Hilton Park (Hilton)

Hilton Park Golf Club is blessed with two great 18-hole layouts, with the James Braid-designed Hilton Course being the standout. 

Braid, five-times a winner of the Open Championship, also designed the Allander Course, but the Hilton Course is the longer and more testing of the two.  

Originally measuring 6,700 yards, and having the only par 6 in Scotland, it now plays a more comfortable 6,200 yards from the tips, but still makes you use every club in the bag as you wind your way through the trees. 

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Hilton Park Golf Club was formed in 1927, alongside the neighbouring Milngavie Golf Club. The two courses were both designed by the great James Braid. 

Both the Hilton Course and the Allander Course opened in 1928, a year after the club was formed. The Hilton was always the longer of the two layouts, but it originally measured 6,700 yards and had the only par 6 in Scotland at the time. 

Braid was brought back in a couple of years later to make alterations to the Hilton, which removed the par 6 and made it a more gentle challenge. Following the Second World War, nine holes of the Hilton Course had to be redesigned as they had been ruined throughout the war.

Although the Hilton remains the longer of the two courses, it is now relatively short by modern standards. It comes in at just over 6,200 yards, almost 500 yards shorter than it originally was when it first opened a century ago. Over the last 30 years, thousands of trees have been planted on the property to turn the Hilton Course at Hilton Park into more of a parkland layout, after years as a moorland course. This par 70 has generous landing zones and scoring opportunities, along with a quartet of great short holes. 

The Hilton Course begins with a good scoring chance – a 515-yard par 5. A long, straight drive will open up a view of the green and the opportunity to take it on with your second shot. Those laying up need to be wary of the burn that runs across the fairway, around 100 yards short of the green. Driver might not necessarily be the play off the 2nd tee, with trees in play on the right side. The approach needs to be accurate, played to a green that is guarded by sand. The 3rd is a par 4 of more than 400 yards, and one that is a dog-leg from left to right. Longer hitters might take the corner on, but for most, playing down the fairway will lead to a lengthy approach. 

The first of the short holes on the Hilton comes at the 4th. It is 177 yards from the tips, but plays uphill so make sure to club up. Anything long will lead to a treacherous up and down on a green that slopes from back to front. The 5th is the Stroke Index 1, and it is a hole that slopes from left to right throughout, so try and favour the left side of the fairway with your tee shot. Unsurprisingly, the trouble does not end there, as the green is protected by a pair of bunkers. This tough section of the course continues with the 220-yard par 3 6th – the ‘Khyber Pass’. It does play slightly downhill, but at that length, most will need a hybrid or fairway wood to stand a chance. 

A quintet of short and medium-length par 4s take you around the turn, throwing up some scoring chances. The 7th is only 305 yards, and reachable for the longer hitters, and as long as you can avoid the trees that jut out into the fairway on 8, you will have a standard approach into a generous green. The closing hole on the front nine offers up a blind tee shot, and one that only requires around 170 yards of distance if you go over the marker post. Anything more than that, and you will run out of fairway. 10 and 11 are both around the 375-yard mark, with the former having a tee shot from an elevated tee box, and one where a drive of 220 yards is needed to clear the burn from the tips. The 11th might say 373, but it plays more like 425 thanks to its uphill nature. This is a hole where a par is a very good score. 

The 12th is the shortest hole on the property at less than 160 yards. Centre of the green is the play here, especially with all the traps around the putting surface. 13 is the longest of the par 4s at 450 yards from the tips. A burn runs across the hole at the 240-yard mark, which provides the decision off the tee. Do you stay short and have an approach of a similar distance? Or do you try and drive it past the burn? 14 and 15 are both scoring chances, as long as you find the fairway over the blind tee shot on the latter. 

The last of the par 5s on the Hilton Course comes at 16. It is 500 yards from the back tees, and with a fairway that slopes from left to right, aim your tee shot down the right side. It is reachable in two, but most will play it as a three-shotter. That is followed by the layout’s signature hole – ‘Muckle Drap’. This 188-yard par 3 plays severely downhill, and with the green sitting only just past the burn. Club selection is vital, as is reading where the wind is coming from. The final hole features another contoured fairway, again from right to left. The green is elevated from the fairway, so take an extra club to make sure you reach the surface.

Where is Hilton Park Golf Club located?

Hilton Park Golf Club is situated just north of the town of Milngavie in East Dumbartonshire. The club sits off the A809, which runs from Bearsden up to Drymen and the A811. The club is just ten miles from the centre of Glasgow – Scotland’s most populous city – while Loch Lomond is around the same distance to the northwest of the venue.

Thanks to its proximity to the city, Glasgow Airport is the closest major international airport to Hilton Park. It is less than 15 miles from the golf club by road, and it is the second busiest airport in the country after Edinburgh Airport. Mlingavie is the home to the nearest train station to Hilton Park, around four miles from the venue.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

Despite being close to the city of Glasgow, you still have to drive at least 20 miles from Hilton Park to get the closest NCG Top 100s: Scotland course. Both Loch Lomond and Kilmacolm, in opposite directions, are around that distance from the venue. Glenbervie – which sits to the east in Falkirk – is around 30 miles away.

What golf facilities does Hilton Park Golf Club offer?

Along with the Hilton Course, the golf club is also home to the Allander Course – their second 18-hole layout. The club is also home to a great short game area, which sits alongside the opening hole of the Hilton Course.

What are the green fees at Hilton Park Golf Club?

The price of a green fee at Hilton Park Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Hilton Park, visit their website here.