The tournament starts next week - after a year of planning, hard work and more planning - and the team at The Hills, including Mr Hill, is confident the greens are better, the club house is busier and the tournament will be an even bigger success than in 2007.
"I'm really encouraged by the way the course is looking . . . what we are trying to do is perfect The Hills," Mr Hill told the Otago Daily Times.
"It will be more difficult for the players - we have left a lot of brown top which looks beautiful and gives a very dramatic impression."
This also gives the impression the fairways are narrower, bringing a new psychological dimension to the game.
The greens will be softer this year, with more mature grass making placing shots a bit easier than in 2007.
"All this sounds easy but you'd be surprised by the work and deliberation it takes," he said.
Mr Hill's stated aim - which may have been achieved - is to have his greens considered "up with the best golf courses in the world".
"I'm pretty fastidious, really."
While he is "trying to raise the bar", Mr Hill is also trying to make sure this is a tournament with a real difference.
"Last year was a start . . . it has been a huge learning experience."
There have been some disappointments along the way - when a top New Zealand golfer withdrew last week because of injury.
"It is disappointing Michael Campbell won't be at the Open this year and we hope his shoulder injury will be short-term," Mr Hill said.
"It is the first NZ Open he has missed since he was an amateur - we are obviously hopeful that he will be back in 2010 and wish him well for a speedy recovery."
While Campbell will not be featuring on the leaderboard, Mr Hill is excited about the prospect of having both Sir Bob Charles, who will celebrate his 73rd birthday on Saturday during the Open, and high-profile New Zealand amateur 18-year-old Danny Lee taking centre stage for New Zealand.
"It is fantastic because we have both ends of the spectrum here.
"Sir Bob's career has been legendary and at the Open at the Hills in 2007 he drew the largest galleries by far.
"It is interesting that he won his first Open when he was 18 and now Danny Lee, who was the youngest competitor ever to win on the European Tour when he took the Johnny Walker Classic title in Perth recently, will be competing alongside him.
"These two players will undoubtedly be the major drawcards at this year's Open."
Lee's appearance is also significant because it is the last time he will play in New Zealand as an amateur. He is about to turn professional and it will be thrilling for everyone to see him in action at The Hills.
However, for Mr Hill, his wife Christine and the rest of the close-knit family, the names of the players on the course is only one facet of the tournament's success.
He wants everyone, from the players to the club members and the visitors watching the competition unfold, to feel a part of a special experience while on his grounds.
"This is a family affair, quite different from the rigid golf tournaments elsewhere," he said.
"I would like people to stay and see the closing ceremony - which is a secret but I can tell you, will be big," he said.
Mr Hill was very appreciative of The Hill's staff's energy and passion for the project.
"The clubhouse team is maturing beautifully and . . . really pulling together," he said.
"The family and the group of people here at The Hills are all working in sync and people in sync move more quickly and achieve better than a group that isn't."
