A timeless, idyllic outpost of wonderful links golf that will more than reward any effort made to get there
Silloth on Solway Golf Club Course Review
Top 100 Ranking 2021/22 – 51
Previous Rankings
2019/20 – 47
2017/18 – 46
2015/16 – 51
2013/14 – 53
2011/12 – 55
2009/10 – 49
Summer Green Fees
Round – £65wd, £75we, Day – £65wd
Visitors: welcome every day subject to availability
Medal Tee: Par 72 – 6,439 Yards
Changes since previous ranking
No significant changes this time round.
Silloth on Solway Golf Club Course Review
Even some of the keenest golf course enthusiasts and collectors have not heard of Silloth on Solway, and that is a real shame as it is a fabulous course that is more than worth a long journey.
Paradoxically, it is a Top 100 hidden gem. It is also a course about which you will rarely if ever hear a bad word. Its rumpled fairways run serenely back and forth over a dreamy, idyllic, pastoral setting. With the exception of the short 9th, it is not heavily bunkered. You will, however, need to avoid the gorse and heather. These, and the breeze or more likely wind, will test every department of your game.
Golf up on the north-west coast of Cumbria has been played since 1892 when Davy Grant laid out this highly regarded links. It featured blind holes and sandy waste areas way before they became fashionable again. Modifications were made some years later by Willie Park Junior.
As is the case at fellow Top 100 courses such as Royal Dornoch and Woodhall Spa, the club’s relative inaccessibility is both a blessing and a curse. For keen golfers, it should certainly not be used as a reason not to visit. It is rare that visitors leave with anything but fond memories and the desire to help spread the word.
Dream Location
While the course itself is a real delight, the views are also magnificent. From here you can see over to the Galloway Hills across the Solway Firth, over to the Isle of Man, and inland to the Lakeland fells to the south-east.
The aforementioned par-3 9th is Silloth’s own Postage Stamp. It plays from a raised tee down to a heavily-bunkered green. And while it may at first sight look simple, especially when there’s no wind, it will shrink before your eyes when a longer club is required.
The long par-5 fifth, Solway (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)
The long 13th also asks a number of questions. There is a tight second shot through a gully, and then an approach to a raised green that is cleverly shaped to reject all but the most precise of shots.
Silloth on Solway is undoubtedly one of the best-value courses, especially for golf of this quality. It may be remote, but what you spend on fuel getting there will be more than offset by probably the most modest green fee in the Top 100!
The dreamy, idyllic setting of Silloth on Solway
Assessor Feedback
A truly wonderful course. If it wasn’t for its location (which is part of its charm) it would be much higher up the rankings and receive far more press. A visit to Silloth is life-affirming stuff.
GM Verdict
A timeless, idyllic outpost of wonderful links golf that will more than reward any effort made to get there
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