Macdonald Hill Valley Spa, Hotel & Golf - Emerald Course

The course was really impressive and in good condition. There are a few hazards that aren’t visible from your tee shot and/or second shot which was a little challenging at times. A picture of the hole layout showing the hazards and distances to them would help. The green keeping staff were out on the front 9 which is understandable given our early tee time, however they weren’t very considerate to people playing a shot. The drinks on off in the lounge bar wasn’t great nor was the food he quality (a number of people returns their drinks whilst we were there). All in all good value for money and would definitely play again!

Easy booking and good pace of play. Greens in good nick

Fairways and greens in excellent condition.
Pace of play good with wide fairways forgiving.
A challenge for even experienced players.

We arrived at Hill Valley with a little trepidation after reading some of the reviews. Very pleased to report that the Emerald course as befits it’s name is a gem. It certainly is a shot makers course and you need to plot your way round. The course was wet in places but understandable given the amount to rain in recent weeks and certainly didn’t detract from a great days golf. The greens, if not perfect were very good. Special mention to the warm welcome in the pro shop. Amazing value for money as well.

This is a great course, challenging and long and in very good condition although there are a few minor blemishes on the greens.
Its quite peaceful and scenic and I can't wait to play it again.

Really enjoyed playing here even in the cold weather. Plenty of variety in the holes, nice scenery and well kept especially just after lockdown.
Great for a weekend with partners who are non golfers as they are catered for. Would definitely recommend and W look forward to playing again

It's been about 4 years since I last played the emerald course here and always remembered it as a joy to play however on this visit I could not believe how poor the greens were I'm hoping it's just a little down to covid but other courses seem to be immaculate and maintained during lock down unfortunately I don't think this has been adopted here really need some work as this course has such a great layout that is enjoyable to have every putt bouncing like a basket ball doesn't give you any satisfaction or reward

Friendly staff and welcome. Course in average condition. Expected better. Stuck up members jumping holes causing us delay. No compressor to clean up muddy and grassy shoes and trollies. Not impressed.

Played this course plenty of times, by far the worst it been 2” of snow/Ice on the greens. Selling this course would be the best option for them accepting the offer is the right choice don’t let this go to ruin

Course was excellent. In good condition. But unfortunately back 9 was seriously slow play. A really slow 4 ball just took all the enjoyment out of a really nice course. Over 5 hours golfing for us as a 2 ball. Waiting on every shot on the back 9.

Do not,I repeat do not book this golf course, after being placed into tier 4 and no fault of ours or any of the 2 x 4 balls I had booked we could not attend our booking as it was against the law, after contacting golf now to issue a refund 6/7 times each time I’m met with the same thing, the golf course will not answer the phone to issue your refund, the golf course have been no help whatsoever and basically a joke.

Although snow stopped play the staff gave us a voucher to come back whenever. Course was fantastic though despite the weather

Great fun, challenging. Never held up up in play. Greens great for time of year

Although pro and staff very accommodating it was let down by a very..very poorly maintained course. Yes it had been raining for a few days before and was wet but we accept this but fallen branches everywhere, bunkers were the worse I ever seen, the greens were appalling, it just felt unloved like some courses we play, I'm really not sure MACDONALD hotels care about the course at all.

When we booked this course we were really satisfied with a £15 price tag. It’s not hard to understand why it was so cheap!
The course was just SO full of leaves it was impossible to find a ball even when it went straight down the fairway! We must have lost 20 balls between us and it wasn’t because of poor shots. The course was also holding a lot of water. Luckily I was carrying but others had trolleys and were struggling to get anywhere without lots of slippage. The mats we were playing off weren’t great and were coming away and curling up in places. When we finished the round and went to the 19th, we were told that the chef wasn’t very well and there was no food to be had. We asked for crisps and were told that there weren’t any. Ended up grabbing a burger on the way home!
All in all, the experience was very poor. The only good thing was the friendliness of the lady in the pro shop before the round. Had a good chat about lockdown before the round which was nice and there were very good one way systems to get in and out of the shop.