Heaton Park Golf Centre

Heaton Park Golf Centre, Prestwich, North West, England, M25 2SW

0161 654 9899 | E-mail golf course | Golf course website

35 reviews of Heaton Park Golf Centre

Showing 25 most recent reviews. View all reviews

Havn't played this course for about 15 years until last summer. I'd forgotten how difficult it was. Its massive and you need to be very fit if not using a buggy, it took me two days to recover. Nice looking course though with good veiws

Posted by John D on 20/12/2011
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Green conditions 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Staff service 4
  • Value for money 4

Not quite sure what to make of Heaton Park. Personally I really enjoyed playing it and I palyed it very well (3 under my handicap on the first time I played it and with lots of blind shots is not bad). But in many ways municipal courses are about encouraging new golfers to start the game. And Heaton must be hugely intimidating for beginners. There are several great driving holes for me as a decent golfer who hits the ball a long way off the tee but some beginners or older members must quake in their boots when they see drives like on 15. Its also very hard walking so maybe there are no older members anyway! That said the layout is superb. The greens did have a lot of grass on them and were slow but were true enough. But some of the 2 tier greens were cleverly designed and had you feeling you were playing on a exclusive private club. Value for money is unbelievable - I paid a twilight rate (after 2pm) of £11. Thats quite outstanding. But this is a course for more experienced golfers - novices should find somewhere easier in the area.

Posted by Tony Wears on 08/08/2010
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

Played the course midweek in mid July. Considering the previous reports, i was very dissapointed - yes the course is a superb testing layout but the general condition for mid July was poor. The Greens were very poor - the slowest i've played all year (including playing all through the winter on temps), tee boxes were very muddy & the length of the grass on many of the fairways was around 1-2 inches deep - more like semi rough. The layout is excellent with hardly a flat hole hole, this does make for some superb elevated tee shots but also makes the course tiring - i would reccomend hiring a buggy if you dont like a good walk in the hills. The course has a good mix of holesmany of which have blind shots with a couple of superb long par 3's, one of which is blind (and 225 yards off the daily tees!!!). One drawback of the hilly layout is some of the tees are blind from approaches to other holes and we were nearly hit twice on the tee on the back nine. Good value for money on the midweek rate of £16 but superb value if you play before 9 or after 12 in which case you can use 2-for-1 vouchers. This may come accross snobbish but its a shame that the course is a municipal - if it was a non-muni course with better care it would be superb, its very similar in play and feel to Reddish Vale at stockport but unfortunatley in nowhere near as good condition. We didnt use the facilities but they did appear reasonably good and the pro-shop staff were friendly.

Posted by Paul Cockerham on 22/07/2010
4
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Overall Rating 4
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  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 4

The first thing i can say about Heaton Park is WOW! what a monster! I played on a thursday in the second week of may, course was very quiet which was good for me. As other reviewers have already said, if you don't enjoy walking up and down hills then avoid this course, buggies can be rented from the clubhouse though. A lot of the teeshots are absolutely fantastic, looking downhill over the hole you are playing, when you hit a good drive it inspires confidence, hit a bad shot though and you will be in trouble! 11th and 15th holes are very intimidating, especially the 15th where only a long high drive will clear the trees, i lost a couple of balls here, if you manage to make it up the hill to the green on the 17th, take a few moments to catch your breath and enjoy the view on the 18th. Value for money is very good, especially if you book on one of the booking websites, off course facilities are also very good with a nice bar and big changing rooms. Looking forward to playing this course again in the near future!

Posted by Darren Yates on 03/06/2010
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

Played about 4-5 times. it's a great course, brilliant value. Some testing holes, some thinking mans holes and some holes so hilly you'll think you'll expect to see snow on the green. Greens are generally very good, bunkers can be poor (lacking in sand)and can be dangerous with many second shots out of sight of the T, so you get balls flying at you if you are held up playing to the greens. The only down side witht this course is management - they cram players on - a 4ball T's off every 4 minutes at weekends. quite often you can wait for 12 people to drive off (20-25 minutes) from the 3rd or the 5th. This generally annoys some players and they try to rush behind the pair in front causing too many sets of golfers on each hole just standing around. 5-6 hour rounds are common (and nothing seems to be being done about it). If you want to take on the challenge this great course has to offer, my advice is to play on a weekday, enjoy the great value and take in the scenery whilst you are getting your breath back (oh and take a couple of extra balls for the signature holes). I'm sure I saw Tiger Woods the other day, getting beat by Woosie i think......

Posted by Ian Woosenham on 28/04/2009
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

I will get right to the point, you will never play a better municipal golf course. £17 for absolutely top quality greens, stunning scenery and a helluva walk. We played it on a scorching day at the start of June and it nearly killed us. If it wasn't so well presented we would probably have given up as we were shattered by the 13th. Besides being the best cardio' workout you will ever do it has a fairly big down side, there are so many blind shots to finish with the same ball you start with is nothing short of miraculous. We were in a 4 ball and each lost at least 3, but in searching found many more (net gain was about 3 each and some were decent!). It can be quite a slow round even though there are 15 minute tee intervals. Back to the positive though, there are photos on their website but they do it no justice whatsoever. I can't emphasize enough just how good the greens were, by far the best I've played on this year which is surprising when you look round at some of the ne'er do wells playing and some of the good courses I've played. Pace yourself as the 17th green is up the steepest hill I've ever climbed, they should have oxygen at the top as a reward for those who make the green. I bet once you have played it a few times and become familiar with the best target lines it would be a firm favourite. Well worth a visit.

Posted by David Gisbourne on 12/06/2008
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

I have played the course on a weekly basis for about a year. For a municipal golf course it is outstanding...much much better and far cheaper than William Wroe and in better condition and more varied than Altrincham. It is a hilly course and it can be quite tiring so take a trolley and take on liquids. It is picturesque and in a year I've never found it boggy/unplayable etc.I'll admit to avoiding wknds because I don't like waiting too much and there has been the odd occasion when the dress code has been ignored or bag-sharing/lack of etiquette is going on...HOWEVER, in terms of VALUE FOR MONEY and INTEREST it get 10 out of 10. Where else can you get a round of golf on a really decent golf course for £12 a round? (£6 if you use a green free voucher) The person who gave it a value for money score of 1 must need his head seeing to...in terms of challenge..it can be challenging but the hilliness can also be helpful...on the 13th you can use the slope and reach the green in 1..on the 14th you can drive the green if you hit long... the same with the 18th...so it's challenging but can be very rewarding too if your placement is good.

Posted by rob francis on 04/09/2007
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

Previous comments about challenging course are correct. Played in windy conditions to make it even tougher. Comedy provided by clubhouse when after paying green fees we were informed that no scorecards were available. This would have made the course even more challenging for us as first time visitors. Staff member eventually found a card after ten minutes of searching.

Posted by Michael Bradley on 31/08/2007
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

Played this course many times. Sometimes it feels like I've been through the ringer after I've finished the round. Last time was 9th August this year! If this course needs anything, it is a bridge in both directions over the gorge at 11 & 12. Not to be used as a road, mind you, but to save the peril of walking - I am always completely whacked when I get onto the 12th green. Greens OK and layout superb. Parking up beforehand can be a nightmare - car park should be designated for golfers only, or else it should be pay on way out with large fees for non-golfers and free for those players whp present their receipts!

Posted by Michael Black on 18/08/2007
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

Having played here many times for the last 6 years I always enjoy myself but find the same problems recurring all the time. The comments by Mike Smith below are accurate. Firstly the course is lovely in summer and good in the winter due to good drainage.It is very hilly with blind second shots on many holes. There are several problems here though. In the summer at weekends severe overcrowding due to greed is the norm. Its common to find a queue of 4 or 5 groups waiting to play a hole usually the fifth. The management here are hopeless they pack them in and constantly overbook on Saturdays especially.They never have a ranger out to sort out the slow groups who never call faster groups through. 6 hours rouns are commonplace at weekends. The car parking is apalling. There is no dedicated car park and you will struggle to find a space in the one small park adjacent. Now the council parasites are charging golfers to park - if you stop for them- this fee should be refunded when paying for your 6 hour round. The booked tee time means nothing - its common to have 20 or 30 players in a queue for the first tee even though it is your booked time. A starter would help. Overall a good course let down by greedy incompetent management namely Playgolf. Shame really.

Posted by Michael Kinsella on 16/04/2007
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 5
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

Played Heaton Park yesterday morning with 2 others. On first impression the car park was full to the brim and had trouble finding a spot. Waited on the 2nd tee for 20 minutes, looked like we'd be spending all day at the course. However didn't wait at all for the rest of the day and finished in just over four hours, which considering the wait on the 2nd was good going. The course was in superb condition and I will definately be going back next weekend for certain! The greens were the best I have played over the winter period, municipal and private! There were 3 temp greens but understandable given the weather. For £14 this is a fantastic round of golf and although others have found it to be busy it didn't affect us a great deal. Very challenging course lot of obstacles and very hilly! 7th is a particularly long uphill par 5 and the 15th is a killer, the 11th and 12th over the ravine are two of the most stunning holes in golf. Go and play this course it is a pearler.

Posted by Ed Evans on 25/03/2007
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

got home about an hour ago from playing Heaton Park. What a pleasure to play on. The greens, tees and fairways were all in excellent condition and went round in just over the 3 hour mark, would have been quicker but caught a group up on the last 5 holes who seemed to need to repack their bags after each shot. Nonetheless a great mornings golf,helped by a good welcome in the clubhouse afterwards. thanks again to all copncerned

Posted by Howard Ellaby on 13/06/2006
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

Played Heaton Park this weekend on the recommendation of a friend who plays there often. I wasn't that excited at the prospect of playing at a Muni course that was so far way from home but was proved to be wrong in my apprehension as this is a great course. Many Muni courses are plain and boring. This however is a fantastic course which is genuinely exciting to play. Great contours and scenery make every hole interesting. Previous comments on this forum mention that the course is physically demanding, which I agree with. It's very, very hilly. Other comments mention that it's not for beginners or short hitters either. I think the key to it is to be able to hit good length and loft. If you're a "scuffer" of the ball and never get any height then you're going to lose a lot of balls on this course as there are many obstacles which you need to clear from the tee. Finally, a few people have mentioned the quality of the greens, divots and booking of the course. All I can say is that, on the day I played it, the on-course etiquette and number of people was excellent, for a public course, and that the greens were in better nick than some of those I have played at private clubs at this time of year (March). I believe they invested some money recently and it seems to have paid off.

Posted by Matthew Scullion on 12/03/2006
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 5

Played Heaton Park on 11/10/05 first time for years, god id forgotten how long it is, great course apart from a few too many blind spots. But had no holdups and only lost the one ball. Not a course for those with a dodgy ticker its like walking the alps at times. But a great course for any level of golfer.

Posted by Bren Flynn on 11/10/2005
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

A true test of golf skill. The course is a muni so there will be some things not quite right unreplaced Divet for one, but shoot for shoot this is as good a challange as you are likly to find anywhere. And the 15th would be in most peoples hardest 18.

Posted by Paul Roberts on 28/06/2005
5
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Overall Rating 5
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 5
  • Value for money 5

played the course for the first and probably last time in june 2005!!!!!!!!!!! sorry but you only have yourselves to blame. whilst the course itself was ok. i realise it was pay as you play etc............ but too many people by far are let onto the course...."get the money in and let them sort themselves out".attitude.......no good!!!!!!!! got to about the 5th par 4= 11!!!! YES ELEVEN! bags on the tee!!! two guys behind got off.we lasted till the 12th! asked two groups the way back to the clubhouse..both replied dont play here that often."dont know". bring a compas. case proven,,TOO MANY PEOPLE. booking system a joke! i know it was a sunday but i never brought my sunday roast with me!!! didnt have SIX HOURS to kill and it wasnt AUGUSTA!...i wish!! come on guys sort it out!!!!!! ps. nice views thou,had plenty of time to take them in.. p.p.s..traveled from merseyside to play(family live near) can i have a petrol refund.

Posted by mike smith on 26/06/2005
3
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Overall Rating 3
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  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 1
  • Clubhouse 4
  • Course challenge 3
  • Value for money 1

Having played the course a few times, I cannot fault it for the quality of golf - especially for such a cheap round. The greens were in excellant condition, and the fairways looked great. The whole course is a real challenge. Worst part of the day - fighting for a space in the car park. The golf car park is also open to dog walkers and general park visitors - even though there are other sides of the park for them to park!! Book an early Tee time to avoid this.

Posted by Adrian Markham on 30/05/2005
4
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Overall Rating 4
  • Overall Ratings
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5
  • Clubhouse 3
  • Course challenge 4
  • Value for money 5

I played this course last week as it is convieniently located in between my parents and my location and just off J19 on the M60. Having played on some truely atrocious muddy courses this winter it was nice to play on a parkland course with drainage. This is a beautiful course with long challenging holes but it is not for the faint hearted. This was my father and my first time at Heaton park and we found the layout confusing and were often unsure of where to go for the the next tee. We also found it to be a challenge to the beginner or poor driver as there are 4 holes where you have to hit over treed ravines one which is a good 150 yards to safety. But if you can handle that then this is a great challenge as you really need to be accurate to judge the lie of the ball as nearly all of the fairways have slopes and obstacles that make you laugh at the thought of bunkers. The only other thing is that this is easily the toughest physically of any course i have played as there are hills everywhere and carrying a 14 club set and assorted accessaries is a good hard slog.

Posted by Andrew Thomas on 14/02/2005

I started playing my golf at Heaton Park back in 1970. There as been a few changes over the years but the course is a good test. They once played a pro competition on the course due to all the other courses in the area being closed due to the bad weather (rain). The pros did not take the course apart. So if your looking for a good days golf at a cheap green fee then this is the place. Please note that it is a municipal golf course and the other players could be playing there first round of golf!!. We all have to start some where. I ma sure you will enjoy your round of golf. I keep going back for more. Just one last note you may need to take your pace maker with you. Have a good game.

Posted by Gordon Hennis on 11/09/2004

Played this course a few of times now - and scores improving on each visit. As said before this is course is quite hilly although in my opinion that makes for a better challenge!! I have never really had a problem with the greens, but have found myself in someone elses divots when laying up before now, but that is in no way any fault of the course, just of the few inconsiderates you would expect at a municipal. All in all, a quite enjoyable golf experience!!

Posted by Darren Gaffney on 01/09/2004

I played the course on 28/7/04 and, whilst there are still a few areas (the approach to the 14th especially) where unfilled divot marks make your lie a lottery, the greens are now in great condition for a municipal course. I played the round of my life and thoroughly enjoyed the course and its surroundings as always. The terrain makes it essential to be straight off the tee, long helps or you'll need to reload on several holes, but most importantly you need to find the fairway, or you'll struggle find the greens, most of which are elevated. Well worth the green fee and a test of stamina as well as golf.

Posted by Peter Haslam on 02/08/2004

My Comments registered on your site where not the ones I posted, please can you tell me why they were changed??? If my comments are altered I shall not bother too to email you in the futre

Posted by Ray Mc guinn on 23/03/2004

Played Heaton Park for the first time 10/09/03.First tee pretty scarey as you are greeted with one hell of a hill, you just know this coarse is going to be tough.As with most of your tee shots,even if hit perfect, the ball is laying either above or below your feet or in a valley, making your second shot blind to most greens.Few long holes as par 4 but also few drivable par 4's.Greens not in the best of conditions but hey its a muni.Par 3,s good and tough.Heaton park is deffinatly worth the green fees,just a shame some players in this part of the country have no idea how to use a pitch repairer or replace divots !!!!!

Posted by Mick Baines on 11/09/2003

Played the course on 24/05/03 and as many of the other comments, I found the course to be a test mainly due to the terrain. However, if you play straight and long, the course can be tamed. What I did find very annoying is the general state of the course. On virtually every hole no divots had been replaced and the greens were full of unrepaired pitch marks. I realise that it is a muni, but anybody who plays golf should have some consideration for those that follow. Not sure if I will play there again.

Posted by Ian B on 28/05/2003

Not a course to play if you've been fitted with a pacemaker! You get a feel for the course when you stand on the 300 yard par 4 1st hole but can't see the green with a large hill in front of you. It's just a start of a long slog around. A great course though and real challenge to play from tee to green on nearly every hole. Unfortunately, the greens vary from poor to diabolical, easily adding 4 to 5 shots to your score with various grass lengths, holes and divots to be encountered. You'd be delighted getting down in 2 on every green. You need to be strong off the tee and is one for a confident player or you can say bye-bye to your ball in the various rivines and trees. I've played the course many times an find I get my money's worth just from playing the 15th hole, probably the toughest hole (par 4) I've played in the northwest - 250 yards off the tee over a rivine just to reach the fairway, leaving another 180 yards into an elevated green on the right hand side with a narrow entry, where anything short will sweep down the hill and out of bounds into another rivine. Your lucky if you lay up and find your ball so you have to shoot at the pin, great challenge and a well deserved par for any standard of golfer.

Posted by Dave on 10/05/2003

Course information

Number of holes 18
Year opened -
Designer -
Style parkland

Tee information

TeesYardsParSSS
Competition
Men's584968
Ladies'

Green Fees

Summer/High season

Weekday round£11
Weekday day-
Weekend round£15
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Weekend round-
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