Hillside Golf Club: The Most Underrated Championship Links in England

Hillside Golf Club does not get the recognition it deserves. It sits directly adjacent to Royal Birkdale, uses the same Lancashire duneland, and produces a round of golf that is genuinely comparable to its famous neighbour at roughly half the price. If you're visiting the Sefton Coast and you're not playing Hillside, you're making a mistake.

The course

Hillside runs through spectacular dune terrain. The back nine in particular is as dramatic as anything on the Lancashire coast: elevated tee shots over dune ridges, approaches played into hollows, greens set in natural dune amphitheatres. The 16th tee is one of the finest views from any tee box in England. You can see the Irish Sea clearly on a good day.

The course was redesigned by Fred Hawtree in 1967 and the routing is exceptional. It uses the terrain rather than fighting it. There are no forced holes, no architectural gimmicks. It's just a very well designed links course built on extraordinary land.

The condition

Hillside is maintained to a standard that would embarrass many courses charging significantly more. The greens are consistently fast and true. The fairways are firm links turf. The rough is natural and honest. In summer, the course plays fast and the ball runs. In winter, it's softer but still excellent.

Green fees and access

Current visitor green fees are £150-£185 depending on the season and day. A handicap certificate is required. Visitor access is better than Royal Birkdale: the club is genuinely welcoming to visitors and booking is more straightforward. You do need to book ahead rather than turning up on spec.

Compare this to Birkdale at £320 and Hillside starts to look extraordinary value. You're playing a course in the same dune system with comparable design quality for less than half the price.

The Open connection

Hillside has hosted the Open Qualifying and multiple European Tour events. It serves as one of the practice venues during The Open when Birkdale hosts the championship. Players use Hillside specifically because the conditions are so similar to Birkdale. That tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the course.

Who should play Hillside

Everyone who visits the Sefton Coast, honestly. For high handicappers who want genuine links golf without the punishing difficulty of Birkdale, Hillside is the answer. For low handicappers who want championship standard golf at a fair price, Hillside is equally compelling. For anyone building a Sefton Coast golf trip, it should be the first course on the list.