Quail Hollow Weiskopf/Morrish Course (Concord, OH)

The Weiskopf Morrish course opened in 1996 during the time Quail Hollow was hosting the Greater Cleveland Open (1990-2001). Many folks assumed it would take over as the host course, but that never happened, and the Devlin course was used all twelve years. 

I never understood the reasoning for not using both courses. The Weiskopf Morrish is such a change of pace. It has ten dogleg holes and only three straightaway ones. The player needs to pick a line and execute the shot shape. It definitely requires more thinking than the Devlin. 

(The 431/404 yard fourth plays diagonally from an elevated tee down to the fairway. A creek and trees on the right try to discourage the player from cutting off the corner. The approach is uphill to a large green mostly hidden by bunker front left. It’s a tough par and one of the best holes on the course.) 

The Weiskopf Morrish gives the player several different looks as it winds through woods, wetlands, and rugged terrain. The greens are placed in spots where the obvious hazard is not always the miss that’s going to do the most damage. One has to pay attention to where the water is located or where the ravine comes into play. 

(The 168/156 yard par three fifth is set back in a hollow surrounded by trees. The front bunker is key. It artfully hides most of the putting surface, and guards the front pinning locations. A tier in the rear however provides the most exacting challenge.)

(Every Weiskopf course has a drivable par four, and the 312/261 yard sixth is the players chance for glory here. This version actually gives the player a better than average shot at driving the green. Plenty of fairway and visibility should make one comfortable on the tee.) 

Quail Hollow used to be a resort, but it is now a country club. The new clubhouse is located behind what was originally the first hole. This meant renumbering the holes, and now old #1 is #18. It also means the front nine possesses four par threes and plays to a par 34. The back nine is a par 37. With the course being one continuous loop with no returning nines, you don’t really notice it until you look at the scorecard. 

(The par five eighth is 493/488 yards. It’s reachable in two shots but the player must take care not to go long into the ravine. The front bunkers, and especially the swale, are good places to up n down.)

My favorite stretch of holes is 4-5-6. The rugged terrain has good elevation change to it, and takes advantage of the natural features. I also like how the challenge changes from tough par to birdie opportunity during these three holes. The next stretch that stands out is 13-14-16. The wetlands come into play, and the difficulty tightens up. 

(The 609/585 yard par five thirteenth is the kind of hole where a bogey sometimes feels like an accomplishment. Wetlands right off the tee and short of the green demands three strong accurate shots. The fairway wraps around the wetlands short of the green, but even this play can turn into disaster if one is careless. Take a five and run.) 

(The 424/381 yard par four fourteenth has the wetlands guarding the right off the tee. Hit a good drive and the large green can be attacked. Theres no bunkers protecting it so players should be aggressive.)

(The short 164/149 yard par three sixteenth is a great hole. Whether the pin is tucked behind the bunker or slipped between the wetlands, it’s a dangerous shot. With a short iron in ones hand, it’s an exciting hole.) 

This is the second Weiskopf course I’ve played this summer. He relies on turning the hole around obstacles as his main challenge. I noticed both this course and Forest Dunes have double digit dogleg holes. His routings find the different environs available on each property, and give the courses a fresh feel as one moves from hole to hole. 

(The 425/399 yard seventeenth doglegs left to this green plateaued against the ravine and a deep swale short. There’s some very good pinning locations, specifically rear right, that adds teeth. It’s a nicely manufactured hole in difficult terrain.) 

The Weiskopf Morrish course is well designed and I personally like it more than the Devlin course. I think it has more personality. It also compares favorably with Little Mountain which is a highly rated public course in Concord. I give the Weiskopf Morrish course a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). 

(Originally the opening hole, the 401/346 yard eighteenth is a short par four. The green is very different from the first seventeen. It’s a double plateau with a front to back bias. With the front being higher, it’s hard to judge the distance. Even with a short iron in hand, birdies will not be common.) 

(Unfortunately I did not take a picture of the scorecard, but I found this on one of the websites.) 

Heather Downs Country Club (Toledo, OH)

Heather Downs was once a grand country club with 36 holes, but the Great Depression caused it to change hands, and after WWII, the South Course was sold because the club couldn’t support two courses. It remained a private course until 2003 and is now public. 
(The 376 yard fourth is a demanding par four with a downhill approach shot over a creek. The severely sloped green is best putted from below the hole but rarely is that the case for first putt. A four is a solid score.)

Heather Downs was designed by William Rockefeller in 1925. He was the greenskeeper for Inverness and was involved in every aspect of building it. This gave him some credibility and an opportunity to do both courses at Heather Downs. It’s speculated that Donald Ross helped him out with the routing. 

[according to South Toledo GC website]

(Note the lip of the fairway bunker. Balls hit  too close to it will need wedged back into play. The lack of rough by the trap allows balls to roll in. More sand is needed to put the bite back into it but the bones are present.) 

Except for the north end of the property, Heather Downs is very flat. The front nine has very little character, and the challenge is initiated by the fairway traps and greens that slope back to front. Three putting is the biggest concern. The back nine plays among giant oak trees, and shaping the ball off the tee into play is the difficulty. 

(The 193 yard fifth is considered one of Toledo’s finest holes. From an elevated tee, it plays to a green tucked into the hillside. A members bounce off the hill is one way to play it, but it’s a risky strategy subjected to luck. Along with the fourth and sixth, this is a key three hole stretch.) 

Rockefeller was not an architect by trade, and this may be the reason why the architecture is repetitive throughout most of the course. Almost all the greens are open in the front and have bunkers on the sides. Several have a slight roll in the center which makes putting across the green a cautious affair. 

(The 322 yard eleventh is a good chance to make birdie. Note how the tall trees distort the players view and perception. Long hitters might get goaded into attempting to drive it, but a well played layup is the best strategy.)

While the front has the two best holes on the course, the back nine is much better test. The driving lines are tighter and demand more skill. The ability to curve it around trees and change the trajectory is a huge advantage. A one shot player will be stymied from being in optimal positions. The huge trees also have another effect. They alter ones depth perception and when the shadows are flickering can make it real hard to focus on the target. 

(The pivotal 131 yard par three sixteenth has water short, left, and behind. The front hole locations are very difficult to get close, and a roll in the front third makes this an easy three putt. Back and middle pins are your best bet for a duece.) 

Heather Downs has seen better days, but it still provides a good challenge for the locals who call it home. There’s good bones here and it wouldn’t take much to make this a top course again. Sand in the traps would be a good first step. I give it a 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 minutes to play). There’s potential for this to bump up, but with it being on such flat terrain, that’s probably only one notch. 

(The 363 yard eighteenth plays through a very narrow corridor off the tee. The green is a bit offset, so most approaches will need to carry front bunker. The old clubhouse must have been quite a sight back in the day.) 

Fieldstone Golf Club (Auburn Hills, MI)

Fieldstone was designed by Art Hills in 1998 for the city of Auburn Hills. He took a 27 hole facility and pared it down to 18 holes. It hosts numerous tournaments every year and boasts one of the highest slope and course ratings. 
(The 326/294 yard eighteenth was originally the sixteenth, but as the final hole, is a a good opportunity to net one last birdie. It’s driveable for the long hitter should he decide to take on the water.)

Art Hills moved a ton of dirt at Fieldstone and built elevated greens with steep drop offs on the sides and in the front. I’ve seen several of his courses that force an aerial attack and this one ranks right up there as one of his toughest.  There’s a lot of moguls and mounds for shorter misses, and cut away fairways that drop well below the level of the green. All these features are very difficult for the high handicap which is why I’m leary that a municipal course is frought with such architecture. 

(The short 333/306 yard par four third looks simple but the green is behind a large mound, and unless one challenges the water to gain a view, only the top of the flagstick is visible. It’s also possible for the ball to ricochet off the mound and scamper  across the green into the water.) 

(The 227/197 yard par three eighth is all carry to an elevated green guarded by wetlands and a deep sand trap. With little bailout available, ones best effort is needed. A par is a terrific score.) 

The front nine starts off by the clubhouse before crossing the road for holes two through eight, and then returns for the ninth. A pond and some wetlands are used to create some interesting holes, but for the most part, it’s Hill’s green complexes that give the front its character. 
(The par five seventh has a green that is obscured by this bunker complex. At 582/561 yards, the third shot will be a short to mid iron. Any mishit along the way will make this a difficult par.) 

(Fieldstone has a lot of these fall offs so one has to be careful with approach. The ball will  roll to the bottom til it comes to a stop in the higher grass making for a difficult recovery. This pic is the 414/372 yard ninth.)

The back nine is where the best holes are located minus the tenth and eleventh. The property is wooded with some nice land movement among the wetlands. The holes fit naturally on the property with the hazards demanding accurate play. 

(The par five twelfth possesses the best green at Fieldstone. I love how it’s elevated with the trees, mounds, and bunker framing the shot. Anyone going for this in two must hit a perfect shot. 564/533)

(Look how the thirteenth green sits comfortably in front of the wetlands yet shows little of its depth. Such a shot demands one trust the yardage and hit with no hesitation. 377/347) 

Art Hills does a good job mixing hard holes with birdie opportunities, and Fieldstone does that well. The easier holes have bite to them should you get careless, but the par fives are the real key here. They’re not really reachable, and for the players who are truly long, pose a big threat since any miscue can quickly turn into a double bogey. The best play is to find a strong yardage and attack from there. 

(The sixteenth is a perfect example why the par fives don’t give up birdie so easily. The green is ardently defended by sand and wetlands. Playing at 563/539 yards, it’s at a yardage that tempts long hitters.) 

The tenth and eleventh were originally the seventeenth and eighteenth holes.  They are as bland and as insipid as any two holes you’ll find, and management took a huge risk making them the turn holes and turning the short par four sixteenth into the final hole. 
(The 453/424 yard seventeenth is a long par four with an elevated green. Note how the fairway slopes left below the bunker. Players who come up short will need to pitch it over the sand to save par.) 

Fieldstone has a terrific range that ironically is the focal point of the club. Most clubhouses overlook the last hole, but Fieldstone has a commanding view of the range. It’s just one of the things that catches your attention. Auburn Hills has a championship course that is used for many local competitions. I personally like Pine Trace, another Art Hills course, that’s nearby. Still, I’d give Fieldstone a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play.) 

Eagle Creek Golf Resort (Findlay, IL)

I played Eagle Creek over 25 years ago, but I had to blog about it because it shaped my personal perception towards golf. At the time, I was 19 and had only been playing for two years, but somehow I was on the Cleveland State golf team. I was writing for the school newspaper when the athletic dept placed an advertisement for players to try out. So I did. 

There was really only one reason why I made the team... not enough guys showed up to compete, so I was on the B team. The best part  was the free golf at Medina CC, and the free range balls over at Johnnycake in Mentor. None of us on the B team had to worry about playing in a tournament, well, until the university had invitations to two  places on the same weekend. Yes I was going play collegiate golf!!

I played two rounds at Eagle Creek, and neither time did I break 100. In fact, I came in last place!! I beat no one! It was the epitome of embarrassment. I recall whiffing not just once but twice! Most people would’ve given the game up, but I fell more in love with it. In my mind, if you could play good golf, a very difficult objective, then you were actually achieving and accomplishing something. And so my golf journey started here. 

I met my best buddy at Eagle Creek, and we’ve been golfing all over the country ever since. We talk about coming back to this place and playing it again just to see how much better we are compared to then. I recall it being very difficult with narrow fairways. The twelfth and eighteenth are both par fives that I remember vividly. Maybe one day, we can make the trek over. 

(This is the long par five twelfth with Lake Shelbyville in the background...

...the long par four fifteenth offers commanding views too.)