Double Black Diamond Course (Ellicottville, NY)

I’m a bit hesitant to review Double Black Diamond (DBD) because the back nine was closed due to the snow still on the hill. I’ve skied these hills multiple times and I was very surprised to see the holes climbing and descending the very slopes that I enjoy in the winter. The valley holes on the front play between the base of the hill and Rt219. 1-9 are on the resort side before a trip around the inn takes you to the 2-8 holes. 

(The 150/140 yard par three ninth is set against a stream. The front is plenty wide but the green narrows and cuddles up to the hazard the further left it goes. Note all the snow still on the hill in the background.) 

DBD was originally designed by Fred Garbin in 1964 and renovated by Paul Albanese in 2007. The front nine has several ponds that collect the water as it drains off the hill. These water hazards protect a few of the greens, giving the course a little bite. The hazards don’t necessarily stand out but the slopes around the putting surfaces repell the ball into them. Garbin is not an in your face architect, so the water hazards are low key and subtle. 

(The 351/342 yard par four second doglegs right to a narrow fairway guarded by a sand trap. The approach is to an elevated green with water left and behind. As simple as the hole looks, a miscue off the tee will bring a big number into play.) 

(The 491/474 yard par five sixth doglegs left with a creek crossing diagonally in the layup zone. The green is interesting with tilt and a bowl area in the left middle…
…players going for it in two have plenty of room left of the green. Right leaves a more difficult recovery. It’s a good birdie opportunity.)

(The 374/363 yard par four seventh plays from an elevated tee box to a fairway guarded by water left and right. It’s a very demanding tee shot and the water on the left extends to the green.) 

(The 404/378 yard par four eighth doglegs left to a green guarded by a lone bunker in a mound. Any drive down the right side opens up the approach.) 

Paul Albanese stated on his website that he took a two star course and turned it into a four. From all that I’ve read, several reviews wholeheartedly agreed with him. I guess the back nine was very quirky to say the least, and even today, there’s three par threes in a four hole stretch (9-12). Unfortunately, I was only able to walk a few holes, but my overall feeling was the topography was too severe for any kind of great quality. Both seventeen and eighteen experience massive elevation change. As I stated before, I ski here during the winter so banging a ball uphill like the par five seventeenth and then launching it downhill on the eighteenth all seems a bit too much. The downhill, two tiered fairway par four thirteenth graces the scorecard and exhibits the best part of these kind of courses which is the exhilarating views.

(This view of the par three ninth points out the addition of the lodging Holiday Valley invested in…
…what looks like a practice green behind the hotel for guests can actually be a little prop bet complete with a tee box that plays about seventy yards.) 

(The 429/407 yard par four eighteenth hole plays straight downhill to a green fronted by a boulder strewn creek bed. The uneven lie is the biggest challenge. The hotel is just yards behind the green so thin shots bring more than just double bogey into play.) 

DBD was in excellent condition when I was there. The experience was pretty high end. While the golf course can’t match Peak n Peek’s championship layout, the town of Ellicottville more than makes up for it with microbreweries, galleries, and events. It makes it easier to plan a family trip. I give DBD a solid 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

[If you’re looking for a great side trip while at Holiday Valley, then I’d like to recommend Letchworth State Park. It’s an hour away and full of great hiking. If you’re a waterfall enthusiast, it also has three gorgeous falls that drop the Genesee River over 400 feet. It is voted as one of the best state parks in America.] 

 

Spring Hills Golf and Swim Club (Clinton, OH)

I saw one of those old Cleveland golf road maps and couldn’t believe the amount of courses I never knew existed. Spring Hills is only a few miles east of Chippewa off Cleveland Massillon road. and much to my surprise when I googled it, it is a Harold Paddock design. Paddock is my favorite local architect who designed both Pine Hills and Sugarbush, two terrific courses that find themselves on every top course in northeast Ohio list. With my appetite whetted, I knew I had to see this place for myself. 

(The 234/180 yard par three seventeenth is a heck of a penultimate hole. From the blue tees, just carrying the creek to the fairway short left is a good shot. Thankfully it is much more playable from the white tees. Length alone makes three a good score.) 

Paddock is really good at routing golf courses and his par threes have always been the lynchpin. At Ironwood, the par threes connect the lower holes to the higher ones while at Pine Hills, three of the four play over the same valley, connecting the two ridge lines. Spring Hills is similar with two hills separated by a creek filled valley. Three of the four here play over that valley. The difference here however is the sheer length of them. I haven’t seen yardage like this since Maplecrest. They are all terrific holes!  

(The 219/188 yard uphill par three fourth is a semi blind shot. There’s fairway short for those trying to bounce it in. This is a tricky green with central high point and runoffs on the side.) 

(The 211/187 yard par three twelth is similar to Sugarbush’ par three tenth. It’s uphill over a pond and plays longer than it’s listed yardage. Like the other two long par threes, there is plenty of fairway short.) 

My biggest concern with courses like this is the conditioning. Spring Hills had nice greens. They had a good thick texture, and nice roll to them. They weren’t fast although I feel they could be since they were pretty healthy. (The back of #1 green was the only one chewed up) The fairways were just okay. It looked like they were putting drainage in. Some were thin in spots and some were good. The starter was telling me that they were putting money into it so I expect in a year or two that there will be more consistency throughout. You’ll notice in many pictures that there are no bunkers. A couple holes have them and honestly they could be filled in. Spring Hills has good topography and the routing hits on multiple levels. It stays away from the creek but there’s several drives over it. 

(The 397/375 opening hole goes out before climbing up the hill. The green actually slopes away which makes the semi blind approach a difficult one to judge.) 

From the blue tees, the course is anything but easy. Besides the par threes being incredibly long, there’s four par fours that play 418 yards or longer. There are several shorter holes that offer birdie chances that one can hopefully take advantage. I’ve always had a soft spot for courses that play much harder than their listed yardage. Now the white tees are more playable but still pack a solid challenge even though the yardage is just over 5700 yards. 

Spring Hills was a good start to the unknown courses I’d like to check out this year. There are five bridges to take you over the creek six times during your round. It has a pleasant feel to it and gives you the sense of place. The course solidified my opinion on Paddock as it showed off his ability to route the course in a cohesive, energetic way. I hope they keep making improvements because Spring Hills has a lot of potential. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). [I think a five rating is definitely in reach.]

(The 276 yard par four third features a drive over this patriotically colored boulder. It looks like the Pepsi logo to me. It’s driveable and a good birdie opportunity.)

(This is the greenside view of the 429/389 yard par four fourteenth. One of the few bunkers guards the front left side of it. Note how that front left side pitches balls to the rear. I thought I pulled my approach but it carried the sand a finished pin high.)

[we played the white tees at 5,739 yards. I personally wanted no part of those par threes from the blues. Obviously a 71 with three birdies is a great score but you’d be surprised to find that my differential when I entered it into my ghin was 5.4. This is why a golfer playing from the senior tees can shoot a low round but never see their handicap go down. It should be noted that from the whites, Spring Hills sports a 65.9 course rating and a 105 slope rating.]