If you ever stumble upon a random course in rural Ohio, chances are it’s a Jack Kidwell design. He obliged many farmers and landowners in the ‘60s and ‘70s who wanted to turn their land into golf courses. It didn’t really matter how good the terrain was, he would make the project work. Thankfully Salem Hills has a creek darting through the southwest corner that gives this property some character.
(The 372/358 yard par four fifth plays downhill while doglegging left to this bunkerless green. Note the back right corner where the putting surface scuttles balls into the hazard. Nothing too difficult but careless shots can turn into quick bogeys.)
(The 562/501 yard par five sixth moves right off the tee before climbing uphill. A hidden water hazard, visible looking backwards from the green, presses into the landing zone and makes the second shot a nervous shot one.)
(The 155/144 yard eighth is a neat uphill par three. The tree short left gets most of the attention but the green is where you’ll lose strokes. The putting surface slopes hard towards the right with a false front short. It plays a tad longer than its yardage.)
Salem Hills typifies Kidwell’s philosophy on architecture. It has plenty of length and has greens with false fronts and crowned edges. The front nine begins slowly until you get to the uphill par five sixth. It then gets modestly interesting as the hazards present themselves in different ways and the long drive on nine over the water shows the course is beginning to demand more from the player. The back nine is where the real fun begins and the 10-13 stretch is what bumps the course up a notch in my view. A creek ambles in creating some nice land features and interesting shots. Eleven and twelve are particularly good par fours. Eleven doglegs right with the creek cutting across the fairway. The angle from the tee drags your eyes toward the hazard but the preferred line should be straight or down the left side. Twelve is up and over with a hanging fairway that will require a well struck second with the ball below your feet. Thirteen is a pseudo volcano par three except there’s no bunkers and the land is more rounded than vertical. After a few more holes including a reachable par five, the course ends with a real corker, an uphill double dogleg par four to a bunkerless green.
(The 381/348 yard par four twelfth is protected by subtle nuances including hitting from a hanging lie to a green with a false front. Note that pulling a ball below your feet is a normal miss which the creek and trees will quickly punish.)
(The 468/456 yard par five fifteenth plays over a rise where it narrows by the creek. The green then sits atop a hill with bunker short right. Long hitters can reach this in two and even short hitters can push it up close.)
Salem Hills is forty minutes south of Youngstown and hosts several high schools as their home course. It boasts fast greens and manicured fairways. It may not pull golfers outside its immediate radius but it’s a solid track. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play).
(Salem Hills was absolutely drenched the day I played it, so I moved up to the gold tees, except on the par fives, and enjoyed its 5,585 challenge. The greens putted nice despite all the water on them. I can only imagine how tough they are when it’s dry. Considering all the guys used to rave about Mohican Hills (NLE) back in the day, I surprised this one flies under the radar.)
(The 392/375 yard par four eighteenth doglegs left off the tee and slightly right into the green. The branches almost cover the right third of the putting surface. The right pins are tough to find.)
Here are a few extra pictures:
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