Houghwood Golf Club

Astonished to read two reports below regarding greens..... let me give an up to date review. Four captains visiting. We found the welcome from Pro and clubhouse very friendly - made exceptionally welcome after round with officials and staff really wanting to chat to us. The course - definitely hilly and a few times we stopped for a breather! Buggy not a bad idea, but despite a bad leg, I don't like buggies! If I can get round anyone can. The walk is worth it though - the views from the top of the course are fabulous and the whole course has a feel of being 'at the top of the world', very open and airy. Greens were in excellent condition, taking a true putt, and decent pace despite the morning heavily rained. variety of holes was interesting with tricky par 3s and good 4s of differing lengths and challenges. This course was a pleasant surprise to us all and we will return, and would recommend others to give it a go.... you won't be disappointed

I played the course on 21/5/09 The course was well sign posted and easy to find. I would recommend the use of a buggy as the course is very hilly. My two main complaints are that the greens had been heavily sanded and were covered un ruts and the bunkers did not appear to have been raked in a long time. The clubhoue staff wee very welcomimg and the facilities were very good. Overall beacause of the state of the green and bunkers I will not be in a hurry to play there again

Although well signed from the Rainford by-pass and through Crank Village, the actual entrance is not very clear (it looked like the driveway to a house) and needs a sign about 100 yards away. On the day we played as a small society(12/5/09), it was nice and sunny, but a bit blustery, making some of the holes into the wind play long. The views are stunning, but the course itself left a lot to be desired. The greens (all 18) were very poor, and rutted with heavy sanding having been done making them very slow. The tees were also very poor. A buggy is a must for older players as the course is very hilly, which makes for very slow golf as the rule is for buggies to stay on the designated path meaning a trek with a selection of clubs across the fairway. I would not go again. D Lee (Runcorn, Cheshire)

We played this course on a very hot & humid Sunday afternoon as a small society (7). The course is well signposted from the Liverpool direction which is just as well as it's quite remote, situated in the small village of Crank. On entering the large, attractive clubhouse we were greeted by a friendly pro & bar staff who were more than happy to see to our requirements. A full english was laid on at a modest £4.95 which was quite tasty - this didn't include tea or coffee though. The course has excellent facilities - there's a practise range, a chipping and putting green plus a practise bunker. The course starts with a cracking downhill dogleg par 4, where too straight a drive can land you in trouble (off the yellow's at least). Holes to look out for - 1st - As stated a very good par 4 with a narrow fairway, a fairway wood or iron is best off the yellows as a driver may be too long. Off the whites the hole is a completely different affair - have a look after you finish the fourth. 8th - Great par 3 worthy of any championship course. A pond in front of the green will swallow up many a shot, with the narrow green preventing many birdies from being made. 13th - Excellent par 5 with trouble on both sides off the tee. Second shots must avoid the small brook that crosses the fairway. Third shots must be made up a steep gradient to a difficult green. 16th - Another cracking par 3, steeply downhill, protected by a large bunker to the left. A hole you could play all day and never get fed up. The clubhouse provided respite from the heat after our game, were we indulged in a couple of pints and some tasty food (the menu features a variety of burgers and sandwiches etc.), served by a very friendly barman. The clubhouse features a terrace which looks out over the 18th green. All in all a great day out for societies - the course is hilly so make sure you rent out a buggie, especially if it's hot (we found out the hard way!). No negative points really, the greens could have done with a little water but that's the only bad point I can muster. Make sure you check out this friendly, challenging course in the near future.

Played this course with a group of 17 and had a most enjoyable day. The course was in good condition with some of the greens very difficult to read. There are some very interesting holes as you 'zig zag' up, down and across the Hill. If the golf is not too good, there are always the spectacular views of the local countryside and industrial towns. The terrian tends to take its toll as you near the end of the round but it is well worth a visit - I will certainly be back if only to play the par 3 16th and to try and score a stablford point on the 17th (4 attempts so far have produced nothing).

Played this course (saturday 23/04/05) and it was thoroughly enjoyable. It was, by my beginners standard challenging, yet not daunting. The staff in the Pro Shop were very helpful, and some of the views of the countryside are amazing! Would recommend this course to anyone!

I recently played the course with my golf society, 'The Eldonians'. I enjoyed the layout of the course, with many undulating fairways and quick greens. Although a short course off the yellow tees,each hole had its own characteristic challenge. The par 3's were especially challenging, with many greenside bunkers guarding the greens. Playing Stableford rules, I was glad to complete the front 9 holes( only receiving 5 shots being the sole reason!!) and progress to the challenging 10th hole, a par 3 over an, as yet, unfinished pond construction.However, with 3 par 5's on this back nine, and by keeping the ball in play off the tee,one can post a low score coming home. The 18th hole is a short par 4, an iron off the tee, with a gradually sloping fairway up to the impressive clubhouse. All in all, this was a very pleasant experience.The staff are friendly and welcoming and the clubhouse is modern and spike-friendly, with a wide range of food on the menu. I would recommend any golf society day here as the course provides a challenge for all levels of golfer.

brilliant course, an average difficulty and the views are good aswell, everyone friendly and the club shop is very good. word of warning pay the extra and hire a buggy. very hilly and the buggies are a god send