Hillies Golf Course

Quite possibly one of the most ridiculous experiences I’ve had at a golf course. A municipal nine-hole course that supposedly welcomes beginners and golfers of all abilities nearly refused access to my 10-year-old son because his four golf clubs were being carried in MY trolley bag rather than a separate bag of his own.

You honestly couldn’t make it up.

My son is 10, learning golf and trying to enjoy a round with his dad. He has four clubs of his own, which I carry in my trolley because, unsurprisingly, making a young child carry a separate bag and repeatedly take it off and put it back on every 30 feet is completely impractical. Apparently, a bit of common sense is too much to ask.

And before anyone suggests this might affect the pace of play, let me make this absolutely clear: IT DOESN’T.

He hits his driver off the tee, takes his 7-iron and carries it all the way to the hole, then gets his putter from my trolley bag when he reaches the green. That’s it. No messing about changing clubs every five minutes, no holding anyone up, no disruption to anybody. If anything, having his clubs in my trolley makes everything quicker and easier.

So what exactly is the problem? Who is being inconvenienced? What possible difference does it make where four clubs are stored when they’re his own clubs and he’s playing perfectly sensibly?

This is the sort of mindless, jobsworth behaviour that gives golf a bad name. Instead of welcoming a young lad into the sport, encouraging him to learn and making the experience enjoyable, we were nearly turned away over something so utterly trivial that it beggars belief.

The irony is that this is supposedly a relaxed, beginner-friendly municipal course. Apparently, that welcome only extends so far. Dress casually, be a beginner, have a go — but God forbid you carry four clubs in your dad’s trolley instead of having a separate bag. Heaven forbid anyone behind the counter should exercise a little judgement rather than blindly making an issue out of absolutely nothing.

Golf desperately needs to encourage more children into the game. This sort of attitude does precisely the opposite. Imagine being a 10-year-old, starting out in a sport that can already feel intimidating, only to have your day nearly ruined before you’ve even played a hole because someone in the pro shop decides to make an issue of how your clubs are carried.

It’s pathetic. Completely unnecessary and utterly counterproductive.

I have no issue with legitimate rules, but rules should have a purpose, and staff should have enough common sense and customer service skills to distinguish between a genuine problem and a perfectly reasonable arrangement. If there is a policy requiring separate bags, explain it properly. Don’t make families feel unwelcome over something that causes no harm and inconveniences nobody.

We came for a relaxed nine holes, not to deal with this nonsense. The experience has left a seriously bad impression, and I certainly won’t be in any rush to return.

My advice to the course: if you’re going to market yourselves as beginner-friendly, try actually behaving like it. Stop putting unnecessary obstacles in the way of children who want to play golf, and get your priorities straight. Four clubs in a trolley bag should never be more important than encouraging a 10-year-old to enjoy the game.

Absolutely ridiculous. One star.

Very short corse great for beginners but also good for improving your short game well worth the money

Good contact when booking

Tee time prompt

Pace of play,slow due to elderly couple in front using buggy inappropriately, time wasting

Course good ,greens v good,tees need improvement

Staff /facilities excellent

Course in very good condition, fairways nice and short , greens very easy to read speed and well cut.

Great value for money and perfect for a quick round. Some challenging holes with good layouts. Greens need some TLC in areas but for the price more than adequate. Staff friendly and helpful.

It’s a decent little course especially for beginners but the greens are in absolutely horrendous condition at the moment. No one really sticks to tee times so it’s sort of chaos at times. The general standard of play on there isn’t great so there’s balls flying everywhere and it’s not often you hear a fore shout so it can be quite dangerous at times. If you’re unlucky enough to play a bad shot and it end up on the hole to the side of you, there’s a good chance someone on that hole will probably just play your ball for you. If you’re a serious golfer it’s probably not the place for you but if you’re just starting out or just like a knock now and again it’s ideal. It used to be better value for money a few years ago but I think it’s actually a little bit overpriced when you see how bad the greens are.

Overall at £10.40 for 9 holes the price is brilliant, the greens are horrendous however, rest of course in decent nick.

A fun and quick course. While many courses are closed or partially closed with temp greens Hillies was surprisingly playable with no real issues at all.

Nice short course but not in great condition mainly due to the time of year.

Good nine hole course that has some challenging holes but unfirtunately as with a lot of municipal courses its not well maintained but still worth a visit.

It’s not only cheap it’s a cracking course, second time going and the fairways and cracking and green decent, really fun hilly course which give for a good challenge

As a beginner I really enjoy this course. Some challenging holes like the uphill 2nd and 9th but also fairly open layout to find any wayward balls.