Seneca Golf Course (Broadview Heights, OH)

When I was younger, my uncle would take me here. There was a circular green behind the clubhouse where you could hit shots 150 yards and in. We would walk off yardages and practice hitting those distances. It was serious work. 

(Chippewa sixth hole illustrates the great work the Cleveland Metroparks has done at Seneca. The water hazard used to be a reed filled marsh that cut across the property. They cleaned it up and made it much more defined. Before, one had to layup and hit a mid iron in. Now there are options to get closer off the tee for a birdie chance, thus bringing the water more into play. 354/322 yards)

Ever since the Metroparks acquired Seneca,  I’ve been patiently waiting to see the new renovations. They’re only keeping 27 of the 36 holes. All three of the nines east of the clubhouse are being renovated. (Two of them are complete with third opening up next Memorial Day)  

(The first hole is a short par four. It’s a good birdie opportunity but anything short or to the sides kicks away from the green. 345/337)

The renovation kept the original greens but they cut around them, and used the dirt to expand the putting surfaces. All the greens are slightly elevated now, and there’s runoffs that funnel the ball away. In some places they put new bunkering in. The old scrap bunkers that were three feet wide and twenty feet long are gone. It has a complete modern look and feel to it now. 

(The par five third plays over the hazard to a well bunkered green. It’s been shortened so players can now carry the water and have a chance to make a birdie. 508/500) 

The greens at Seneca never had a lot of undulation in them. They were just tilted to one side or the other. The new greens have less tilt to them and can be made to play very fast. With the back tees stretching over 7000 yards, there’s already talk of bringing the city championship here, a marked difference to it alternating between Sleepy Hollow and Manakiki. 

(The fifth begins a three hole stretch of long par fours where par is a good score. No bunkers needed on this stout two shotter where a slight valley short right prevents balls from running on. 464/423)

(The sixth is another strong par four. A bunker protects the front left side of the green...

...a close up view from short left. 444/435)

The par fives are strong at Seneca. There’s only three of them, and the two are very long. Thankfully there’s a few short par fours to provide the birdie opportunities. Nonetheless, these three shotters tend to punish players who don’t hit solid shots throughout the hole. 

(Not many players will reach this hole in two. Most will be looking at a mid iron third. The renovation placed a bunker short left of the green. Note the fairway that wraps around the right. They piped a few places which should help control the water flow. 613/571)

(The view of the eighth green from ten. This pond was not here originally. It was a ditch that was well away from the green. The pond was in front of nine tee, and they extended it down to protect this green. 603/594)

Seneca sits on 350 acres of land. It’s a huge piece of property and is the biggest attribute of the golf course. One is completely immersed with nature, and the abundance of wildlife combines to make for a great day of golf. 

(The par three fourth used to have a circular green. It’s been expanded both in the front and back to make it comma shaped. It’s also narrow too with a bunker right and a falloff left. 154/149)

(One of the few holes that really didn’t change is the ninth. They mounded the back of the green and divided  the large front bunker into two. Cleaning the pond in front of the tee really added to this beautiful hole. 213/189)

I really like the work they did here. I’ve always felt Seneca occupied a terrific piece of property. It could never become great with the city of Cleveland running it, but now being with the Metroparks, that is a real possibility. 

(The short but tough second hole on the Chippewa nine. Anything hit short will spin back down the hill. 364/349)

(Chippewa’s ninth will play as most peoples eighteenth. It’s a par four that begs for a draw to gain the best view into the green...

...this pic shows just how precise one must be off the tee. The green was expanded and a bunker placed front right. 360/351)

I think Seneca is a solid 5 (good)(worth driving an hour). With the addition of the third nine next year, which I think is the best nine, Seneca has the possibility to be even higher. 

[ I wanted to mention a quick sidebar. Seneca is the eighth course in Metroparks portfolio. There were two courses they received that unfortunately didn’t get the opportunity to stay golf courses. One is Astrohurst which is very close in distance to me. It made sense to let that go to pasture because of its proximity to Shawnee Hills. The other is Acacia Country Club. I was very disappointed they didn’t keep it open. It was a great Donald Ross course with a ton of history. Granted the parameters of the deal was for it to become a walking park, but it would’ve been nice if it could’ve been saved. They kept the clubhouse at least. Still very disappointing.]