A quiet front nine by the railway, then a back nine deep in the Birkdale dunes.
Hillside shares a boundary fence with Royal Birkdale, and for years it was mentioned mainly as Birkdale’s neighbour. That has changed. A front-nine renovation completed in 2021 lifted the holes along the railway, and the back nine still runs through some of the tallest dunes on the Sefton coast. The club has hosted three Amateur Championships and DP World Tour events in 2019 and 2022. You can play it for noticeably less than the Open venue next door.
Contact the Secretary’s Office on 01704 567169 or through the enquiry form on the club website; there is no public online tee sheet. A 50% non-refundable deposit secures the booking, though it can be moved to another date if you cannot play, and the balance is due one month before your round. Every player must hold a World Handicap System handicap and be ready to show it to the professional or secretary, but no maximum is published. Visitors play from the blue tees, 6,571 yards, or the yellows, 6,151 yards. Rounds are expected to take under four hours. Groups of 16 to 72 can book a society or corporate day.
Midweek spring rate, 1 March to 18 April 2027 (£225 on Sundays). £315 midweek and £352 at weekends from 19 April to 30 September 2027; £195 midweek from 1 October 2027. The club notes prices may change.
| Spring 2027, midweek | £195 |
|---|---|
| Spring 2027, Sunday | £225 |
| Summer 2027, midweek round | £315 |
| Summer 2027, Saturday or Sunday | £352 |
| Summer 2027, midweek day ticket | £352 |
| Autumn 2027, midweek | £195 |
Hillside was founded around 1911 on Hill Side farm as a nine-hole course and moved onto the seaward side of the railway in the 1920s. Fred Hawtree’s overhaul in the 1960s, built around moving large volumes of sand, created the back nine the club is known for. Martin Ebert reviewed the whole links in 2018 and remodelled the front nine in three phases from 2019 to 2021. The outward half plays over flatter ground beside the Southport line; the inward half isolates each hole in its own dune corridor, which Jack Nicklaus counted among his favourite stretches. From the black tees it measures 7,109 yards at par 72, though visitors play the blue or yellow tees.
Pair Hillside with Royal Birkdale on the same trip rather than the same day, since both reward fresh legs. The midweek summer day ticket costs the same as a weekend round, £352, and is the cheaper way to see the back nine twice. Report to the professional’s shop on arrival; balls on the practice ground are free and need no token. The club asks for rounds under four hours, and scorecards, course planners and pin sheets are in the shop.
Hillside station on Merseyrail’s Northern Line sits beside the club on Hastings Road, roughly 40 minutes by train from Liverpool Central. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is about 45 minutes away by road and Manchester Airport around 70 minutes. If you drive, keep to the 20mph limit on Hastings Road.
Nearby: 1. Royal Birkdale Golf Club (0 km) · 2. Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club (2 km) · 3. Hesketh Golf Club (6 km) · 4. Formby Golf Club (7 km) · 5. West Lancashire Golf Club (14 km) · 6. Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (14 km) · Compare all England’s Golf Coast tee times
Southport is the obvious base, a few minutes north by train or taxi. Lord Street’s canopied Victorian parade has the Bold Hotel and several smaller places within walking distance of restaurants, and the Royal Clifton faces the sea on the Promenade. Birkdale village, a short walk from the course, has guest houses and its own cluster of bars. For a self-contained stay with parking, Formby Hall Golf Resort & Spa is about 15 minutes south.
Royal Birkdale is across the fence, Southport & Ainsdale is a few minutes south, and Hesketh, the town’s oldest club, is at the northern end of Southport. Formby is a short hop down the railway line. For a rest day, the Atkinson on Lord Street combines a theatre, gallery and museum, and WWT Martin Mere, the wetland reserve near Burscough, is about 20 minutes inland and busy with migrating swans and geese in winter.
These packages have a confirmed round at Hillside Golf Club in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds
Rounds: Royal Liverpool · Royal Birkdale · Royal Lytham & St Annes · Formby · Hillside
Stay: England’s Golf Coast between Liverpool and Lytham
Three Open venues within an hour of each other, with Formby and Hillside as the rounds locals rate just as highly.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
Hillside closed for maintenance from 19 October 2026 and its fees page lists the course as closed until mid-March 2027, though it also prices a spring rate from 1 March. Confirm your exact opening date with the office. Fairway mats are compulsory in December, January and February when the course is open.
Explore golf by monthYes. Hillside welcomes visitors and handles bookings through the Secretary’s Office by phone or enquiry form. A 50% deposit secures the tee time, and you need a valid WHS handicap. It is closed to visitors for winter maintenance from late October.
Hillside’s 2027 summer rate is £315 midweek and £352 at weekends, with £195 in spring and autumn. Royal Birkdale’s published visitor fee is higher, so many groups play Hillside as their second Southport round.
Hillside station on the Merseyrail Northern Line is right beside the club on Hastings Road. Trains run regularly from Liverpool and Southport, so you can travel without a car and walk straight to the pro shop.
Yes. Two-seater buggies can be reserved through the professional, but only for full driving-licence holders. The fees page lists £35 a round and the 2026 visitor notes list £40, so confirm the current price when you book.
Last checked 10 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesFlat fairways in deep dune valleys, an Art Deco clubhouse and eleven Opens.
Heather, pine and two classic courses, a short train ride from Waterloo.
Thirteen Opens on an old racecourse, with Hilbre Island and the Dee estuary beyond.
