was free. I feel robbed paying £12 for a round.
Nice little course. Narrow fairways make it quite a challenge. Great scenery. and good value for money.
The bobble
The greens an tee boxes were in bad shape. All bunkers GUR first thought due to COVID but nope, they had no sand in them. Some of the greens were ok condition but the green keeper left a lot of big chunks of cut grass on them, not very true and bumpy, fairways were generally in good shape but the rough was brutal. short technical course but for the price wasn’t expecting much more. Enjoyed the round just felt the course robbed me of a few shots
Spend a little more, play the Emerald Course
It’s like the Sapphire course has been forgotten about. Overgrown fairways, cracked greens (a couple with burrows in!), flags are in a sorry state.
Yes it’s cheap to play the sapphire course, but it really is in terrible condition. Spend a little more and play the Emerald which is a great course
Worst course I’ve ever played.
Where do I start? That was the first question I asked my playing partner as we looked for the first hole, given that the tee boxes are quite difficult to find due to poor signage around the course. From then on it was a game full of new experiences.
The first sign we actually came across was the “All bunkers G.U.R”. Now, I know we don’t have the best summer season here in the UK, but in mid August would it be unreasonable of us to expect most bunkers to be be playable? It soon became apparent why....the ground staff have simply given up on this course. No sand, weeds in every bunker, rabbit holes, litter, even the odd old sock.
Luckily for us we didn’t actually have to play out, sorry, pick out of the bunker as we managed to make most greens. However, the greens became the next minefield....quite literally. They were unplayable. Every single one of them. They’ve cracked, been hacked to pieces, and not even cut. It was horrendous.
They might as well close this course down and focus on the bigger brother over the road. It’s pointless playing it, no fun whatsoever.
Unfortunately for fellow golfers but luckily for Macdonald Hotels, my photos of this course won’t upload as the files are too big. Just do yourself a favour and stay well away. It’s a waste of time and money.
Very poor
Greens where terrible looks like they have not been worked on for months,fairways look randomly cut .
The group in front of us where playing as a nine ball with 6 buggies.
We have played this course many times but wont be returning any time soon
Neglected but just about worth £12
Sadly neglected course in favour of its big brother over the road. Clearly a money issue I think. However £12 was about the right price. Would have been gutted to have paid more! Course unsurprisingly quiet so pace of play good, with several interesting par 3’s.
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