Heatherwoode Golf Club (Springboro, OH)

I played Heatherwoode during a practice round for the Ohio Left-handers Golf Championship more than twenty five ago. My friend played in this tournament several times, and we would take notes on how to play each hole. I found those notes and wanted to comment on this course. 

Heatherwoode was designed by Denis Griffiths in 1991, two years after he did Bent Tree up in Sunbury.  Unlike Bent Tree, the driving lines are very important to understand.  Several ponds and creeks guard the landing areas off the tee, so one must have a game plan when to hit driver, what shot shape to hit, and when to club down. More times than not, the water is on the right side so a fade that’s cutting too much will be in for a long day. 

If one is driving it good, then the rest of the shots are less demanding. The big greens are flat with subtle breaks. There’s less pressure on hitting it close. In fact, my notes alluded to 20 footers being a makeable distance. I do recall us making multiple long putts during our round. 

Holes of note:

Hole 4 530/493 par 5: This par five has water off the tee on the right, then it has water down the left that fronts the green and guards most of the fairway. For the long hitter, it’s reachable in two but it’s all carry to a small green. 

Hole 5 420/396 par 4: This hole is similar to Bent Tree’s fifth. The player lays up off the tee short of the creek, and then hits a 180-200 yard shot into the green. The hole narrows close to the green so hitting from the fairway is a must. 

Hole 14 421/395 par 4: This cape hole has water all down the right side. Picking the correct line from the tee is the key to making par. Bailing left and playing left should make bogey the worst score you’ll write down. This is a real card wrecker if you get careless. 

Hole 15 394/351 par 4: This is a dogleg left with the creek fronting the green. A drive that reaches the lower fairway will leave a mid to short iron shot. Don’t be too aggressive on the approach otherwise you’ll end wet. A four is a good score. 

Hole 16 451/432 par 4: The longest par four on the course has the creek all down the right side. Playing it like a par five is not a bad idea. It demands a strong drive and an accurate long iron or hybrid to secure a par. Whoever can play these three holes (14-16) in even par will gain a strokes. 

Heatherwoode held the Nike Miami Valley Open for six years from 1993-1998. The pros never struggled here and the winning score was usually high teens or low twenties under par. In 1998, Doug Dunakey shot a 59, becoming the fourth player to break sixty on a major tour. 

Nowadays, Heatherwoode is the home course to Wright State University. It’s still holding tournament golf and the doing well against the college players. Needless to say, the course is always in great condition and is one of the best in the Dayton area. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

Elks Run Golf Club (Batavia, OH)

I remember when I first played Elks Run twenty years ago. For $85, you could play unlimited golf for the entire day. It was a lot of money back then but it was one of my favorites and the cornerstone of the Cincinnati/Dayton trip. 
(The 156/136 yard par three eighth is a fantastic drop shot hole. With a short iron in hand, one can be as aggressive as one wants but missing the putting surface especially on the right or rear will lead to a big number. The front bunker has a shoulder that pushes into the green, and when the pin is on the right side, will be a difficult two putt.) 

Elks Run was designed by Greg Norman in 1999, and is a good example of his design philosophy. His routing takes advantage of the hillside and a rock strewn creek, and uses these features as much as possible. On the back nine, 11-15 all have the creek in play, fronting putting surfaces, forcing players to favor a particular side to gain an edge for the approach.  

(The 154/144 yard twelfth is a downhill par three surrounded by water. There’s plenty of room for the shot at hand and is a good birdie opportunity. Still, players must take heed not to be too zealous otherwise a mishit can find the hazard.) 

Much of the front nine plays in a field with the two standout holes, 7 & 8, stretching into the hillside and playing on the highest part of the property. The back nine then plays on the other side of the clubhouse where the aforementioned creek arches into five consecutive holes. The creek holes are definitely the most memorable. 
(The 550/535 yard fifth tees off from atop the hill and plays to a shared green that wraps around a small lake. Both par fives, 3 & 5, play to the boomerang green, and while the green is wider on three, it’s a narrower on five. The longer hitter has a chance to reach both in two, but the prudent play is laying up to a workable yardage and attacking with a wedge.)

The back nine is where the fun begins and is a blast to play. The creek is wide in certain spots and the amount of rocks and stones makes it an impressive sight. I like how Norman varies the yardage it is from the greens. It’s a notable distance back on the eleventh, and then on my favorite hole, the thirteenth, it guards the entire left side of the green. 
(The creek guards the entire right side of the 539/517 dogleg right par five fifteenth before cutting in front of the green. A solid drive is a must in order to advance the ball to a short yardage third shot. No easy pickings on this par five. A par is a fine score, and birdie is a reason to celebrate.) 

The final three holes are strong and demanding. A long par three sandwiched between two stout par fours, a par on any of these holes is a good score indeed. 

(The 457/420 yard eighteenth has a small window to run the ball on the putting surface. Pins tucked on either side will prove very difficult to get close. Four goes a long way.)

Elks Run is one of the top five public courses in Cincinnati, and overall a top twenty public course in Ohio.  I give Elks Run a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play).  

Wellington National Golf Club (Wellington, FL)

Wellington National is a Gene Bates / Johnny Miller collaboration formerly known as Binks Forest. With trees lining nearly every hole, the old name is an accurate description. 

Before I even seen Wellington, all the local guys were telling me how tight it plays. There’s not many parkland courses down in Florida, so a course like this grabs a player’s attention. They have to control the ball and shape it through the trees and doglegs. There’s plenty of sand traps too, including some down the centerline. 

As demanding as the driving is, the real key to Wellington, are the greens. They’re angled with slopes and shoulders protruding into the putting surface, so the best shots are curved into the green. Likewise, a shot that curves with it will roll further away from the pin. Often times, the front and rear sections of the green slope in opposite directions, so a fade is needed for an up pin while a draw is the play for a back pin. 

All in all, Wellington is a good players course, and it was in excellent condition the day we played it. Its playable for everyone and mid to high handicaps have plenty of opportunities and options to setup easy recovery shots. I wish I had played better the day I was there. I’d like to have another shot at it. I give Wellington a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

Indian Springs Country Club - West (Boynton Beach, FL)

Kip Schulties has quietly been making a name for himself in the golf world by renovating courses in Florida. He is based in West Palm Beach and being local has given him an advantage in procuring work in this region. Numerous courses have his name attached to them including Indian Springs West course. 

Kip states on his website that he is flexible in his design philosophy, and he can change it up based on the caliber of player using the course. Indian Springs must have very good golfers because there are challenging holes here including several longish carries off the tee. I found myself more focused on the tee boxes, picking out safe driving lines, and concentrating on striking it solid. 

(The 420/373 yard sixth hole demands an accurate long drive over water. Block it right or slice it too much and you could be reloading on the tee box.) 

The greens are very receptive, and have a nice pace to them. If you can find the fairways, then the course allows one to have a chance at birdie. Kip placed the bunkers in spots that generate Sunday pins, but much of the putting surface is accessible. A wide variety of hole locations makes for a fun day of golf. Tough pins mixed in with easier ones keeps Indian Springs fresh for the members. 

(The 528/509 yard first is an exciting par five. The green slopes away to the rear, making this an exact shot even for a short iron. The long hitter needs to make a decision whether it’s worth trying to hit in two.)  

Both nines at the West course end with excellent holes. This is a great luxury for the club as they can alternate one or ten as the starting hole, and have a great finisher for the eighteenth. 

(The 439/414 yard ninth doglegs left and demands a long iron over water to the green. A rear pin can be tucked onto an upper tier between two bunkers while a lower pin in the front brings the water into play.)

(The 563/540 yard eighteenth features a cape style tee shot over water. One final gut check as you pick your line to attack...
...the green is in view but very few players can carry the lake. Most players will once again have to pick a line and carry over a corner of the water for the layup. After these two courageous shots, the third is a short or mid iron. The green is far enough from the water that it shouldn’t come into play. This is one of the best eighteenth holes I’ve seen.) 

Indian Springs does have some clunker holes, and they seem to be in the corners where the boundary lines force awkward doglegs. The front nine has three par threes that alleviate this issue, but the back nine has two holes (13,15) that are terrible.  There are also spots where residences come into play. Overall, the course plays well. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving a hour).