Hawick GC

The Scottish Borders have long been a favourite destination among travelling golfers searching for a genuine golfing experience.

Hawick GC thumb

The Scottish Borders have long been a favourite destination among travelling golfers searching for a genuine golfing experience. Built on the Vertish Hill, Hawick Golf Club meets the criteria having been a feature of this spectacular landscape since 1877.

On paper the course is a short 5,933-yard par 68, but in reality it's a fairly demanding physical challenge with steep slopes and the inevitable strong winds.

In the traditions of many of the oldest courses in Britain, each of the holes has a name and with titles such as "quarry", "pit" and "wood" you can expect a rugged layout.

The opening hole is a good test for most golfers but a nightmare for anyone nurturing a slice. The 195-yard par 3 has out of bounds running down the right, so you'll need to pull out that dreaded long iron and hit it accurately if you want to get off to a good start.

In the middle of the front nine are two long par fours. The 6th and 7th are both over 440 yards long. With a tight fairway and strong winds to contend with, you'll need to be well swung-in by this stage to post a good score.

Hawick finishes as it started with a tough par 3. If you made a mess of the first you'll be pleased to know that the 18th gives you the opportunity to make amends. The 210-yarder plays from an elevated tee down towards a small green with out of bounds just over the back.

If all this talk of long irons and strong winds has put you off, rest assured that a warm welcome awaits in the clubhouse. The recently refurbished bar is a great place to either drown your sorrows or celebrate taming a beast.

Best Hole: 1st 195 yards par 3. Par 3s are often seen as breather holes but this one is anything but. A really tough start to the course - par here is a very good score.

Address: Vertish Hill, Hawick, Roxburghshire, TD9 9JY

Tel: 01450 372293

Green fees: £24 per round, £30 per day

Restrictions: None

Mike Harris
Content Director

Mike has been a journalist all his working life, starting out as a football writer with Goal magazine in the 1990s before moving into men’s and women’s lifestyle magazines including Men's Health, In 2003 he joined Golf Monthly and in 2006 he became only the eighth editor in Golf Monthly’s 100-plus year history leading the brand until July 2023. He is now Content Director overseeing Golf Monthly and two other iconic sports brands, FourFourTwo and Rugby World.

His three main passions in golf are courses (he's played over 500 courses worldwide), equipment (he's always in search of something shinny to give him an edge) and shoes (he owns more pairs than he cares to mention!).  

Mike’s handicap index hovers at around 10 and he is a member of four golf clubs: Hartley Wintney, Royal Liverpool, Royal North Devon and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.


Mike's current What's In The Bag? 

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ 9° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 5S

Fairway woods: TaylorMade Sim Max 3/15° - Fujikura Ventus Blue 6S & TaylorMade Stealth 7/20° - Fujikura Ventus Red 6S

Utility Iron: TaylorMade Stealth UDI 3/21° - Aldila Ascent 90HY

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (5-PW)  - Nippon Tour NSPro 950S

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 50°, 54° and 58° - KBS Tour Hi-Rev s2.0 hafts

Putter: Evnroll ER2B (Gravity Grip) 

Ball: TaylorMade Tour Response (Yellow)