Hidden Hills Golf Club — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Hidden Hills Golf Club in Jacksonville, FL is not exactly what you would expect, after all, this part of the state is pretty flat. Yet hidden from the surrounding area are the ups and downs you will encounter on the course and not only on your scorecard.

Hidden Hills Golf Club has been a fixture of the East Arlington area near Jacksonville since 1966. In 1986, Arnold Palmer and his design group did a total makeover of the course, creating the challenging layout you find today.

In its heyday, Hidden Hills had over 700 members and played host to the Greater Jacksonville Open, a tournament that has morphed into the Players Championship, now played annually on the Stadium Course at Sawgrass. Winners of this prestigious golf tournament included Gary Player, Tony Jacklin and Don January.

With the downturn in the economy that occurred in 2007 – 2008, membership dropped to about 400, not enough to keep a club of this caliber up to par so to speak. A little over a year ago, Hidden Hills relinquished its “private club” status and became a daily fee facility. Memberships are no longer available, however long-term player passes can be purchased through the pro shop or online.

Hidden Hills offers all the practice facilities you need to get you golf skills honed to maximum efficiency. There’s a full length driving range where you can hit every club in your bag. There’s a separate chipping area where you can work on your short game and a massive well undulated putting green where you can practice many of the breaks you are about to encounter. Whether you’re looking to work on your game for an extended period of time or just knock out a quick bucket before your match, there’s plenty of room for everyone. In the event your game’s not where you want it to be, the PGA professionals at Hidden Hills are ready to help you get your groove back.

If you’re an “A” player, looking for a challenge, play Hidden Hills from the Gold Tees. At 6,892 yards with a course rating of 73.7 and a slope of 138, the course is every bit a tournament-caliber course as you will find and brings many of the water and sand hazards into play. If you’re new to the game and are just looking to get some exercise and have a good time, play it forward. From the Red Tees, Hidden Hills plays 5,016 yards with a rating of 70.0 and a slope of 120. Something for everyone!

This Arnold Palmer signature design is resplendent with rolling hills and fairways; enough elevation changes to boast one of the highest elevations in the Jacksonville area on the green at the par 3, 5th hole. On some holes, the mounding on either side will funnel the ball back into the fairway; on others, missing the fairway can result in an ugly lie or a lost ball.

After your round, stop by the Hills Grill. This casual bar serves up your favorite beverages from 11 am to 7 pm. Lunch is available from 11 am to 3 pm and features some truly remarkable menu items. The buffalo chicken wings are more of a meal than an appetizer and the pressed Cuban sandwich featured pork that was freshly grilled and absolutely delicious. Hills Grill is the place to be on Friday nights when the kitchen whips up some tantalizing dinner specials from 6-9 pm.

Hidden Hills is one of those courses that you will have to play several times in order to get the hang of it. Water comes into play on 12 holes; 8 of 9 on the front and none after the 13th hole. The front nine plays 4 to 5 shots harder than the back nine and the emphasis is on brains rather than brawn. You’ll need to hit the ball a specific distance or to a specific spot to simplify an approach shot into the green. Many greens are elevated, thus eliminating the senior-favorite bump and run!

Hidden Hills has been around a long time and you don’t survive that long in the golf industry without offering a superior product. This course has everything imaginable to challenge a scratch golfer yet remain playable for a high...

DO NOT PLAY THIS COURSE. They charged me a "no show" for $270 for a tee time that was booked on Golf Now. The General Manager/Owner of the course is Russ Libby. Russ’s Linked In page states the following: “I have always tried to lead by example and represent the PGA with honor and integrity…” If this man had any integrity he would refund my money. I tried explaining to Russ, that I didn't even recall booking the tee time. He immediately cut me off while I was talking and then told me I wasn’t being truthful which is pretty insulting. He refused to refund my card which I know he can because Golf Now told me he could. I had an experience once before at a different course where I had two people that couldn't make it and was billed a no show without any knowledge and when I called that course-they authorized the refund. I guess Russ Libby/Hidden Hills are hurting for money which is obvious when you see the poor conditions of the course and the old and outdated looking facilities. I will NEVER play this course again. Russ acted like he could care less about hearing me out and hung up on me as I attempted to plead with him to refund my money. I can see why this golf course always has an empty parking lot-it’s a reflection of Russ! I will say I did go back and research some text messages and I did book the course and a friend had me switch the round to Monday at another course. I think it’s classless for Russ to not refund my money. This is the first time I’ve heard of Hidden Hills charging your card for failure to show. Some of this is on me for forgetting to call the course to cancel-it still doesn’t sit well that Russ would not refund my money. And for that he loses someone who with guests spends a lot more than $270 a year there for the past couple of years. You do the math! Poor business decision by Russ! He offered me 4 rounds of golf which he felt was the same-for me it’s...

I’ve had some horrible golf experiences in my day, but this one may very well take the cake. Where do I even begin??? The sand on the greens? The radical Canadian geese that seem to have overthrown the grounds crew? Perhaps the audacity of course management to think charging $50 is an acceptable price for this nightmare?

Let’s start with the sand and green conditions. These greens were so sand covered that I wouldn’t have been surprised to round the turn to find a camel sipping a beer and ripping a cigarette. Why waste all that precious sand in bunkers when you could just dump 60 metric tons on each green? I’m almost certain that these greens double as a litter box for the geese. If George Washington crossed the Delaware only to find these playing conditions, I’d bet my bottom dollar he would’ve turned around and returned from whence he came.

Next let’s talk about these geese… if you plan to visit the beach, a petting zoo, and whack a few balls around, you can just plan a visit to Hidden Hills Golf Club and knock all 3 of those things out at once. These geese may have very well have committed a hostile takeover on the grounds crew is the only reasonable conclusion I can come to. They have turned this facility into a dystopian zoo/post-apocalyptic looking beach.

Finally, let’s address the price. $50 for a round of golf is pretty reasonable, but to charge $50 knowing of all the aforementioned details is a slap to the face. Everyone dreams of retiring to live a life of peace and tranquillity near a golf course, but if this were my only option, I would consider seeking full time employment into my 90’s. Management needs to find the goose with the most business sense and just hand the keys over. I’m almost certain the course would improve and the price could be more justifiable if that...