Echo Valley Golf Club (Wellington, OH)

“I can’t believe that I never played here before!” That was the comment several of the guys repeated after our reconnaissance trip to see if Echo Valley was worth adding to the schedule next year. Everyone was super impressed. It was a delightful fall day, the leaves were taken care of so you didn’t have to worry about losing a ball, and the greens were as fast and smooth as any we’ve played. 

Echo Valley is your classic do-it-yourself mom n pop course. Like most of these type of courses, there is self expression when it comes to architecture. It’s not uncommon to see some out of box golf holes. The par three third is a classic example. It’s 170 yards thirty feet uphill to a wild green. Fail to hit the appropriate distance, and there’s a high possibility that the ball will roll sixty or so yards back down the hill. It’s these moments that sets the course apart. However, on the flip side, you often see quirky, or even unfair holes. Take the thirteenth and fifteenth where a ball not hit far enough, or straight enough, will be blocked out. Even the fifth, sixth, and eighteenth have dramatic doglegs that require length and accuracy to avoid being stymied by the trees. 

(The 375 yard par four fifth doglegs right from the tee before requiring a precise approach over water. This punchbowl green will funnel your ball towards the middle where a steep slope will demand your best putting stroke.) 

(My favorite hole on the course is the 425 yard par four seventh. It doglegs right with a reverse camber that’ll force a long second shot with the ball above your feet. Look at that view down the hill. It’s a classic looking hole!)

This is the fourth new course I’ve played this month,  all mom n pop designs, and Echo Valley is the quirkiest. Depending on what you enjoy, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. I personally don’t mind it, but it’s very easy to make big numbers. The greens are audacious. Granted we played the day they setup for the greenskeeper revenge, but I still believe three, and even four putting, will be common. 3,7,9,11,12,16 are all very good holes. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The 330 yard par four eleventh has a creek cutting across the fairway that might take driver out of your hands. The bridge dominates the view as you hit your approach into the green. In the background is the 115 yard par three twelth with its green shored up by wooden timbers. These two holes are the highlight on the back nine.) 

(The 325 yard par four sixteenth has a gorgeous skyline green with a vicious grass hollow eating into the right side. Like the greens in the Bermuda Triangle at Chippewa, the front half of the putting surface is unpinnable.) 

(Five circles on the card between the four of us. Pretty impressive considering the pins were in some crazy locations.)