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)
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