1. Par 4 - 396/392.  The hole is flat and straight.  The railroad line that separates Hillside from Southport & Ainsdale runs down the entirety of the left side.  However, tall trees likely block any ball hit left from reaching the out-of-bounds.  In a sense, it is a double hazard down the left.  The right side has three separated bunkers to avoid on the tee shot.  Longer hitters can easily reach the final one.  The green has fronting bunkers on the corners with grass bunkers at the rear.  The green is slightly raised but not overly complicated. It is a good chance to start with a par.

2. Par 5 - 534/510.  I liked this hole playing flat and straight with an early horizontal stream.  The rail line is exposed with no trees down the entire left resulting in a likely out-of-bounds penalty.  The right side has rolling dunes of tall grasses. Two early bunkers built into the dunes also squeeze the fairway smaller.   There are two sets of parallel bunkers as you near the green, the first ones about 100 yards out and the second ones about 30 yards out.  The fairway has several slight dips and rises.  The green is angled slightly right with a higher dune behind it.  Right of the green is a wide, long swale while the left front has the only greenside bunker.  Following the only greenside bunker is another grass bunker on the left.  The green has good movement in it.

3. Par 4 - 397/381.  This is a fun hole going to the right.  The tee shot must navigate the three bunkers on the left and stay short of a stream cutting diagonally from the left to the right across the fairway.  The green has a pond close off its right side and three bunkers off of the left side.  The fairway has several ripples in it. It is a unique hole for the course.

4. Par 3 - 203/174.  This hole looks like it was built by a “modern” architect such as Coore&Crenshaw, Doak, Kidd, etc. There is a lot of exposed sand from tee to green as well as small dunes.  Surrounding most of the right and rear of the green are higher dunes.   The long green is angled left to right with two bunkers down its right side as well as some mounds and swales.  The left side has a fall-off to a long swale followed by a long stretch of sand.  This hole is a visual delight.

5. Par 5 - 562/494.  Thank goodness the blue tees shorten the hole by nearly 70 yards.  Although it is flat and overall straight, it now plays between tall dunes and strategically placed bunkers.  It begins with a forced carry to the fairway.  There are three early alternating sides bunkers, beginning left, then right , then left.  The tall dunes created recently have bunkers built into them in play for the second shot and they narrow the fairway.  The flattish green has two bunkers left and one on the front right.  It is a good golf hole.

6. Par 4 - 444/384.  The stroke index one hole had dunes added to it lining each side of the fairway with the left side beginning after a string of trees.  There is a large blowout bunker built into a smaller dune as the hole turns left while the right side has a higher dune.  The green has two oval, deep bunkers off its front right.  The green is beautifully backdropped by smaller dunes surrounding much of the three sides. The green has a swale off its left and back side.  The green is angled slightly to the right.  It really is a beautiful hole for another hole with a fairway mainly flat.

7. Par 3 - 170/164.  I liked the visual of this hole playing much of it over taller grass and waste area sand to another green angled to the right.  It is backdropped by trees and higher ground behind the green.  Four  bunkers arc from the left front to the right side.  Off the left rear of the green is a sizable swale. This hole would be improved by a green surface that has more contouring.

8. Par 4 - 393/376.  This dogleg right plays between sizable dunes with two large, oval bunkers down the right side off the tee.  The green looks inviting as you round the turn as it is backdropped by higher land.  Longer hitters have to be wary of driving the ball too far due to the turn in the fairway.  Two circular bunkers are off the front right.  It is an attractive hole from the tee to the green.

9. Par 4 - 426/405.  This is a terrific hole to finish the first nine.  A road runs diagonally across the fairway from left to right about 300 yards off the tee which longer hitters can reach.  Shorter hitters will want to favor the right side to avoid a left hand bunker.  As you near the road there is a long stretch of waste area and bunkers waiting on the right side.  The approach shot has four bunkers at the front half of the green.  This green has very good movement.  While not as visually attractive as other holes on the front nine, I thought it was the best hole.

10. Par 3 - 172/139. From here to the end you are playing in dunes with elevated tees and greens.  This hole is set in higher dunes with trees off the left side.  There is an early central bunker followed by three more before the green.   The bunkers are deep and a recovery shot is difficult.  The front half of the green is very quick as it slopes to the front.  It is an attractive and good par 3.

11. Par 5 - 509/494.  This is a very good hole playing between rolling dunes to the green.  The hole begins atop an elevated tee with views over the course with a forced carry out to the left.  The hole bends slightly right, again slightly right, then slightly left back to the green.  The fairway lies between tall dunes with trees atop the hill on the left. Every turn in the fairway has a bunker on the outer side of the turn, four in total.  The green sits on higher ground with a lengthy valley before it and a single deep bunker off its right front.  The hole is backdropped by more trees.  If this hole was 60 yards longer (requiring extensive tree removal), it would be one of the best par fives one would ever play.

12. Par 4 -400/362.  You walk atop the hill in the trees for the next tee shot playing from an elevated tee.  This dogleg right features a sizable pond on its inner corner.  If one plays too safely to the left there is taller grass and trees.  From the fairway it is a flat hole with the green angled from left to right.  A bunker is on the left about 30 yards short of the green.  Somewhat odd is that the trees stop on the left opposite the far end of the pond while on the right they begin after the pond.  Another bunker is on the front right side of the green.  Like nearly all of the holes there is short grass surrounding the slightly raised green.

13. Par 4 - 402/394.  This part of the course through seventeen has the highest dunes lining each fairway.  This hole has a central bunker and a central grass depression in play from the tee.  The fairway bulges out to either side of these obstacles.  The green is raised with a substantial false front.  It is also large with a big, deep bunker on the left front.  The green is set off to the right.  The green is surrounded on three sides with tall dunes. It is a very quiet, somewhat calming hole but filled with challenge. The micro-contouring around this green is quite good.

14. Par 4 - 419/384.  It is a marvelous long view of perhaps 40 miles from this tee.  This wonderful hole also bends to the right. Once again one plays below tall dunes on either side.  There is a fairway bunker left and one a bit later on the right where the hole turns to the right.  There are a few ripples in the fairway.  The green has front bunkers on the corners and a steeper slant at its front third.

15. Par 4 - 421/378.  This is a sharp dogleg left with three bunkers on the inner corner, one of which is inside the fairway.  The sand dunes lining the  fairway, while still tall, are set back a big farther than the previous holes, even ending down the left after the turn before picking up again around all of the green.  The green is angled to the left with fronting front corner bunkers.  It is beautifully backdropped by lower dunes and greens.

16. Par 3 - 218/183.  This is the best par 3 on the course.  You walk between dunes and then back to get to the tee. The hole plays relatively level but the land dips between the tee and green.  The green is angled to the right shaped liked a Lima bean with no bunkers.  It lays between tall dunes on two sides with bushes atop the dunes.  The hole has a pronounced second tier.  The green is crowned with gradual fall-offs on three sides, but sharper at the front.  It is a splendid par 3.

17. Par 5 - 563/530.  I go back and forth as to which par 5 I favor, the seventeenth of the eleventh.  This one begins very high atop a sand dune with long views again from the tee. The fairway is straight with trees on the left and low dunes on the right.  As you go up the fairway the higher dunes return on both sides. Three fairway bunkers are staggered beginning on the right with the first one close enough from the tee to be cleared unless the wind is against you.  The final fairway bunker is on the right and is deep about 180 yards from the green.   The large green is well above you with a deep bunkers on the front corners.  The green slopes to the front.  If you miss the green too short the ball could come down all of the rise.  It is a thrilling golf hole.

18. Par 4 - 480/427.  The course ends on a terrific finishing hole. From the final elevated tee this plays as a dogleg right.  The tall dunes have disappeared and replaced by low rolling dunes with a few trees along the left.  Longer hitters can likely carry the bunkers or get to the left of them.  The green complex is terrific as it is elevated with sharp fall-offs, more so on the left.  The fronting bunkers on the corners are deep.  This green is very contoured.

Hillside is the rare course where I found something I liked on every hole.  For the average 10 index, there is challenge as well as opportunity on every hole.  The green surrounds featuring areas of short grass offer a good chance for recovery should one miss the green.  The bunkering is nearly perfect although some bunkers could be deeper.  The visuals of each hole are quite good as sandy waste areas, elevated tees or greens and those fabulous dunes are all eye-catching.

I wonder whether the course is not ranked higher simply because the back nine is so amazing and strong that people discount the front nine more than they should.

My own ranking of the courses in the Lancashire/Cheshire area would be Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Hillside, Wallasey, Formby, Southport & Ainsdale, Royal Liverpool, Delamere Forest, West Lancashire, Prestbury, Fairhaven, St Annes Old, Formby Ladies, and Hesketh.