Avalon Field Club at New Castle (New Castle, PA)

              #75 Top 100 Affordable Golf.com

New Castle Field Club is a wonderful A.W. Tillinghast course. The routing takes advantage of the rolling topography and natural features in perfect fashion. The course is now public after Avalon Resort purchased the club in 2019, giving its membership and hotel guests a fourth place to play. 

(The 421/395 yard opening hole plays downhill into a valley before rising up to the green. The putting surface is hidden from view with the player hitting from a sidehill lie in the valley. There’s room to run the ball on, but the player must be careful not to over shape the shot. Left is especially dangerous where the long grass on the hillside will make any of notion of par a far fetched idea.) 

(The 161/156 yard par three second plays on a spine with the fifth and seventeenth greens tucked in a valley on both sides. Any shot hit left or right of the green is bound to become a double bogey quickly…

…this view left of the green shows how steep the slope is. The bunker is actually a savior. It is quite possible to up n down there). 

For those who have never seen a Tillinghast course before, New Castle will be a treat. In fact, when the Tillinghast Society met at Lakewood Country Club here in Cleveland, many of the guys coming from the east coast stopped to check it out, and it was praised by many as being one of the best they’ve seen. It has a terrific routing highlighted by several awesome green complexes. 

(The 475/470 yard par five third begins with this intimidating drive over the valley. It’s such a cool shot and the golfer will be ecstatic seeing his ball clear the trouble and running up the fairway. A two tiered green awaits as the player makes his way up the hill.) 

(This is the view of the fifth green from the second green. Five is a 589/565 yard par five that plays downhill to the ravine edge where the green resides in the valley below. Every shot must be stuck precisely in order to obtain a good angle and yardage for the approach…
…this is the view from the fairway. A creek runs through at the bottom before the green. Long hitters going for it in two have to think twice. This is a fantastic hole!) 

For me, the coolest section is where the second green is located. It’s on a raised spine with valleys on either side. In each valley is a green. The fifth is to the right and seventeenth to the left. Not many architects would find a way to use these natural features in their routing, but Tillinghast was able to do just that. All these holes are really cool. 

(The 197/186 yard par three seventh plays uphill to a pedestal green. The bunkering and upslope punish any shot that doesn’t carry to the putting surface…

…like most Tillinghast greens, anything above the hole will pose a threat. A par here is well earned.) 

The green complexes have a lot of variety in them. Besides the valley ones, there’s gems like the short par four eleventh which has a cool punch bowl etched into the hillside. There’s also the short par fives at three and fifteen which have elevated greens with massive false fronts. The third actually has a lower tier where a pin can be hidden. False fronts in general seem to be a favorite of Tillinghast. 

(The 395/355 yard par four ninth has a small green that slopes to the right. The fairway is a bit tighter than the other holes…
…this view shows just how narrow the fairway is. A driver can get the player close to the green, but anything lost right will just be a pitch out.) 

New Castle has many engaging holes with compelling shots. There’s plenty of birdie opportunities but one has to work to earn them. Tillinghast did not build any throwaway holes. Even the ones that look easy on the scorecard are built with teeth. Being in proper position is the key. The greens have slope and pitch that makes being above the hole a scary position. Every part of the game is challenged here. The player looking to beat his handicap will need to assess the best locations for his next shot. 

(The 443/428 yard par four tenth doglegs left with water out in the distance on the right. It then goes uphill to the green. A long iron or fairway wood will be needed to hit this one n regulation. )

(This panorama photo of eleven green perfectly shows the severe right to left pitch. The terrain in the fairway actually slopes the opposite way, confusing the golfer judging the weight of his pitch. The hole is only 351/341 yard, but three, even four putting is a legitimate concern. I was tossing the ball to the right fringe, and it was rolling all the way back to me. Maybe one should look for birdie elsewhere.) 

(The 346/331 yard par four twelth is great risk/reward hole. A creek goes right down the center, forcing the golfer to weigh his options. One can layup down the left, or take his drive down the sliver of fairway on the right. The green is beautifully bunkered with a right to left slope.)

New Castle will find itself high in the rankings when they get reevaluated next year. It  might even challenge for best public course in Pennsylvania. I’ve played four of top five and I’d place it above all of them. (I’ve not seen Mystic Rock which is #1)  For area golfers, this is a true must play. Avalon did well for itself in adding this to their stable of courses. Unfortunately it’s the furthest from the lodge, and that hurts the amount of play it receives. For anyone looking to book a stay, make sure you don’t skip this one. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play).

(The 148/137 par three thirteenth is a beautiful hole that plays slightly downhill. I came within inches of jarring the shot, settling for a tap-in birdie.)

(The 305/303 yard par four fourteenth is a layup followed by a wedge approach. For the long hitter, the opportunity to drive the green is there, but it needs to be perfect. A steep false front protects the green and makes all the front pins a gamble to attack.)

(The par fives at New Castle are fantastic and the 559/510 yard sixteenth is an exciting one. It plays downhill, so the long hitter has a chance of reaching it in two, but a creek fronts it, and the angled green is not easy to hold. The shorter player has to decide to lay back atop the hill, or let the ball roll to bottom and take a chance it doesn’t run through the fairway. The green is excellent with several challenging pin positions.)

[The entrance road to New Castle is easy to miss. I drove past it twice. It sits between two car dealerships and if I hadn’t seen the small NCCC sign, I’d probably had missed it a third. In an article I was reading, it said a new road will be built, and this hidden drive will be the back way in. This leads to my next statement. With all the money being invested into New Castle and the other properties, Avalon maybe the best club to join in Northeast Ohio. Granted it’s a lengthy drive, but the four courses would never get stale, and the extra amenities would make for a great day. It’s something to seriously consider.]

(The 183/173 yard par three seventeenth plays in the valley left of the second green. It’s well protected by sand and water.)

(The uphill 408/405 yard par four finishing hole plays longer than it’s yardage. It is well bunkered in the front. The player will have to hit a long iron or hybrid high to attack the flagstick. Note the hillside out in the distance. Western Pennsylvania has great elevation change.)

 

Cable Hollow Golf Course (Russell, PA)

My cousin never hesitated when I asked him what his favorite course was. It was the first time I ever heard of it. Cable Hollow sits in a valley off route 62 between Warren PA and Jamestown NY. It’s the kind of place golf needs more of. 

Cable Hollow enjoys all the attributes people seek when choosing a place to call their home course. It’s in a beautiful setting nestled in the rolling hills, the conditioning is ideal with well paced greens, the challenge is reasonable with good mixture of fun and hard holes, and it’s affordable with a price point folks happily pay because they know it’s a good value. 

(The 161/141 yard par three second plays downhill to a simple placed green. A back to front pitch in the putting surface is all the challenge needed  to keep golfers on their toes. It plays into the wind.)  

(The 355/346 yard par four eighth doglegs left to a big green guarded by two sand traps both front left and right. It’s a good risk reward hole where the long hitter can cut over the corner. Sand and trees guard that line but a successful drive shortens up the yardage considerably.) 

Cable Valley flows very nicely, moving up and down the hillside with ease. The golfer has plenty of room to drive the ball, and the large greens have enough leeway to allow for some offline shots. There are birdies a plenty to be made, and the course is setup to allow for low numbers. Only a handful of holes is the player working hard to make par. 

(I like the simplicity of the bunkering. It has a flat bottom and a small lip for an easy escape. The slope of the green is the key feature when splashing out of them…

…most greens are open in front and can be approached with both a high or low shot.) 

In an area where golf could be hard to find, Cable Hollow provides a true and authentic test. While I played the appropriate tees for me, another set behind can stretch it out over 6800 yards. The par 73 routing does catch one by surprise, and I can honestly say I’ve never played one before. It has the standard four par fives, but only three par threes. 

(The par three seventeenth is a solid 205/175 yards. Bunkers bracket the front. An extra club should do the trick, and bring par into one’s grasp.) 

Cable Hollow was a good find, so props to my cousin for the heads up. Places like this make me smile. Obviously I’m an architecture geek who likes finding intricate and cool places, but growing the game starts with the Cable Hollows of the world. And it seems to be working because this is a popular place. The Cuyahoga Golf Association would feel right at home here. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play).

(The 545/505 yard par five ending hole doglegs left to a green elevated above the fairway. A bunker short left guards the aggressive line for those trying to reach it in two…

…boulders edge the rear left half of the green, a unique hazard. They really shouldn’t come into play, but a pull from an uphill lie could definitely find them. It’s a good birdie opportunity to finish the round.)

Nothing beats playing golf in a beautiful setting! 

Westfield Country Club - North Course (Westfield Center, OH)

The big news this year in Northeast Ohio is the redesign of Westfield’s North Course done by Michael Hurdzan. I got to play it a few weeks ago at the NOGA fourball event. It’s an American links on a treeless track of land played on fescue grass. Sod and timber-walled bunkers guard the fairways and greens. 

The bunkers at the North are very difficult. Not only are they deep, but the walls are steep. Any ball that gets close to the face poses a real dilemma. There will be times when one can’t advance it, or will have to play out either backwards or to the side. I’m surprised the membership signed up for this. They are the most penal I’ve seen. They also have timber faced bunkers which I haven’t seen since Sleepy Hollow. I can envision the ball ricocheting off the wood, and heaven forbid it snuggles up close to the boards. It’s a bit over the top.

 

I’ve been hearing a lot of rumblings about the North. It opened to rave reviews and the folks I know who have played it hype it up considerably. It’s very different looking from any other course we have in Ohio. Hurdzan used fescue grass which creates a very different playing experience. The way it sits down reminds me of dormant Bermuda. The ball is tight to the ground. 

(The 421/401 yard par four opening hole has a central bunker guarding the green. The right side is open but one will have to fly it to a left flag.) 

There’s plenty of short grass around the greens. Golfers have options and can work the ball around the sand. Hurdzan tends to twist his greens, so they slope one way on one side and the opposite way on the other. Chipping and putting across are challenging. Looking at the slope rating, the course comes in at a very reasonable number. This is for two reasons. The fairways are very wide, and the greens are quite large. The average player can get around in a decent score just by hitting away from the trouble. Since I was playing in a tournament, I saw the pins in some dicey locations. Hitting the fairways wasn’t a problem, but attacking the hole locations was. The bunkers were very much in play, and I found myself in three of them. Twice I was able to get it out but with no real chance of getting it close to the pin. 

(The 332/316 yard par four fifth has water on the left and this deep trap in the middle of the fairway. Note how both bunker styles are guarding the green.) 

The North has one of the weirdest routings I’ve seen. The front nine is a par 34 with the back nine a par 36. One does not play a par five until the fourteenth hole, then you play three of them in the final five holes. The back nine itself has a 3-3-3 routing with an equal amount of par 3s, 4s, and 5s.  Sixteen and eighteen are both long, uphill, into wind par fives that are not what I’d call birdie holes. At 6,733 yards from the tips, it seems like a short course, but it’s only a par 70 and plays much longer. 

(The tenth and eighteenth holes both are lined by decorative rock walls that play as immovable obstructions. They can interfere with your lie, stance, and line of play. It’s an odd hazard.)  

(Nothing like an artificial man made pond guarding the green at an American links. It kind of beats the motif. It’s a fine hole, but totally out of place.) 

Hurdzan basically had a clean slate to design anything he wanted. While the bunkering makes the course stand out, I didn’t think there is enough land movement to give each hole its own distinctive feature. The holes tend to blend into each other, and it’s hard to remember many of the individual holes. Right now everyone is clamoring to play the North, and the members are very proud of it, but I’m curious to see how much play it receives a few years from now when it’s newness wears off. 

(The 176/155 yard par three thirteenth was my favorite hole. I like how the green sits at the top of the landform with the two bunkers on the right urging the player to bail left…

…the green slopes away in the rear. My entire foursome hit the green but only one stayed on. The other three balls rolled part way down the back.)

(The 552/516 yard par five fourteenth has this intimidating timber face bunker guarding it. The green is completely hidden and long hitters going for it in two face the prospect of the ball bounding off the wood slates…
…the putting surface is larger than one expects and the bunker doesn’t cover the entire green. Getting the correct yardage and visualizing the shot is the hardest part.) 

Overall, I feel the North is an awkward test of golf. Everything from the unusual bunker style to the odd stone walls to the unconventional routing adds to this feeling. Westfield’s South course is a great parkland design, and eventually all these things will relegate the North to the “B” course again. It’s worth a play right now, especially if you’ve never played on fescue, but be prepared to face a lot of difficult shots and avoid the bunkers at all cost. I give the North a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

[The tournament proved to be a battle of pars. Only five teams broke 70 and in the championship flight where the best players compete, two under was the winning score. Considering this is a best ball event, that is a very high score.] 

Belvedere Golf Club (Charlevoix, MI)

                  #10 Top Value USA Golf.com

                  #89 Top 100 Public USA Golf Digest

           

Stepping into the antiquated pro shop, I felt like I was walking into my grandmother’s house. It was cramped inside with old photographs on the walls. I doubt it can hold more than handful of golfers without feeling congested. The pictures however had familiar faces. They were past champions who had won a major. Each of them have played here. 42 to be exact. The best of the best. Jones, Snead, Hagen, Watson to name a few. For nearly 100 years, the game’s greatest golfers have all made the trip to Belvedere. 

(Looking back towards the tee on number one, note the huge hillside which the player can use to his advantage. It’s a fantastic driving hole to open your shoulders and give a mighty rip. Only a short iron approach, it’s a good way to start the round. 370/362)

Belvedere is not a fancy course with a bunch of “wow” moments. It’s actually the exact opposite. It’s simple with wide fairways and expansive greens. It promotes walking, brisk pace, and playability. It’s difficult to lose a ball here since there’s little in the way of water or high rough. Everything revolves around the greens, and they are, in one word, awesome. In fact, Tom Doak stated after playing there that the green complexes are so good, that maybe modern architects are trying too hard. 

(The simplicity of Belvedere is seen in the clean driving lines on the second hole. Look at the width of the fairways compared to the carts in the distance. 447/385)

William Watson designed Belvedere in 1925. His courses are highly regarded, and his work spanned  from the early 1900s through the 1920s. He was a master of routing courses and he often used the sloping terrain to move the ball into poor positions. The golfer who understands angles and bounces can use these same slopes to his advantage. Engaging the golfer to think entices him take on shots he otherwise would avoid. It’s a pure version of the game, and one that many folks would like to see become more prevalent in America. 

(The monster par three fourth plays to the base of the hill where the first tee is located. A false front makes the hole play longer than it’s listed yardage. A good short game is the best chance to save par since most will find themselves chipping from this position in the picture. 230/200 yards)

(The short par four sixth demands precision off the tee as it is a must to be in the fairway. The green hangs on the hillside with a pronounced tilt to the front right. Note how it’s nearly bi-level with a roll in the middle. The golfer must be able to control the spin of his ball to position it for a manageable two putt. The snakes (3 putts) and gators (4 putts) game will definitely be paying off on this green. 383/354)

(The par four seventh climbs out of the valley and plays up the hill. OB lines the left side of the fairway, influencing most to favor the right…
…the two bunkers that guard the right are above the fairway, thus blocking the view into the green. The left side offers a perfect lane and sight into the green…
…several humps and ridges make anything not within ten feet a difficult task. Note how not one single bunker protects the green.)

The course just recently underwent a renovation that expanded the greens to their original dimensions. William Watson’s drawings were discovered in Charlevoix during a demolition. Seeing how much the putting surfaces had shrunk over the years, the club hired Bruce Hepner to assist in widening them back out. Most of it was simply reclaiming the area where the grass had been left to grow. It took three years to gradually cut it down to green length. Now the size and scale of the greens and chipping areas are very impressive. 

(Look at the wonderful eleventh green! Hillocks and false fronts make this an incredible target to hit from the fairway. The bathtub feature is hidden by the shadow of the tree…

…this view looking back shows how the hole plays through a slight valley where a draw can be slung across the slope and gain yards as it finds its way to flattish lie on the left. Note how I can’t even get the entire green in the photo. My playing partner was in the bathtub and putted from it where it picked up speed and continued until it was thirty yards off the front. 394/366)

(The fairway on twelve is semi blind as it falls to the right on a diagonal axis. The player has the option of keeping it on top or trying to find the flat on the bottom…
…this view from thirteen tee shows just how easy it is for a ball to find the a slope that will pull it off the green. 424/387)

Michigan is studded with fantastic public golf courses, and in nearly every publication Belvedere is rated as one of top 10. It’s been on my bucket list for years and it was great to finally play it. The Michigan Amateur has been played here 40 times. It was also the summer course of Tom Watson when he was a kid. He still lists Belvedere as one of his top three favorite courses. 

(This is a great view of the ripples and false fronts that makes Belvedere’s greens so formidable. The player must really take care to avoid placing himself in this position.) 

(The short par four sixteenth looks simple but is a sinister thing that Tom Watson argues is one of the best in golf. The drive is overloaded with plenty of short grass, but the player must decide what yardage and angle he wants to play from…

…the green sits diagonally with a false front guarding the entire right side. I choose to play long and was rewarded with a chip that failed to stop, and gathered thirty yards down the fairway. Instant double bogey! 346/315) 

In my mind, Belvedere is the type of place one should play well on. There’s very little stopping the player from accomplishing his goal. A little thing called pressure however starts a sequence that sees the ball go further and further away from its target. That’s when all the little nuances and short shots start coming to life, and the player who can handle his emotions will be the one who escapes with par. It’s beautiful thing. And the best part is, you won’t even lose a ball. If one can find his way up north, then Belvedere is easily one of the very best to play. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The eighteenth doglegs right and plays to a large green with multiple ripples. It’s not uncommon to have 3-4 breaks in a 30 foot putt. It’s also one of the longest par fours and usually plays into the prevailing summer wind. A four is a solid score. 456/404)

(This picture of the ninth green shows the punchbowl on the right side. Today’s pin sits just to the side of it, and a couple traps squeeze the opening. It’s a birdie hole, and for the tiger golfer, it’s a legitimate eagle opportunity. The fairway does dogleg around the drop off above the first hole, thus making it a true gambling par five. 478/457)