Bolton Open Golf Course

Bolton Open Golf Course, Bolton, North West, England, BL2 4JY

01204597659 |

20 reviews of Bolton Open Golf Course

This course is now only a 9 hole course. Greens and tees in awful condition, no proper flags in the hole. The club house and driving range have been closed down. The yardage markers on the tees are all wrong due to the change in the playing order of the holes. i used an old score card with the hole numbers changed in pencil. having said that i only paid £5 so i suppose you get what you pay for.

Posted by Tom on 21/04/2013
2
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Overall Rating 2
  • Overall Ratings
  • Green conditions 2
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 2
  • Staff service 3
  • Value for money 3
  • Green conditions 2
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 2
  • Staff service 3
  • Value for money 3

I've heard from a friend that this is now a 9-holer as they've let the rest overgrow, when i played it was the full 18 & i didn't enjoy it, the course layout itself was interesting enough, but the greens were a disgrace, the bunkers should have been staked off as water hazards as there wasnt a bit of sand in and a lot of them had filled with water or were squishy bogs....not fun!

Posted by Darren Yates on 06/03/2012
2
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Overall Rating 2
  • Overall Ratings
  • Green conditions 1
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 2
  • Value for money 3
  • Green conditions 1
  • Clubhouse 1
  • Course challenge 4
  • Staff service 2
  • Value for money 3

The worst course i have ever played and an absolute disgrace to be charged to play there, the greens are like dry river beds with no live grass on them. The potential of this course is great but needs a lot of money spending on it, the pathways are death traps and if you have an electric buggy, forget it.

Posted by Barry Wheeler on 05/07/2010
3
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Overall Rating 3
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 1
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 1

haven't played this course for a few years, beacause basically i have never liked it.decided to give another try and took with me 2 work colleagues who are new too the game. i would like to be positive with my review but i can't, this course is the worst golf course i have ever played on, my back garden has more grass on than the greens, the drainage is awful, no sand in the bunkers and the 17th and 18th holes must surely be the worst 2 holes ever put on a golf course. one of my colleagues who has only ever set foot on a golf course 4 times was in total agreement with myself and we all agreed that we would rather pack in playing golf than play this awful course again.

Posted by neil kirkpatrick on 16/07/2008
2
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Overall Rating 2
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  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 1
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 1

I have recently taken up golf and have played several courses. Overall, I think Bolton Open is an outstanding course for the money (£10, or £6 after 4pm). As other reviewers note, the rough is punishing and sliced drives will result in you delving into your bag for a new ball but I say the more challenging the better. The 17th is not a good hole and I've seen better greens but this shouldn't be a distraction from the fact that the 18 holes overall offer so much in terms of variation (i.e. uphill/downhill/doglegs/long drives/accurate drives/sand bunkers/water hazards/sloping greens/trees/ditches/blind approaches etc. etc.). I have found some courses to be a bit boring and repetitive where as Bolton Open has numerous memorable holes. My personal favourites are the elevated 6th, the fiercely bunkered 11th and the short & painful 17th (believe it or not!). Unlike other reviewers, I have found the staff to be unusually friendly. Typically I find staff at golf clubs to be borderline-contemptuous, especially towards beginners and non-members. Yet at Bolton Open recently, the man behind the counter gave me loads of advice about my swing and playing golf in general. In general, the club shop staff are talkative and jovial. Overall, the course's faults are far outweighed by its features. For £10, there can be no justifiable complaints.

Posted by Mark Green on 10/09/2007
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 5

As a total beginner i found this course quite challenging. Having played the course half a dozen times id recommend it to fellow beginners. True some of the yellow tee area's are matts (6 & 18) and 17/18 are really poor holes. However, good value for money and will contiue to play there.

Posted by Lee Wood on 18/08/2007
3
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Overall Rating 3
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  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 2
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4

THE NEW MOSTON CLUB GOLF SOCIETY WE PLAYED THIS CCOURSE ON SAT14/07/2007 WHEN WE ARRIVED IT WAS VERY WET BUT THE OWNER SAID WE COULD PLAY THERE WERE 9 PLAYERS IN OUR GROUPE AFTER 3 HOLES THE SUN CAME OUT AND WE HAD A GREAT DAY IT IS A VERY DIFFICULT COURSE BUT WE ENJOYED IT THE STAFF WERE VERY FRIENDLY AND THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT WE WILL BE GOING BACK IN THE NEAR FUTCHER

Posted by ANTHONY MOWBRAY on 17/07/2007
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

Having played many municipals where you get your driver out at every par 4/5 because there is no penalty for hitting a bad shot, Bolton Open was refreshing. The rough is suitably punishing, several tee shots require accuracy rather than distance and you can be caught out with some well placed fairway bunkers, but the rewards for taking on the hazards are usually worth the risk. On the down side, the greens were quite poor and the 17th and 18th provide the worst finish to a golf course that I have seen. On the whole though, an enjoyable day.

Posted by Craig Shorrock on 30/05/2007
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4

EXCELLENT course it has all the challenges you need from a course,The fairways have been well looked after the greens play well and if you hit a slicer you,d better reach for a new ball.The 6th hole is a corker hitting off a elevated tee to a green under pylons, real tester of nerves, enjoy playing this course as it will test your game guarnteed.

Posted by mark hainey on 08/07/2006
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 4

I have been playing at Bolton Open for nearley a year now, and as some of the other comments surgest in the winter it does have a drainage problem but the staff do as much as they can given the poor weather of the last few winters. Regardless i find Bolton Open one of the most interesting courses i have played. Not too long with bits of elevation some tough holes and some easy. My favourite being the 5th probably my favourite par 3 out of all the local courses around the Greater Manchester Area. Definately worth a look for 12 quid! and the sausage butties are grand!!!!

Posted by carl a on 25/08/2005
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

Generally enjoyed our round. Nothing like as bad as some of the comments here suggest, but perhaps that's because we played in summer. Despite the 17th being one of the shortest holes I've played, it didn't stop me missing par!

Posted by M Brown on 09/07/2005
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4

Although this is not long, and can suffer in parts from poor drainage, Bolton Open is a challenging course for all levels, with most of the holes being very tight. Staff have been very friendly and the course is reasonably well looked after, just wish kids would stop steeling the pin from the 8th!

Posted by Tony Pate on 09/05/2004

As an 18 year old and 10 handicapper, i have played on 37 different golf courses in my life. Having played the Bolton Open course, i can say without doubt this course is amongst the worst 3 i have played. Fairways are poorly managed, holes are short and too narrow, yardage markers are completely inacccurate and when thinking about the course i cant think of a single impressive hole. The 17th is an absolute joke of a hole(the worst golf hole i have ever played in my life) and the 18th is that narrow that any top professional would struggle to keep the ball in play. I wouldnt recommend this course to anyone.

Posted by Tommy B on 10/07/2003

Played on a very sunny day but after a lot of rain. The course was in poor condition and some paths/fairways were very muddy. The course it not suitable for trolleys (especailly the path to the 6th green). Some very interesting holes with the 6th and 17th being my favourites. You do loose a lot of balls if you are not careful. Overall not bad for 12 pound but it needed to be in better condition and with better directions to next tees. Staff not friendly to visitors. We were about 5 minutes before our tee time and were basically told to "hurry up and get out there"

Posted by Martin on 01/06/2002

This course has really improved recently. It's £8 Mon-Thu and £10 Fri-Sun. The new holes are open parkland style, the old 9, dense woodland. Greens on all holes are excellent. They've really been working on them and the results are superb. All fairways & bunkers are well maintained but drainage is still a problem on the new 9. The hills really are a nightmare though... Bring your hiking boots. And some of the pathways between holes just turn to liquid in the rain. They've tried to improve navigation with directions to tees painted on the grass. Signs would be most welcome though! You will loose a few balls (there's some difficult holes and lots of trees) but I didn't think it was as bad as some comments here. All in all, I really enjoyed by couple of rounds.. just prepare to get muddy & out of breath!

Posted by Phil on 29/09/2001

For a relative beginner like myself the course is a nightmare. Wayward drives means lost balls and the hole where you hit down over a small wood through electricity pylons is shocking. The greens were in fairly good nick, but some of the hills are terrible. overall not too bad but you can tell it was a 9 that was expanded

Posted by Will on 14/06/2001

Bolton open is a good course in the summer. It will always suffer because it is trying to marry an established 9 holes with a new 9. the old 9 are a pleasure to play and well worth the £8 mid-week. Unfortunately the new 9 are wet and not as challanging. I enjoyed my round. Don

Posted by don on 06/04/2001

The course is in ok condition not too long,but a course on which you need to hit the ball staight,For £8 it represents good value for money in a no frills attached envionrement the bar was ok,but food was overpriced and very poor a would not recommend eating there,But as for a cheap round of golf on a primitive course this is okay.staff were unfriendly towards non members

Posted by PHIL on 24/03/2000

The course is too hilly and is very badly managed. There are no indications to next tee's and the greens are very poor indeed. I would not recommend it for the price because there are better options.

Posted by on 11/08/1999

On first impressions the course looks fine, but once you get to the 6th tee, its rather shocking because of the footpath you need to cross before getting to a very intimidating hole. When they mean rough it really means rough, because it is literally impossible to find a ball within it. Course is also far too hilly for golf purposes and is rather strange because by the evening flags get taken away and then you realise that you have made a mistake in paying £8 for a round. I would recommend in Bolton -- Regent Park, or for the richer people the Marriott in Worsley Dillian

Posted by Dillian on 11/08/1999

Course information

Number of holes 18
Year opened -
Designer -
Style parkland

Tee information

TeesYardsParSSS
Competition
Men's600068
Ladies'

Green Fees

Summer/High season

Weekday round£8
Weekday day-
Weekend round£12
Weekend day-

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