Butler’s Golf Course - Woodside (Elizabeth, PA)

Butler’s is a family owned golf course that has been in business for nearly 100 years. It has grown a local following and is the type of place that often times gets overlooked. While municipal courses have been getting a surge of recognition lately, it’s the mom n pop courses that are contracting out of the game as developers offer large sums for what is often times prime real estate. That makes a place like Butler’s, which has two golf courses, even more special. 

Woodside is the original course at Butler’s and was designed in 1928. It maneuvers around the property in yeoman’s fashion, offering nice vistas where applicable, and demanding precision for most everything else. The beginning holes look like they were added on to help the Lakeside course, but starting at the sixth, the golfer will be challenged with several solid golf holes. 

(The 392 yard par four fourth has a distinctive slope that most balls will be hard pressed to finish in the fairway. The first four holes play on this type of terrain, and the golfer needs to aim high on the hill and let it trundle down.) 

(The 322 yard fifth is where one starts playing the original course. The bunkering gives it away as the next fourteen holes feature these small sand pits guarding the greens.) 

I’m curious who designed the course. The routing takes advantage of all the good undulations in the property. The way it works up and down the long slope of the hill is classic, and the ones that play across the terrain add another dimension of depth control and distance. The sand pits guard the front flanks and challenge those not coming from the fairway. It reminds me a lot of the old Maplecrest down in Tallmadge that no longer exists. Good players have a great shot at going low while high and mid handicaps eye the 80 mark for a possible personal best. 

(The 352 yard par four eleventh is well bunkered with some tricky pin positions requiring an excellent approach shot.)

(The downhill par three thirteenth plays 161 yards with a elevated bunker guarding the left side and falloffs right and long…

…the view from the tee is pure western Pennsylvania.) 

Woodside starts off slow but starting at the sixth, the golf gets much better. The last four holes plus the entire back nine are give and take with birdie opportunities sprinkled with tough pars. Several holes have great views and the routing does a fine job of climbing and descending the main hill. The last three holes are very good, all par fours playing over 410 yards. Any quality round will need to end strong. 

(The 411 yard par four sixteenth plays uphill to a severely pinched green. Check out the depth of the front left bunker. Missing on that side is instant bogey.)

(The 420 yard par four eighteenth plays downhill then back up to a green bracketed in front by two deep traps. It’s a small target with a hybrid to long iron in hand. A par is a really good score. Should one play the last three in even, surely he will gain a few strokes on his opponent.) 

The folks who own Butler’s have a good thing going here. Two golf courses, a restaurant, and even a bed n breakfast makes this a prime venue for the Pittsburgh golfing public. Everything is well done and I’m sure it has many faithful patrons who appreciate having two courses to choose. Im always intrigued by business models and what works in todays world. Here in northeast Ohio, Mallard Creek and Bob ‘O Links are two 36 hole facilities that do very well with both daily fee players and outings. Butler’s possesses that same advantage except their courses are better. I give Woodside a high 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The 168 yard par three fifteenth is well bunkered with a large pine backdrop that frames the hole well. It’s all about the wind and plays slightly uphill too. Four pars to end the round is solid playing.) 

California Golf Course (Cincinnati, OH)

I get an undeniable amount of pleasure seeking out municipal courses that have cool history plus have an architectural pedigree that makes for a fun day. California is a WPA project built in 1935 during the depression. It was built atop a hill overlooking the Ohio River next to the Cincinnati Reservoir. The man who was tapped to be the architect was William Diddel.  

William Diddel is an underrated architect whose work gets overlooked because most of his courses are either municipals or low budget designs. His philosophy reflects his work. He felt that if greens were placed in natural locations then bunkers were not needed to defend them. He was a master at walking a site and routing the course to take advantage of all the best features. His lay of the land approach is economically friendly, and allows the superintendent to focus on maintaining the playing areas in tiptop condition. 

(The 480 yard par five second hole has a significant drop from the upper fairway down to the green. The bunker guarding the right is one of five on the entire course. Short left is the proper leave as the green slopes in that direction. This is the only par five on the course, so there’s a lot of pressure to make four.) 

(After driving past the water pump building, the 393 yard par four third will require this uphill approach…

…there’s plenty of room to land it on the putting surface. The challenge is selecting the correct club. Note the building in the background. It is in play and counts as an unplayable lie. It’s a fantastic par four with an unusual hazard.) 

When you’re trying to incorporate all the best features into a routing, par tends to take a back seat. That’s the only way to explain this par 70 course which possesses one par five and three par threes. There are fourteen par fours which is the most I’ve seen on a golf course. They all range in different lengths. Five of them are 400 plus while two just eke past the 300 yard mark. The other seven go between 350-390. One hardly notices the over abundance of two shotter due to their variety. The routing is excellent and moves throughout the property in exciting fashion. 

(The 307 yard par four fourth looks similar to Langford and Moreau’s style. The green is built up with falloffs all around except for the narrow entrance in front. The pump house lines the left side of the fairway. My playing partner told me that his buddy hit it on the roof once, saw a ladder so he quickly climbed it, found his ball and knocked it onto the green.)

(The 361 yard par four sixth plays next to the reservoir. The elevated green is on the same ridge as the third but it’s smaller with no room short. An extra club could bring the back into play where the bank slopes away into a valley.) 

(I love how each tee box on the par three seventh has steps to climb to the top. Note the service road on the left. It goes around the entire reservoir and is considered in play…

…the 205 yard par three plays over a corner of the water to a large green on top of the hill. It’s steeper than the picture shows so most short shots won’t make the climb to the putting surface.) 

One of my favorite things about old courses is the chance to stumble onto something different. At California, it’s the par three thirteenth. Double greens are nothing new but in my experience one is usually head and shoulders above the other. California has two greens that are equally impressive. 

(The 166 yard par three thirteenth has two greens. This is the left green playing downhill with falloffs left and right…

…the right green is more secluded with a falloff on the right. The hill on the left is like a giant wedge that separates these two putting surfaces. Both are engaging downhill shots and each has it’s individual challenges.) 

(The 401 yard par four twelth is a slight dogleg right that plays in a valley with its green perched on higher ground…

…this is the bookend of four straight 400+ yard par fours starting on the ninth. This is the key stretch for those trying to match par or break their handicap. Note the great upkeep as all the trees are bare yet the ground is not clogged with leaves. Kudos!) 

(The 301 yard par four fourteenth plays downhill before sweeping up to the left. I love how the tiger player must shape his ball if he’s attempting to drive the green. Anything left in the ravine is big trouble. It’s a hard back to front sloping green that makes four a good score.) 

(The 369 yard par four seventeenth plays over a pronounced slope which can be used to propel the ball further down the fairway. The green is elevated with a large tree guarding the right. It’s a wonderfully natural hole with enough nuance to keep golfer on his toes.)

I gather California is a mainstay on most traveling leagues itinerary in the Cincinnati area like several municipals are up here in Northeast Ohio. It’s popular with the locals but it’s notoriety doesn’t extend much past that. As a muni, there’s plenty I could nitpick about, mainly the ill advised location of the cart path on a few holes, but overall, this William Diddel is cleverly routed with strong holes challenging the golfer. If one is in the area, this is a solid place for a game. I give California a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 384 yard par four eighteenth begins in grand with a drive over the road and the reservoir…
…the golfer must take care not to hit it too far up the fairway where the terrain begins to climb up a diagonal hill…

…the green lies at the edge of the hill with a fall away on the left and false front short. The player has the option to bail out right where he must contend with a downhill chip. It’s a terrific ending hole!)

[It is said that William Diddel shot under his age more than 2000 times. He holds the record at Pinehurst for lowest round under age when he shot 69 at eighty-three years old. He was the 5x Indiana State Amateur Champion. All these are grand achievements but his biggest influence on golf was mentoring Pete Dye. In his book “Bury Me in a Pot Bunker” Dye talks effusively about Diddel. Clearly Diddel’s work is worthy of seeking out.]