Squaw Creek Country Club (Vienna, Ohio)

Not all Stanley Thompson courses are the same. I fell in love with Sleepy Hollow the first time I played it. Thompson's bold greens and aggressive use of landforms made me very eager to see more of his work. When I found out Squaw Creek was a Stanley Thompson course, it became a priority on my must play list. 

(The par three third is across a shallow valley to a green perched slightly above.) 

Squaw Creek starts with a nice par four. The hole plays in a valley between the ninth and seventeenth holes. 

(Note the players on far left. A creek goes down that side and cuts diagonally across. Players just need to get past the tree in order to have a good look at the flag.) 

The second is a short par four. 

(A great tee shot at the second, one of the few that got me excited!....

...the approach however shows little of the boldness Thompson is known for in the way of greens and bunkering. Note the big roll short of the green. Long hitters might find a dicey stance for the approach.) 

The third is a well designed par three. I like the look of the fairway short of the green. It makes the hole look longer, and it gives seniors and juniors a bailout. Four follows with a nice par five where the trees encroach from the right, making a high fade a perfect second or third shot. It's a really good opportunity to make birdie. 

Stanley Thompson always has a long 200+ yard par three on his courses, and the sixth fills that roll at Squaw Creek. 

(The green is nicely placed on a slight rise, but it's reasonably sloped so two putting is not that difficult.)

The seventh green is really cool. It's bold putting surface had me dropping a couple balls and trying to figure out the best way to chip to the hole. 

(The front third portion of this green acts as a false front, sending any ball spinning back into the valley.) 

The eighth is a long par four that doglegs right after it crests the hill. 

(A low runner has plenty of room to get on the green.)

The ninth is another long par four, and similar to eight, there's plenty of room to run the ball onto the green. 

(Note the openness of the green. The player has many options available to attack the flag.)

The back nine begins with a straightaway par four that plays slightly uphill. Then the course hits a three hole stretch that demands precision play. 

The eleventh is a 600 yard monster that doglegs left. Keep the ball out to the right to have good angles to the green. 

(The green is tucked in a little grove of trees with a hidden creek fronting it. A mid or long iron is a common club for the third shot. A par is a great score.)

I imagine at one time twelve was a fantastic short par four, but the version today is too narrow in my opinion. A draw is required off the tee, while avoiding the creek that diagonally crosses the fairway. With the branches on the left protruding out as much as they do, the driving line is compromised. 

(A great view of the approach shot on twelve. The green slopes away on the sides, yet still pitches forward.)

Thirteen is a beautiful par three across the valley. 

(The left bunker noses into the green making the front and left pins difficult to attack. Putting over the trap's shoulder is just another challenge on this bold green.)

The next two holes have branches intruding into the driving lines, and depending on one's ability, can wreck havoc on the tee shot. 

(The par four fifteenth doglegs right, and with the branch (on the right) nearly reaching out halfway across the fairway, the drive is the key shot. I was able to hit a low ball underneath it, and I'm sure longer players can go over it, but such a feature is unnecessary. Squaw Creek has four holes with this "hazard"!)

Sixteen is a short par four. 

(The small green is well bunkered, but once again, I have to wonder where the boldness of Stanley Thompson is.) 

The seventeenth is a great par five! 

(The elevated green is pitched towards the player while crowned on the sides. Also the bunkering on the right is edged into the base of the hill, a look that let's one know avoid at all costs.) 

(View from behind seventeenth green. Note how the hole plays from high ground before dropping downhill and finishing up at an elevated green. For the long hitter it's reachable, but the second shot has to be perfect!) 

Squaw Creek finishes with a par three over water. 

(You can tell immediately that this is not a Stanley Thompson hole! The hole itself is okay, but overall, it doesn't catch my eye or make me feel like I have to hit a great shot. The fountain is cheesy and the party center looking clubhouse all combine to make an uninspiring finish.)

Squaw Creek was a bit of a disappointment for me. There was only three holes that had Stanley Thompson's bold greens. (7,12,17). The overcrowding tree branches was another issue. Truth be told, my expectations were too high. The course is in great shape, there are plenty of solid holes, and the membership is filled. I give it a 5 (good rating) (worth driving 1 hr). Youngstown continues to show off it's collection of golf courses. 

Maple Nine (Fowler's Mill)

Last May, I wrote Fowler's Mill was one of the top three courses in the state. Well, Golfweek just released their 2016-17 best courses list, and Fowler's was the new #1!! 

(By switching the hole to the left the last seventy yards,  Pete Dye makes a relatively easy hole into one that demands thought from the tee. The elevated green with a false front and sloping left terrain puts pressure on the approach.) 

The Lake and River nines compose the championship eighteen, and get nearly all the accolades bestowed on Fowler's Mill. However, across the street is the lesser known Maple, and it's perfect for those trying to get in a quick nine holes, or for those who are adequate beginning golfers. It's also offers great insight into Pete Dye's architectural philosophy. 

(The par four second's green is offset from the fairway, and has two bunkers guarding the front.) 

(Pete Dye elevated the greens and surrounded them with rough. The aerial attack is the only way to get close.) 

(The eighth is only 320 yard but the green is behind a group of trees. The longer the drive, the better the angle.) 

Sitting in the managers office are the original diagrams for the golf course. It was suppose to be 54 holes! Not sure why TRW didn't go ahead all the holes. The Maple nine isn't the exact way Pete had intended it. TRW sold much of the property to the rookery. 

(The short par four seventh)

(The par three ninth is a solid 175 yards.)

(It's a tranquil setting on the Maple. To me, the atmosphere is everything I want in golf.)

(The best caddy ever!) lol

Stonewater Golf Club (Highland Heights, OH)

The golf boom of the '90s officially hit Cleveland when Stonewater was designed in 1996. I remember touring the course with the GM who pointed out all the great qualities Hurdzan and Fry used to make this the centerpiece of the housing development in Highland Heights. The stacked stone walls line many of the tees, greens, and water hazards, and with the bright white sand traps, the course visually stands out. 

(The first hole is a very difficult opener. With the water guarding the left side of the fairway and crossing it, players usually lay back and hit more club into the green. Miss it slightly right, and the water will quickly punish.) 

(Only one place is safe on the 201 yard third.) 

Stonewater begins with three very difficult holes that can ruin your round before it begins. It creates a psychology that forces players to be ready on the first tee.  As a private golf club, it works well.  

(The par five fourth is a good chance to get a birdie. A layup just short of the creek opens up all the pin locations.) 

Many of the greens at Stonewater have a ridge bisecting them, sloping the front of the green towards the player while the rear half slopes away.  This seems to be a design template Hurdzan uses frequently. 

(The fairways are wide at Stonewater...

...but the greens are well defended.) 

(The approach into ten. Note the big bunkering that makes the green look smaller. Also, you can see the ridge that bisects the green.)

(The 625 yard thirteenth finishes with a small well bunkered green. A good yardage will allow an aggressive third shot.) 

(The tough par four fifteenth is well bunkered and has a significant ridge dividing the green in half. Note the hazard cutting across the fairway. Players must take care not to drive the ball into it.) 

(The beautiful sixteenth is a birdie opportunity if one challenges the front trap with the approach shot.) 

(The seventeenth is a whooping 247 yards from the back tees. Thankfully the green is plenty big to accept a shot of that length. Par is a very good score.) 

(The final hole doglegs right, the creek challenging every shot before finally guarding short right of the green. Plenty of room to setup a short iron third shot to the green. In 2007, Jason Day birdied it to win the Web.com's Cleveland Open.)

In Stonewater's short twenty years of existence, it has held the Cleveland Open three times, from 2005-2007, and current world #1 Jason Day won in '07 shooting a final round 67 to finish -16. 

This history has made Stonewater one of the few courses in recent memory to transition from public to private. Luckily for most, the membership package is reasonable and a good value for the player. It's definitely worth the effort to find a way on to play. I think it's a solid 6 (very good).