If there's one valid critique, it's the short length of Barberton. The good player will be hitting a short iron into ten of the first eleven holes. Plus all four par 5s are in the first 10 holes, so there's a possibility of reaching one or two in two shots. The average player on the other hand will be quite content as the course will be playable and likely much more fun. The par four second illustrates this. The 350 yard par four has a water hazard that crosses the fairway diagonally. The proper line is to carry it to the left side leaving a favorable angle to the green. It's a well thought out hole. Nowadays, good players just play straight at the green knowing they can carry the hazard all together. Not quite what the architect had in mind I'm sure.
The third hole is another short par four but the main challenge here is hitting a precise approach to a green beautifully cut into the hillside. Get above the hole and three putting is a real concern. Many of these short holes have tough greens to keep you honest and to keep birdies at a minimum.
After a few more short par four holes and a good par five whose green is protect by water, we arrive at arguably the best hole on the course, the lovely par three ninth. Played over a shallow valley with a drop off on the left, the green is severely canted right to left asking the player to hit a controlled draw to obtain lower pin positions or hit a high cut to higher pin positions. Putting across this green is borderline unfair especially going downhill which easily can go off the putting surface.
The back nine is the better half in my opinion, and it plays counterclockwise around the front side. Several holes are set hard against the property boundary and the OB stakes play a large role in their strategy. The twelfth is one such hole, and possibly the toughest hole on the course. A long par four, the drive must be hit solid to leave a mid or long iron approach. Any type of slice will be punished with a two shot penalty. The green is similar to nine, severely sloping right to left. It's a very a difficult shot to get close to the pin.
The thirteenth is one of my favorite par threes. The tee is on the hillside and the shot plays across the valley to a green perched atop a plateau. A crease separates the front tier and the back tier, thus it can be a tricky proposition hitting the correct club. Missing the green means hitting a difficult recovery from an uphill lie. Fourteen is a wonderful par four whose tee and green a just a few yards away from the OB stakes. The player can hit on a straight line from the tee, but most will hit out to the left. Either way, the tee shot ends up in a valley tho the one out to the left is an inferior angle. The green has a back right tier so look where the flag is before walking downhill to your ball. 12-14 is a really nice stretch of golf.
The golf gets less interesting on the last four holes although 15, 16, & 18 all tee off next to the Boundary stakes. I think most OB shots are hit on these holes because players are starting to get tired. However, the land is pretty dull and shots not too exciting. The approach into 18 maybe the exception as the player tries to place his ball on the correct side of the green. The Ohio high school athletic commission makes this one of their courses for regional and state championship implications. That's a good endorsement for Barberton!! 4 rating (Above average)
looking across the thirteenth, first, and fourth holes
A very good par three thirteenth. (Just think how intimadating it would be if they reinstalled the bunker short of the green!)
No comments:
Post a Comment