Thoroughbred Golf Club (Rothbury, Michigan)

The Thoroughbred was designed by Art Hills in 1993. When I played there, I met the owner and he told me how Hills was chosen. They had sent property specs to several architects and had made a time to meet with everyone. Hills showed up late that night, Wally thinking he might broken down. When Hills introduced 

himself, Wally asked why didn't he show up at the meeting. Hills replied "because I was walking the golf course." Thus he was hired. 

I can't believe I still remember that story after nearly twenty years. It was one of the first times I revolved a getaway around a place I read in golf digest. The Double JJ is a cowboy ranch, so horseback riding for the wife plus golfing for me seemed like an excellent idea. 

As for the Thoroughbred, I remember it being nationally acclaimed as soon as Hills designed it. He was getting a lot of recognition for his work back then and Thoroughbred was just another solid course. 

The eighteenth was the hole all the publications were talking about. It's an L shaped par five where players had to chose a line from the tee for their carry to the fairway. Multiple lines of play make this a super exciting finishing hole! 

The michigan topography is excellent for golf. The above pic is the fourth hole, another reachable par five. As you can see, its a lot of pressure to take on the challenge. 

Silver Lake Dunes is just down the street from Rothbury and combined with the Double JJ, makes for a great wknd or getaway. If you're in the area, then it's a great course to play. I give it a 6 (very good) rating. 

Fowler's Mill (Chesterland, OH)

Before there was Sawgrass, Kiawah, or Whistling Straits, there was Fowler's Mill. Originally built for TRW in 1970, Fowler's Mill is one of Pete Dye's earliest designs.

All the features that would come to represent his work, small undulating greens, railroad ties, split fairways, and gambling par fives, are all here. 

The course starts out with a long dogleg par four. The small green has two step style bunkers guarding the left. A tree front right used to make the approach really narrow, but for whatever reason they took it out. It definitely made the hole much easier. Long hitters can hit with impunity without worrying bout a long drive going thru the fairway and being blocked out by the tree. Two follows with a nice mid to short range par four. 

In the pic, a bunker right narrows the driving area just as the fairway rises out of the shallow valley. There are plenty of options available including driving over the trap. The shallow green is somewhat flat, and presents a good birdie opportunity. 

The third is the only mediocre hole on the course. It's a long par three played from an elevated tee to a narrow green. It's not easy to hit, but as long as the ball is not shortsided, saving par is very possible. I wish they would frame the green with bunkers. It d be more striking hole. The fourth follows with one of the best par fours in northeast Ohio. It's a C-shaped par four cutting around the water.

The drive really needs to challenge the water to find a flat lie. Those who hit away from the hazard often find their ball in the rough as the left half of the fairway slopes to it.  The green is far enough away from the water for it not to be a factor, but coming from the rough, it definitely is. From the back tees, it's intimidation factor increases tenfold. Excellent hole! 

The par five fifth follows and what looks like a birdie opportunity on the scorecard is actually a very strategic three shotter. It double doglegs with the last fifty yards cutting back to the right. It's imperative to hit the second shot left otherwise a shot from the right can be blocked out. It's pure Pete Dye! Six is arguably the second hardest hole on the course. The green is atop the crest of a ridge in the shape of an L. The fact that the drive can only be hit to the corner is my only grudge. It basically has to be hit perfectly and even then the approach is 200-180 yards! 

Laying up short is a viable option. Par is a great score. Seven is similar to six as far as it's green is on a natural plateau with fall offs short, right, and left. The best 

part....not a single bunker is needed! It's as natural a par three as you'll find. It's also a good birdie hole too, especially with a flag in the rear of the green. Front pins positions are a little more dicey to shoot at. 

Eight is the second par five on the front and this one forces the golfer to hit two good shots just to reach the dogleg! Pete's shortcut can possibly be used but it's all carry over a field of bunkers. Short hitters are, unfortunately, not long enough to use it on the second shot. As a short hitter myself, I'm not a big fan of the eighth because it's so difficult reaching the dogleg. It reminds me of Harbour Town's 15th except it doglegs more abruptly. It's a bit ridiculous to hit two fine shots and be blocked out. 

The front nine ends with the split fairway ninth. The left fairway is the easier side to hit but a gambling drive down the right fairway opens up a simple pitch to the green. Its a really cool hole. 

The back nine starts with a good par four. The creek that split nine fairway meanders in from the right rough and crosses the tenth before looping up short left of the green. It's another hole that requires no bunkers to challenge the player. 

The next three holes are my favorite. I love the tee shot on eleven as you drive from an elevated tee across the valley. 

The green has a false right side where a balls not hit properly spin back to the right fringe. Not sure you can see in pic, but a left pin and back pin are difficult flags to find. Then twelve follows with what some say is the best hole on the course. 

This short par four has a dual tee-dual fairway that is split by a creek. The green is crescent shaped and offers several different challenges dependent on what fairway your in, and what section the pin is. It is a great hole!! Then you walk behind the green to the tee set back behind the creek. It's another bunkerless hole, and much like seven, is completely natural!

The tree on the left stymies a fade so a draw or straight shot works well. Take an extra club, or two, and swing away! 

After playing the last three holes, fourteen thru eighteen seem almost like a letdown. Fourteen is a double dogleg par five that goes right and then back to the left. It's possible to hit to a spot in the fairway where a line to the green is not hindered by a tree. Then it's reachable. Oddly enough all the par fives dogleg and don't really require driver off the tee. If you're playing the hole conservatively then hit a couple hybrids and setup a short iron third for birdie. Fifteen is just lengthy. The green has a steep fall off to the left. I've seen this design feature before by Dye (at Windermere). 

Sixteen is a classic looking short to mid length par four. It's the only hole with bunkers guarding both the right and left sides of the fairway. The green has a rise on the left side which influences all the pin positions. It's a birdie hole if you can get the ball below the hole. Then seventeen follows with a well designed par three I call the "reverse C" hole. 

The green is squeezed in the middle by a bunker on the left. This creates three pin sections, front, middle (like flag in pic), and rear. The rear flag is most fun as the back portion of the green slopes hard to the left. A controlled draw will hit in the middle of the green and take the slope down to the pin. It's a green I have not seen anywhere else. Cool hole! 

Finally the last hole is a dogleg left par five. 

It's reachable with two big shots but the second will have to be carried onto the green. Most players will layup in the neck of the turn to leave a good yardage for their third. It's a nice par five. 

Fowler's Mill is a definite must play course in Northeast Ohio. I'm surprised when the best courses in state rankings come out that it isn't on there. It's easily one of the five best courses in the state! Add in the historical value of playing an early Pete Dye course, and there's no question about what it's rating should be. I give it a 7 (great) rating! It's worth a few hours to see! 

The Legends (Massilon, OH)

The Legends is a great example why you shouldn't try to fix something that ain't broken. John Robinson's original eighteen holes was well received, and tho it was pretty much modern golf at it's core where aerial shotmaking was the only way to hit a green in regulation, it was nonetheless a worthy test of golf. For whatever reason, the owner decided to expand and bought more land to put another nine holes in. However, these nine holes would be integrated into the others, so there would be three nines, each with three new holes. It absolutely destroyed the continuity of the course! It's so disjointed, that some of the walks between green and tees is several hundred feet! And the quality of the new holes are terrible.  

The original eighteen was always awkward, but the holes blended together. 

The hole above is a perfect example. The inside hazard protects the shortcut to the green but a successful challenging drive left a short approach. The more conservative drive had to be more precise, and left a longer second shot. 

Not sure you can tell in this pic, but many of the original holes was fronted by a bunker, so there was never running it in. 

And this was the old eighteenth hole, a beautiful risk/reward par five that was reachable with a good drive. Now it's just the ninth hole on the south. Meanwhile, holes like this permeate each nine. 

Seriously, what the hell is this?!! The old asylum is an interesting hazard but the right side (which isn't visible in pic) falls off into a water hazard! Also, many of the new holes have huge mounds in the front of the green so shots hit to a front pin bound forward and over the green. They're absolutely ridiculous!!

My friend Harley joined here. He raves about the conditioning, and I have to give it that, it's in excellent shape. That is clearly the only reason why the parking lot is busy everyday of the week. It's in beautiful shape! But I felt like I wasted a morning coming down to play it. I give it a 3 rating (average). (And that's only because of the terrific job the superintendent is doing.) 

Bunker Hill Golf Club (Medina, OH)

Bunker Hill was designed in 1926 and is the oldest course in Medina. While Shale Creek right down the street is pulling in all the country club types, Bunker Hill has a loyal group of locals who have been coming here for years and call it home. The owner constantly makes improvements to it, and it's always in very good shape. 

A few years ago, management bought an adjacent parcel of land and dug an irrigation lake. A couple holes were then designed around it, giving Bunker Hill some eye candy, and a couple risk/reward holes to get the blood pumping. This is in stark contrast to what I consider to be Bunker's biggest drawback, lack of difficulty. Most of the pushed up greens are little ovals that lack any type of defense. 

The northern side of the course has the best land, and therefore it has the best holes. A large valley with a creek at the bottom is where 8, 9, 16, 17, and 18. 

Eight is an uphill par three with several bunkers fronting the green. Nine is a downhill par four with the creek crossing the fairway. The green sits on a plateau and it's necessary to be in the short grass to hit it crisply. Sixteen is a good par four that plays along the crest of the hill. It's arguably the best par four on the course. Then seventeen is a solid par three across the valley to a green atop the hill on othe side. 

As you can see in the pic, it's a beautiful shot, but besides it's length, there's nothing by the green to challenge the player. Eighteen finishes up with a beautiful par five that plays downhill into the valley. Like nine, the creek crosses the fairway, and then crosses the fairway again to challenge the second shot. 

In my opinion, eighteen is hands down the best hole on the course. (Look at that gorgeous green sitting atop the hill!!) If Bunker had more holes like this, then it would be well worth seeking out. As is, I think it's just as enjoyable as it's neighbor Shale Creek. And it's less expensive. Overall, a winner for it's regulars. I give it a 4 rating. (Above Average) 

Pleasant Valley Golf Club (Medina, OH)

Last year I wrote bout driving on Hamilton road in Medina passing up several courses on my way to Shale Creek. One of those courses was Pleasant Valley. Jack Kidwell designed it in 1970, and much like his design at Punderson, it plays very long from the white tees. 

Length has always been one of Kidwell's design traits. Pleasant Valley seems to have this feature in bunches as long straightaway par fours and par fives make up the scorecard. Besides length, Pleasant Valley lacks little features that make a course stand out. The bunkering is minimial, and the large greens bailout players on a consistent basis. Long hitters have always enjoyed coming here for that reason. 

If there's a bright side to Pleasant Valley, it's the last five holes. Fourteen is a downhill par three set against water and sand. Then fifteen is a long uphill dogleg right par four. 

The last three holes revolve around a lake, however, It's only in play on the last hole. Sixteen is a reachable par five that plays that goes downhill, then back up. 

As you can tell by the pic, the bunkering is very basic. There's plenty of room to run it in. Then seventeen plays 200 yards across the valley. The oval green is bunkerless, it's length is it's only defense.

As mentioned before, eighteen is the only hole on the water.

The pic above gives the impression that the approach is over the lake, but in reality, the water is mostly to the side. The drive can get wet if the ball is not properly hit down the left side since right half of the fairway will take a cut and propel it further to the right. I do wish it was longer then it would force more players to hit a driver. At 350ish yards, hybrid or even long iron will take all the trouble out of play. 

Right now Pleasant Valley is a nice league course. It has options and flexibility if more challenge is needed for the members. I'm giving it an average rating. (3)  I'm still looking for great Jack Kidwell design. 

 

Maplecrest Golf Club (Tallmadge, OH)

I would love to find out who designed Maplecrest. It does something that many courses can't seem to do...it plays longer than it's listed yardage. Better yet, it plays tougher than it's listed yardage! And that is high praise indeed!!

Turkeyfoot accomplished this by giving the shortest par fours the toughest greens. Maplecrest forewent that philosophy, and routed the holes up and down the hills. The result was many blind and semiblind shots. This creates confusion, uncertainty, and ultimately, mistakes by the golfer. I counted twelve shots that encountered this feature, and it's on drives, approach shots, and even layup shots on par fives. 

The other feature is quite simple, and Turkeyfoot employed it too. Make the par threes long and difficult. I think that's the first thing people think about when one mentions Maplecrest. The eighth for instance is a 240 yard uphill par three. Most players can't reach it, and there's probably more threes on the 260 yard downhill par four fifth! 

Maplecrest also has small sloped greens and tight tree lined fairways to keep the challenge strong. I've seen some very good players tee it up here, and the frustration they show when they can't break par here makes me smile. I think attacking the course is a mistake. I have great success hitting hybrids and fairway metals off the tee. This puts me in the fairway and hitting a control shot into the green. 

Maplecrest is a fun old style golf course designed in 1928. It has a great price, beautiful greens, and is a wonderfully landscaped around the tee boxes as each hole as a different motif. (It's okay to steal some of their ideas to do in your yard;)) For many years in the CGA, this was the most popular course on the schedule. It also had the potential to produce the low round of year. It's an above average golf course, a 4 rating, and I enjoy playing it. I wish there were more courses like it. Golf needs it.