Bolton Old Links Golf Club

Chorley Old Rd,

Bolton, Lancashire BL1 5SU

  • Office

    +44 (0)1204 842 307
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1204 843 089
  • Fax

    +44 (0)1204 497 549
  • Golf pro

    Sean Owen (PGA Professional)

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Moorland course. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Open moorland

  • Designer:

    Dr Alister MacKenzie designed the current layout in 1924.

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
6470
6032
5494
Par
72
72
73
SSS or slope
71
70

Location

Latitude:

53.593947

Longitude:

-2.485093

How to get there:

15 miles NW of Manchester

From the M61 motorway south-west of Bolton leave at exit 5 and follow the A58 direction Bolton. After o.7 miles turn left at traffic lights into Beaumont Road (still the A58). After 2.5 miles at roundabout turn left onto the B6226 Chorley Old Road (Montserrat Brow). After o.3 miles golf entrance is on your right.

Bolton Old Links Golf Club

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1891

Bolton Old Links Golf Club: This excellent and relatively open, moorland golf course was opened in its present form in 1924 and owes much of its layout and design to the famous golf architect Dr Alister MacKenzie (responsible for Augusta National amongst other famous courses).

The front-nine is played as an anti-clockwise inner loop of holes, enclosed within the very scenic and enjoyable back-nine, which run clockwise around the opening holes. With many straight holes, and only the par-4 18th having anything of a pronounced dog-leg, neither drawers nor faders of the ball should have too much difficulty with this layout. However, wayward hookers and slicers will need to contend with thick moorland grassy rough, as well as many strategically placed fairway and greenside bunkers.

Mackenzie's design adheres to his basic principle of keeping the layout in harmony with its natural environment, in this case emphasising the natural features of the undulating moorland terrain to produce a series of colourful and testing holes. With parts of the course reaching 750-850 feet (270-310 m) above sea level, you can reasonably assume that the wind will be a factor in your round, although its direction could be anything but constant.

List of courses: England - Lancs / Cheshire

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Proof of handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in summer season (June thru' Sept): weekdays £50; weekends £55.

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2021].

Other information

Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire (if pre-booked).

Did you know?

Founded in 1891 and known as Bolton Golf Club, the club's original facilities comprised a nine-hole layout located in Green Lane, Bolton. Five years later the club transferred to its current Smithills location on the edge of the West Pennine Moors. In 1912 a number of members left the nine-hole Smithills-based golf club, in favour of a new eighteen-hole golf course that was being laid out at Lostock Park, two miles away. They took the club name with them, while the members who remained at Smithills adopted the name Bolton Old Links.

Following the Old Links acquisition of 173 acres of land in 1921, a complete reconstruction of the course was undertaken. Dr Alister MacKenzie of Leeds, the notable golf course architect, designed the new layout, which was opened in 1924. This formed the basis of the present layout.

MacKenzie's design measured 6,096 yards. A number of changes, particularly after the Second World War, resulted in the course being lengthened to 6,470 yards off the Championship tees. However, the essence of the course designed by Dr MacKenzie remains.

Where2Stay

  • Bolton Whites Hotel4-star

    De Havilland Way, Bolton, Greater Manchester BL6 6SF

    +44 (0)1204 673 610

    Visit website

    Whites is an ultra modern hotel with a difference. Not many hotels can claim to offer the perfect mix of comfort, style and football. This 4-star hotel is fully integrated into the Reebok Stadium, home of Bolton Wanderers Football Club. From the M61 motorway take exit 6 and follow the A6027, direction Bolton. After 500 yards hotel is on your left in the Reebok Stadium.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Bolton Old Links; Bolton GC.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Manchester

  • Holiday Inn Bolton Centre4-star

    1 Higher Bridge Street, Bolton BL1 2EW

    +44 (0)870 442 0901

    Visit website

    Newly refurbished and located in the town centre, Holiday Inn Bolton Centre is within easy reach of the M6, M61, M62 and M60 motorway networks making it ideally situated for both business and leisure. A deceptively large hotel boasting 132 bedrooms and 7 Executive bedrooms all with air-conditioning.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Bolton Old Links; Bolton GC.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Manchester

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

WINSTONgolf - Links course

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)