Rawiga Golf and Swim Club (Seville OH)

Rawiga falls into the private gone public category that many clubs have undergone to maintain and survive the recent climate of golf. It's located in Seville out by the national cemetery, and even by locals standards, might be classified as being in the middle of nowhere. That is one of the things that contributes to Rawiga's draw. No housing, no vehicles, no one to interrupt. Just a great day of golf! 

Rawiga was designed in 1959 by Lawrence Packard. His design philosophy came from economic sustainability. Mechanical mowing as opposed to hand mowings is one example. This explains why the greens have openings, so the mower can ride right onto it. The sides are sloped or crowned so the water drains off. The bunkers are contained inside mounds so water doesn't flow into them. Golf balls have to carry into the sand, rarely will they roll into them. The greens have gentle slope to them. Ironically, this is an advantage considering how much faster green speeds have become. Rawiga has all of Parkards design characteristics. 

The second hole is a perfect example of everything mentioned above. The 185 yard par three has a wide opening but any ball that catches the side of the green with run off into the rough. The bunkers guarding the right are in the mounding. The player must judge the tee shot appropriately so it hits just in front and releases to the hole. 

One trait I saw several times are the pinch points starting the turn in a few doglegs. The golfer has to be precise off the tee if he chooses to drive the ball into the throat to gain an advantage. Any type of mishit or lack of judgement can find the trees or the hazards in the bend. The par five third has the hazard creeping in from the left. Six has several trees making the dogleg an obvious point. Fourteen has the the trap on the right and trees on the left funneling the pinch towards the hole. 

Rawiga's greens provide all the challenge  towards protecting par. The good players hit the shots toward the middle of the green. Pins on the edges are too easy for balls to run off slopes into the rough. This is one place where I'll chip away from the flag just to avoid the slope behind the pin. There is a huge emphasis on hitting good shots to middle of green and taking chance with putter. 

There are many solid holes at Rawiga but only one that I would consider to be great. That hole is fifteen, a 200 yard par three downhill over a creek to a green on the hill protected by sand and trees. It's hard to judge the distance and shot shape to get close to the flag. 

A few of my favorite holes are as follows. The fourth is a classic long par four whose fairway cants to the left, leaving a long iron above your feet for a second shot. The fifth is a very good short par four. The obvious play is to layup and wedge it on for a birdie chance. So much trouble lurks for the driver. The sixteenth is a beautiful par five. The player has a realistic chance of cutting off a lot of yardage if he challenges the hill. Nice hole. I also like the last hole a lot too. I like how the hole plays mostly in full view of the clubhouse. It's a fun hole to watch as most players will have a good chance for birdie. 

Management has put some money into Rawiga, specifically reconstructing several of the bunkers and adding some new tees. The course looks really good and is in great shape. I m a big fan and I enjoy the course a lot. A 4(above average) seems kinda low but Packards design is not exciting. The low handicappers tend to shoot some good scores here since most strategies are immediately apparent when one steps to the tee.