BLUNDELLS HILL celebrates its tenth anniversary this summer - but there are no signs of the club resting on its laurels. Indeed, quite the opposite is true for the parkland course that nestles on 120 acres between the M62 and Blundells Lane in Rainhill. On the day I visited, work was going on to reinvigorate the men's locker room while out on the course new tees are being built to add a little more venom to the course. Not that it needs much. There are plenty of places where the course can give you a nasty nip. But equally this is a course that rewards precision golf, particularly off the tees. Get it right from the off, avoid the traps that have been set and your approach shots open up nicely to give you a chance to keep your score down. But there are plenty of traps awaiting the wayward. Well-positioned bunkers are married with intelligent use of the natural water on the course which includes eight ponds, topped by a lake that threatens the 10th green and ninth tee. All in all, then, a real beauty and the beast. But more of that later. The fact that the 6,280 yard, par 71, course was designed by young architect Steve Marnoch around the established copses and ditches means Blundells Hill quickly moved away from the feel of a new course. This has meant the course provides a testing challenge which will be only strengthened as the planted areas begin to reach maturity. The clubhouse sits proudly at the top of a hill that makes some of the holes a test of stamina as well as skill - buggies are available for hire to ease the journey - and the first tee gives you the chance to enjoy the views out towards the Welsh hills (on a clear day!) before you plunge downhill to a tricky first green tucked into the folds of the hill at the bottom. The sharply twotiered green features a prominent higher level like a bump on a schoolboy's forehead which - depending on the position of the pin and your approach to the green - can leave you with a snake-like path to the hole. Control and accuracy are the key ingredients as you make your way across the lower reaches of the course. The second is the course's first par 5 and your tee shot needs to be high to the left, avoiding the fairway bunkers, as the hole falls away towards an out of bounds running the entire length on the right. The Blundells Hill greens are ample and inviting and the better you have plotted your way off the tee, the more accessible they become. But, like at the fifth where a pond hides behind the green, the over-hit shot can mean your plans come quickly unstuck. The last four holes on the out-ward nine have you marching up the hill, back down again and finally back towards the club-house's lofty perch with a sap-ping par five - dubbed the Beast in the course guide - which tops five hundred yards from the back tee and it's uphill all the way. The start of the back nine offers no immediate respite with the tenth again offering a near 500 yard quest, even from the forward tees, as you make your way back down the hill. If there is a sense of relief at reaching the smoother terrain, don't get lulled into a sense of false security. The sand, the water and the trees still pose an ever-present threat. The course's signature hole is the 12th, known as the Beauty - and it sums the round up neatly enough. A modest 173 yards from the back tee, the green sits proudly in front of one of the gatherings of trees. Between you and safety stand some intrusive wood-land, a pond, a ditch just 21 yards in front of the green and a couple of bunkers. A test of nerve then. Keep your cool and you can send the ball soaring into the heart of a generous green, by-passing all those potential trouble spots. It is an approach that will stand you in good stead throughout your time round Blundells Hill, which is owned by brothers Phil and Steve McKie. From the tees you can see the shots that will serve you well as the fairways open out to welcome the well-aimed tee shot that threads its way to the comfort zone. Having weathered the best the course has to offer, the 18th delivers one final sting. A majestic par five that sweeps its way back up the hill with the elevated green inviting the bold and the straight, but one that can prove elusive for those who fall short of meeting the challenge. On the day I played, the course was still absorbing the worst of the heavy rains that had swamped Merseyside. But at a course which prides itself on its drainage, it is not often you will see the closed signs up at the Hill. FINAL VERDICT: A perfect blend that will delight and frustrate in equal measure. Find your range and reap the rewards, but woe betide if you're having an off day with your aim. Fact File Address: Blundells Lane, Rainhill, Merseyside, L35 6NA. SSS: 71 (Out 36 In 35) Yards: 6,280 Description: Parkland course that moves up and down a hill as well as in and out of copses and water hazards Signature hole: 12th - only short but plenty of trouble waiting for anyone failing to hit a clean tee shot Contact Details: Telephone 0151 430 9551 Pro shop 0151 430 0100 Club secretary: Andy Roberts Professional: Richard Burbidge Visitors: welcome by arrangement Cost: Weekday - £27.50 round; £40 day. Weekend - £35; £45 Societies: Welcome by arrangement. Packages, including catering, available from £35-£45. Catering: Full clubhouse facilities and the Four Winds restaurant Dress code: No tracksuit bottoms or jeans; shirt with collar and sleeves; proper golf shoes. Website: www.blundellshill.co.uk E-mail address: info@blundellshillco.uk * Details correct at the time of going to press. | 
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