Millstone Hills Golf Club (New London, OH)

This past summer, when the CNCGA visited Ridge Top, I commented that we needed more courses like this, specifically as a referendum on the price point, as it seems $65-$70 is fast becoming the norm for a Saturday morning tee time. Millstone Hills is a mom n pop do it yourself course that precisely fits this description. It’s location in New London, 15 miles south of Wakeman on route 60, places it just on the line of acceptable driving distance. 

There’s always a few awkward holes that either make or break one’s perception of these countryside courses, and at Millstone, the par five third and fifth holes are the culprits. The third has a pond bisecting the fairway that forces a silly layup (from the white tees) unless you can carry it 210 yards. From the back tees, it’s a more respectable hybrid/long iron tee shot.  Easy fix is playing the gold tees short of the water and making it a 340 yard par four. I might add that it’s a damn good hole from here too. The fifth is a reverse C 120 degree dogleg left par five. Getting the proper angles is the key. The square green atop the hill is severely pitched forward. Both my playing partner and I had decent par attempts but had to squander a shot getting there. If you can overlook these two holes then the rest of the course is pretty solid. 

(The 485/430 yard par five third has a saucer like green that demands an exact approach shot. Since one is forced to layup off the tee, this could mean anything from 160-120 yards.) 

(The 407/396 yard par four sixth has a turtle back green that will prove to be difficult to hold in regulation. Thankfully an open apron allows a shot along the ground to run on. Four will be a good score.) 

Owner Frank Cooke designed the first nine holes in 1968 and his son Stuart designed the second nine in 1972. I love how they used the old pushup method to make greens, injecting them with false fronts and slopes on the side. The key to a good round are the five short par fours (7,9,10,12,15). All of them have fun greens that reward strong short iron play. Get a little careless on them and you’ll find yourself with difficult two putts. The island green par three sixteenth is the hole everyone looks forward to playing. A covered bridge on the right adds to the charm as anything short will clang off the roof. 

(The 141 yard par three sixteenth is a gorgeous hole…
…be careful not to be too aggressive as the back of the green comes up quickly. The bridge is definitely in play and so is the one coming over the water…
…my playing partner’s ball carried over the bridge and clanged loudly off the metal guardrails. I couldn’t help but chuckle.) 

Millstone must be becoming more popular because they’ve extended twelve, which is now played to a peninsula green, created a new par three at thirteen, and seemed to be adding a lot of stone work to shore up some of the greens against the water, eighteen being the biggest project. It maybe a sleeper course now, I’ve never heard of it, but improvements like this might start resonating with golfers further away than Norwalk and Ashland. I definitely enjoyed the course and give it a firm 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The 176/143 yard par three eighth is all carry over a pond to a two tiered green. Note the beautiful stone wall that lines the green.) 

[we played the white tees at 5,950 yards. It was a brisk Saturday morning in the high 40s and the dew drenched greens made the putting hard to gauge. By the time we made the turn, the putting surfaces had dried up and we’re running a bit quicker. Both Al and I had good birdie chances but we never were able to get the speed and lines matched up.]

(The 370/352 yard eighteenth hole has a semi peninsula green where the front half is completely surrounded by water. The biggest challenge is driving the ball far enough up the hill to get a view of the green. For the shorter player, it is a blind uphill shot. Four is a good score.) 

Little Met (Cleveland, OH)

Little Met has introduced many new players to the game of golf and was my home course the first few years. Located at base of Fairview Hill, it is easily accessible for everyone living on the Westside of Cleveland. Stanley Thompson designed it in 1925 as an introductory nine holer while Big Met was being built. It was so popular and such a success that the Metroparks kept it opened, giving the Rocky River Reservation 27 holes at the time. 

Little Met starts off with a longish par four that most beginners will be pleased to make five on. The second is the best hole on the course and its elliptical green falls away left, right, and behind. I can recall many a shot failing to hold the putting surface and finishing on the hill. Three is the only par five and is really a long par four. Skilled players will have a chance to reach it in two while beginners get the opportunity to reach it in regulation. Four is a short par four although a crease in the fairway can cause a funky lie. Five begins a three hole stretch of one shotters with the fifth featuring an undulating green. Six follows with a long iron or hybrid shot. Seven was always one of my favorites. The hole sits besides the dyke next to the Rocky River. The green is set at an angle and is two tiered. Eight is a mid par four that doglegs right and has a steep back to front slope. I made my first birdie here, a moment that kickstarted my love affair with the game. Nine finishes with a short driveable par four. If you’re looking to start your son or daughter on their golf journey, then Little Met is the perfect place to begin.  

Green Hills Golf Course (Clyde, OH)

I was very impressed with Green Hills. Not only were the greens as smooth as any I’ve putted on all year, but several of them were downright treacherous with bold contouring and rolls that even Perry Maxwell would love. From the back tees, which maxes out at 6,521 yards, the course possesses several muscular par fours and the 601 yard par five sixth has to be seen in person. It has a fantastic green perched at the end of a large hill where only the top of the flag can be seen. Don’t mistake this place as your typical country course. It’s a lot more than that. 

(The 450/425 yard par four eighth starts at an elevated tee box and finishes at an elevated green. The putting surface has a sunken front right side and rolls to a back left portion that slopes away. A four is a great score.) 

[Before I hit the first tee, the course was already winning me over. It’s hard to explain, but little things go a long way. The flowers by the tee boxes; the gazebo and wooden benches on the driving range; the tavern that serves as the clubhouse. Excellent stuff!]

(The 489/474 yard par five fifth has a cornfield lining the entire left side. It’s reachable in two shots but the reverse C green has OB left and a hidden pond in the cut on the right. While a front pin position might give up a few eagles, the back ones will give players fits. I’m not sure you could putt from the front right to the back right.) 

(The 110/109 yard drop shot par three fourteenth is a beautiful hole with a creek sliding short of the putting surface. Be careful with how much spin you put on the ball. Enjoy the cows watching on the left. It was a first for me.) 

I haven’t ventured past Eagle Creek in Norwalk for several years (Findlay is the best I’ve seen and Fremont is nice) but MVC has been hyping this course up so I was confident it would be worth the 75 minute drive from my house. Dismiss the goofy short par four second hole, and the other seventeen holes are really solid. The greens on 1,6,8,10,12 are terrific! If conditioning is important to you, then you won’t mind the additional time in the car. I wish it was a tad closer because it would become a CNCGA darling. I give Green Hills a solid 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 358/350 yard eighteenth hole plays up and over a slight rise with a soy bean field marking OB down the left. The two tiered green is nicely defended by traps.) 

(Played the blue tees just over 6,000 yards. I bogeyed the last two holes on the front and the last three holes on the back for a 78. The real key at Green Hills is the putter. I escaped with 0 three putts but I’m positive that’s not the norm.)