Sanctuary Golf Club

Canton is arguably the best golf destination in Ohio. When you consider it has the best course in the state, The Quarry, two well respected and tournament tested courses,Tam O'Shanter Dales and Hills, and finally a very good top twenty ohio public course, The Sanctuary, it doesn't seem so far fetched.

The Sanctuary was designed by Brian Huntley on what was once the old 36 hole Bob-o-links course. What makes this such a great course is the variety in the length of the holes. There's reachable par 5s, driveable par 4s, in a nutshell, every type of hole you can find on a course. And the best part is its playable for all levels.

First hole, 455/415 yards; Sanctuary opens with a strong par four. I love the low profile green that is basically just a mere extension of the fairway. It's such a difficult tee shot as you drive to a plateau fairway. Should you mishit the drive, there are options to try to get a good angle for a par saving pitch. Not a trap on the hole either. It's one of my favorite openers.

Second hole, 153/144 yards; Two is a deceiving short par three. The green is elevated and plays into the breeze. Most players hit a short iron and don't consider these two elements into their shot selection. Not uncommon for balls to come up short in the bunkers or just make the green leaving long difficult two putt.

Third hole, 545/530 yards; Three is an excellent example how to incorporate natural feature into the design of a par five. A large hill is the focus of the hole and the fairway curves around it for the second shot. The player must hit his second past it for an unhindered view and a simple pitch for his third. The long hitter has an advantage should he be able to clear it altogether with his second shot. That's the beauty of the hole as both the short and long hitter must figure out how to take on this dominate feature.

Fourth hole, 343/325 yards; Overnight the fourth went from a lazy short par four into a fear inducing cape hole when the adjacent property decide to expand and the OB boundary was pushed nearly to the edge of the fairway. Players now have a decision to make as to how much of the OB are they going to carry. Don't forget that an incorrect line will find the trees on the opposite side of the fairway. Driving the green is definitely an option for the long hitter. It's an exciting hole.

Eleventh hole, 183/168 yards; The last eight holes are very good and are the reason Sanctuary is held in high esteem. The eleventh is an ideal low profile green. No mounds, just an extension of the fairway short of it with one bunker guarding the front right. The view is serene as the long grass backdrops the flag, and hopefully entices an exact shot at the hole.

Twelfth hole, 397/381 yards; I'm not sure I've ever seen a great hole with this strategy. A creek bisects the fairway forcing players to layup short and hit 170-150 yard approach. What's different here is the green once again extends from the fairway thus open in the front while the sides fall into grass depressions. The view just makes you want to hit a low running shot to the hole.

Thirteenth hole, 471/434 yards; Thirteen runs parallel to twelve with the creek bisecting the fairway again except it's a very long drive to it. This green is concaved so if the player can reach it, the ball will be propelled to the middle. Nothing new I agree, but it's solid golf.

Fourteenth hole, 573/553; A very long par five that I like a lot. The second shot must clear two sinister bunkers dug into the ridge. Once complete, the green is open to a well struck pitch. Not many players can reach this in two, and with OB left and long of the green, not many will try.

Fifteenth hole, 367/353; What a great hole!! And it's in the perfect spot too coming just near the end of the round. Fifteen doglegs left around a wetland and as the crow flies is reachable from the tee. It's a gutsy shot. The ball has to carry the hazard, avoid the bunkers, and hopefully takes a good bounce onto the putting surface. The conservative approach is safe but an exact shot is needed to secure a three. It's an excellent hole.

Sixteenth hole, 214/196 yards; If the player can par the last three holes, he'll win a lot of bets. Played close to the wetlands, sixteen is a full turn long iron or hybrid shot. Most will be just short of the elevated slightly green and will need a precise chip to recover a three.

Seventeenth hole, 466/434 yards; Another powerful long par four makes our trip to clubhouse a taxing one. While water guards the left off the tee, there is no sand up by the green. If our legs are still strong, we might be able to knock it on the green. If we don't make it in two blows, hopefully we're close enough to pitch it close. Four is a solid score here.

Eighteenth hole, 454/444 yards; This is a classic ending hole and a very strong one too. The elevated green sits several feet higher than the fairway and the approach must carry to the front edge to leave a chance for a two putt par. Most balls finish short on the upslope and require a delicate bump and run to save par. Par wins eight out of ten times here. As you can see, the course ends with a bang.

The Sanctuary has embedded itself as one of Ohio's best golf courses. The conditioning is outstanding as the ball rolls perfectly on the greens. While the greens have a great pace to them, you will not find large breaking putts. Thus many good scores can be shot here regardless of the length of the holes. I think this is a course worth playing and I give it a 6 rating. (Very Good Rating)

Turkeyfoot Golf Links (Akron OH)

Turkeyfoot Golf Links is a good example how a strong course can be built without being long on the scorecard. Designed in 1925, the course takes full advantage of every land feature available, including some beautiful views of the portage lakes.

Turkeyfoot is divided in half by SR 619, the front nine north of it and the back nine south of it. The first tee is set right next to the road which probably adds to the pressure of the first swing of the day. Thankfully it's a very short par four. Turkeyfoot really starts taking off at the long par four third. 440 yards, it plays alongside the road which is OB. The green sits atop a slight knob and the only way to attack it is by hitting just short and letting the ball bounce on. OB stakes just off the back edge of the green deters most players from making an aggressive swing and carrying it to the putting surface. The fifth thru the eighth play up and down a large hill. I'm not sure I've seen a hole like five anywhere. Playing uphill, the option to drive it is there, but the green is so precipitously placed that the prudent play is hitting a wedge just underneath the cup. It's a very cool setting as the green is benched into the hill with four foot high slopes at the back of the green. I used to play the slope as a backboard but after a few shots stayed, decided that was not the best option.

Six and seven are back to back par fives. Six plays downhill and has great views from the tee while seven plays uphill to a devilish green. Both are difficult holes to make birdie. The front ends with a mid length par four. The green has a large false front that makes the approach a nervy shot. Being long leaves a difficult two putt, so those trying to stay below the hole must take care not to spin it off the front down into the fairway.

The back nine starts off in interesting fashion. A par four of only 260 yards, it's not necessarily one you think about trying to drive. OB is dead on the right and a large bunker lies directly in front of the green. The green itself is an incredibly sloped surface from high front right to low back left. There's so many options that it's one of my favorite holes anywhere. It also illustrates Turkeyfoots secret to being a good golf course. The holes that look on the scorecard to be the easiest have the most difficult greens.

The back nine has three par threes, each of them requiring well struck shots to make par. The beautiful thirteenth is 190 yards downhill to a green protected by water left and sand front right. It's a tough target to hit, and the fun really begins once you're on the green. The steeply sloped putting surface can be three or four putted very quickly. The fifteenth is 210 yards. This square green has a ramp short of it, and it's best to use it to funnel the ball on. The seventeenth is my favorite par three. Only 130 yards, the sloped green has a ridge that bisects it at a diagonal angle. As the pin moves around the ridge, the shot required changes, though the result must always be below the hole and on the same side as the pin.

Turkeyfoot ends with a very demanding par five. Usually into the wind, it plays longer than its 570 yards. With 619 all down the right side, OB comes more into play the closer you get to the green. While a par here is a very good score, double and triple bogey can be made quite easily too.

Turkeyfoot is a fun course to play. It's in great shape, and you'll see a few holes you've never seen before. I recommend playing it. It's gets a GOOD (5) rating from me.