Peak n Peek Upper Course (Clymer, NY)

Peak n Peek's Upper Course is one of the best places to play within two hours of Cleveland! 

(The contoured green at the short par four fifteenth rewards good shots with a birdie opportunity. 330/313) 

I never realized Peak n Peek had this good a golf course. I knew the Web.com Tour played the Lake Erie Classic here, but no one ever talked about it, and to be honest, I only knew to be a ski resort. Shame on me! 

Like Old Stonewall and Longaberger, two other courses that would be high on my "best within two hours" list, the Upper is routed atop a hill, and has marvelous views that accentuate the feeling of playing golf in a grand setting. John Exley designed it in 1996, and he routed it mainly on the apex of the hill with the most dramatic holes cascading down and providing the golfer with an exhilarating vista and challenge.

(The par five fourth plays downhill all the way to the green. Hitting across the deep gorge that crosses the fairway is one of the memorable shots. 563/550)

Usually on this type of terrain, the architect has some awkward holes that are shoehorned into the property, but the Upper never encounters that, and each hole fits into the routing beautifully. The variety of shots, shapes, and looks test the player. And more importantly, it has width!! It's playable! 

(The driveable twelfth is an interesting hole. Depending on pin position, you may want to layup, or take a rip at it...

...a front pin like in this pic is accessible from the sand short. Notice the back tier. A pin here must be nipped perfectly to get close to the hole. 345/312)

The conditioning of the Upper is great, and with the firm fairways, driver is not always needed. The greens have nice contours in them, and with the opportunity to have a short iron in your hands often, the challenge is hitting the ball to the correct level. 

(The par three third is slightly elevated above it's surrounds. Any ball off the edges will roll away from the putting surface. 201/190) 

(The awesome sixth plays uphill over the gorge. It's longer than it's listed yardage, and when you think the tour players (492 yards) are actually teeing it up from the par three fifth tee box then you'll really appreciate just how far they hit the ball! 430/395) 

(The ninth was originally the final hole before they switched the nines. Bubba Watson three putted the green in 2004 during a playoff to give the title to Kevin Stadler. 398/359)

(What a great view at the par three thirteenth!! Don't be long here otherwise it'll be a lost ball. I find it interesting how a front pin is barely visible due to Exley cutting it into the hillside. 190/158)

(The fifteenth caps off a very good set of par threes with a mid or long iron played over a ravine. A central ridge divides this green up into quadrants. 200/174) 

(The last hole provides plenty of drama for the tournament since this par five is reachable with two big shots...

...players must weigh if they can carry the stream that fronts the green. For shorter players, a shallow green places a premium on laying up to a good yardage. 575/525)

The Upper deserves to be more well known. I highly recommend playing here. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours). It is the best course in the Erie/Western NY area. If you're looking for a great guys trip, then I would suggest a round here followed by a round at Whispering Woods in Erie. Both are John Exley designs, and are in excellent shape.

I was disappointed to learn that Peak n Peek closed the Lower course. I guess the area couldn't support both. The only upside is one can buy 5 rounds at the upper for $200. This was made primarily for the locals, but anyone can purchase the card. 

(Wish I had gotten to play the Lower. It was a Fred Garbin design. It had some nice natural features, including this great view of the lodge.) 

Chautauqua Point Golf Club (Dewittville, NY)

My friend Frank used to own a house in Chautauqua, and he told me if I ever found my way out there, to play this lil nine hole course. I forgot all about it, but it popped into my head as I was driving back from Holiday Valley. 

(The view of the par five third green illustrates all the good attributes of Chautauqua Point.) 

Frank had a good sense what made a course worth seeing. He had a membership at Longue Vue, and regularly played Fox Chapel and Oakmont, so his golf architectural intelligence was high. For him to casually mention CP, I knew it had to be interesting. 

(The green on par three second hole slopes from back left to front right.) 

Chautauqua Point was designed in 1900 by Donald Ross. It sits on a side of a hill that slopes down to the lake, so one is constantly encountering hook and slice lies. The beauty in this little nine holer is not in the condition of the fairways, which is somewhat poor, but rather in the design of the greens. 

The side towards the lake is always crowned, so shooting at a pin on that side is quite brave. I hit a few draws into several greens, and each time it would come in close to the edge, the ball would bound down the hill. False fronts and false sides made it a fascinating play. 

On a parcel such as this, I'm always curious to see how the architect routs the holes. Ross is obviously one of the best, and he didn't seem to mind the hanging lies one encounters here. 1,3,4, and 7 all play across the slope. 

(The par four seventh plays over the sixth green to a turning fairway...

...with the ball above your feet, a sweeping draw is easy to pull off, but a bunker front right and false front short left, the player who can fade it is rewarded.) 

2,5, and 6 are atop the hill or play on flatter terrain. These three holes are the best scoring opportunity. 8 and 9 are the holes you remember long after the round, especially the eighth. The 154 yard par 

three plays downhill to a green resting on the shoreline. Note the trees in pic. They are nearly a goal post, though from the blue tees, the ball rises over them quickly.

A couple more pics to really entice the beauty of this hole!

(What a view of Lake Chautauqua!)

(A pic from the 1960s shows how much the trees have grown.) 

 

The ninth plays straight back up!! It's 134 yard par three that's closer to 160 yards! 

Yikes!! 

Chautauqua Point is type of course found throughout this country in the early years when golf was just beginning to be introduced to Americans. It's quite simply a living museum piece. I enjoyed every shot I hit! If you love golf, then it's worth stopping by when you're in the area. I usually end with a rating, but I'm going to refrain this time. I'm overlooking a lot of negatives while focusing on a really cool set of greens. 

Eaglesticks Golf Club (Zanesville, OH)

          

           Golf Digest 2003/2004

          Top 100 Public Courses

        #100 Eaglesticks Golf Club 

On the wall in the pro shop is a framed poster celebrating Eaglesticks achievement in 2003 for making it on the Top 100 list. I stared at it for awhile, looking at all the courses that made it, including four other Ohio courses, Stonewater, Avalon Lakes, Longaberger, and Shaker Run. I started counting all the ones that I've played...13. And if you include the time I paid to walk The Prince Course, the number is fourteen.

One of the upsides to my blog is it gives me a reason to visit courses I haven't seen in ten to twenty years. I last played Eaglesticks in the late '90s, and the only time I ever hear it mentioned is when someone is discussing the 9-star of golf package they have with Longaberger.  

($175 weekday 195 wknd for overnight stay with rounds at both courses) 

Eaglesticks is designed on small parcel of land, in fact, it's only a 150 acres. Dr Hurzdan achieved this by looping the front nine clockwise around the perimeter, and looping the back nine clockwise inside it. Large hills separate the holes from each other. 

(The 363/338 yard par four fourth shows how Hurzdan massaged the course into the land. Hills left and right of the fairway make each hole seem isolated.)

On a small piece of land like this, five par threes gives the architect plenty of leeway. Here, they allow Hurzdan to design the holes on the good terrain, and  put the short holes on the less than desirable terrain.  

(The tenth is a challenging 193/168 yard shot over water. The back hill might be dry, but doesn't give up a three very easily.) 

(The gorgeous twelfth is the best par three. The triple tier green places a premium on obtaining an exact yardage, and hitting the appropriate iron.) 

The par fours are the strength of the course, with several short ones mixed in with a few long ones. I was playing with a member and he told me a couple of the short par fours are driveable. 

(The 338/313 yard seventh is downhill where a drive carried to the second crest can roll to the apron. The green is actually quite narrow, and the back left pin position is on a small tier. Water right of this green is in play.) 

(The eighth is 437/397 yards. Both the driver and the putter will be challenged here. Four is a good score.)

(The ninth plays shorter than it's 453/422 yards, but any drive not in the fairway will be struggling to find the green.) 

(The uphill approach to 439/424 yard fifteenth becomes more complicated as the flag moves closer to the right.) 

(A good birdie opportunity at the sixteenth. The downhill par four is just a short iron approach, though a pin on the left can be semi hidden.) 

There are only three par fives at Eaglesticks, making this a par 70. Hurzdan did a good job varying the length, designing one reachable par five, one definite three shotter, and one risk reward. 

(The downhill third is only 493/482 yards. A long drive will give the player a chance to reach the green in two...

...the green is well protected but plenty of room short to bounce it on.) 

(The long eleventh plays 591/562 yards, most of it uphill. The creek crosses the fairway at a point where a poor drive will need to be laid well back. The best hole on the course in my opinion.)

(The final hole is 541/525 yards. The green is set at a diagonal with a deep bunker guarding. The further right the pin position, the more difficult it is to make birdie. It's a beautiful finisher!!) 

Eaglesticks has a few shortcomings, most notably with the par threes. Hurzdan tends to have a couple "throwaway" holes where it seems like he just put them in.  Five and seventeen sorta fit that bill. Both are short par threes, 151/140 yards, and are nondescript.  Also, since the holes are looped the way they are, several seem to be repetitive. An example would be nine and eighteen. 

Still, Eaglesticks ticks all the boxes that I look for in a course. It's in great shape, has a lively clubhouse, and is very affordable. Three things that most players  look for too! I give it a high 5 (good)(worth driving one hour). We used to drive from Cleveland every year, but it's lack of length eventually was the deciding factor for some not to come, and considering it's just over two hours, it's a valid reason. 

(Eaglesticks is consistently ranked in the top 10 for Ohio) 

Brandywine Country Club (Penisula, OH)

When I was young, and first started playing golf, I bought John Tidyman's "Cleveland Golfer's Bible." The book introduced me to all the courses in the city and surrounding area, guiding me to the best, and sometimes, most interesting places. 

(The 153 yard fourteenth drops over 100'

downhill!) 

Brandywine falls into the most interesting category. Oddly enough, when one is driving on Akron-Penisula or Truxell roads, the front nine is in view, and it is a traditional looking nine holes of golf. Never would one suspect the extreme nature of the back nine. 

(The green at #1 is very attractive. Look how it's open in the front but falls off on the sides and rear.) 

(The bunkering is beautiful! The grass face stares back at the player, letting it be known not to miss it short right.) 

(The short par three ninth is a lovely hole. Front pin positions require a smooth swing, and a bit of panache, to knock it stiff.) 

The back nine occupies a hill strewn parcel of land, with the golf holes tucked in between. By routing the holes in the valleys, the playing corridors are very restricted. 

(This is the view of the twelfth fairway looking back to the tee.)

(The thirteenth plays straight uphill with the hole doglegging right around the trees. If the drive doesn't make it to the top, then the ball is significantly below your feet for the approach.) 

There are obviously very significant issues with the back nine, but I have a different opinion on it. I feel they tried to get too much out of this land, and with a different mindset, could make this a really exciting part of the property. My solution: an 18 hole par three course. They have a nine hole par three course already across the street, but I think they could put twelve strong holes where the back nine is, and trim the river side property to six. The Z hole itself has enough natural features for three of them. 

(The par three fourteenth is atop the hill, and is the first of back to back par threes. All the the trees in pic should be taken out, leaving a spectacular view of the CVNP.) 

Brandywine has the good fortune to be located in the Cuyahoga Valley National. With great anmenities such as Penisula, Kendall Lake, Hale Farm and Village, and Blossom Music Center, the park sees more than two million visitors a year. With the big push to play golf in less time, a regulation nine holes coupled with an 18 hole par three course could do well. The way it is now, Brandywine is basically a nine hole course already. The back nine is poorly done, with the exception of a few nice holes. I give Brandywine a 2 (below average)(worth driving 15 min). 

While my overall rating is low, I will say that the front nine is above average (4). I enjoyed playing it very much, especially after hiking with my family at the ledges and having a few hours for myself. 

Nn