Seven Hills Country Club

Seven Hills Country Club is my definition of a hidden gem. Located down in Hartville, a little sign pokes up above a corn field with an arrow pointing towards the course, otherwise you may very easily pass the road. Don't be fooled by all this, Seven Hills is a man-size course. Playing 7000 yards from the tips, it's as challenging a test as any public course in Ohio. It's also in absolutely perfect shape. The greens are fast and firm, well bunkered, and crowned. Execution is the word for the day. The course tests everything. Your ability to hit it long and straight, hit well struck iron shots, and putt slick greens.

Seven Hills was designed by William Newcomb in 1971. Newcomb was an accomplished golfer who won the Michigan Amateur, and played in the Masters. It's no wonder this course is such an examination.

The course tests the player right away. The first hole is a long par 5 with trees lining both sides. A pond short of the green negates any thought of going for it in two while demanding a couple well placed shots to reach it in regulation. Over the next few holes, a couple things will become very clear. First, any drive hit offline will find tree trouble. Second, when the approach hits the green, the ball bounces before biting. Like I said previously, Seven Hills is setup to be played firm and fast.

The course really starts to take off on the par 3 sixth. The 198 yarder plays uphill with traps front left and right. When the long iron shot hits the green, the trajectory makes it skip so most balls finish in the rear. Putting from the rear is a very tricky task. The 472 yard par 4 seventh follows. This tough hole doglegs right while the terrain slopes left. The player must be able to work his tee shot to hold the fairway. The approach is then a long iron shot to an elevated two tier green. A gaping bunker guards the upper right tier, and the pin is often placed there. A high cut would be the perfect shot.

The greens on the back nine are more crowned than the ones on the front. Holes like 11, 12, and 15 all have slightly elevated greens whose edges repel balls into the rough or bunkers. Even on some of the other holes, if you hit it near the edge, the ball rolls off into the fringe.

The par 3s on the back nine are difficult to hold in regulation. The ball must be hit precise, and usually to the middle of the green. Theyre both beautiful holes.

A couple par fours stand out on the back also. The thirteenth is a very nice par four where the player hits diagonally over a water hazard to the fairway. The more aggressive line you take, the less your approach into the green. The other par four is sixteen. It's 334 yards but the fairway is at 70 degree angle with water guarding the the right side. It's possible to drive it over the covered bridge close to the green. For more prudent shots, the player must find a line and hit it the correct distance to the fairway. I think it's a wonderfully strategic hole!

There s a couple things that holds Seven Hills from being one of Ohio's elite public courses. First, too many trees dot the landscape. They're taking many out which is a great start but many more have to be cut down. Second, the cart paths are way too close to the fairways. It's been said the scuff mark is Seven Hills logo. Ouch! If those two things are remedied, then this may well be a top 10 public course. Still, this is a very good course, and it's a great opportunity to play in such ideal conditions. (6 rating)

Aurora Country Club (NLE)

It is with great sadness that this wonderful Bert Wey course went NLE this year. It was such a great throwback to yesteryear and how golf was designed and played. The Cleveland Open was played at Aurora three times. In '67, it was Gardner Dickinson outlasting the youths with a -9 271 total. Two years later, it was Charles Coody taking the title with -9 271 total. The following year turned out to be the best one yet. Bruce Devlin in '70 would set a course record 64 in the third round and add 66 in the final to win at -12 268.
As you can tell in the scoring, Aurora held its own against the pros. Having played it several times, I'm not surprised. Aurora was a difficult course. Greens had to be approached with precision. Bert Wey demanded the ball be below the hole. Holes 1, 3, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 18 were all designed with back to front sloping greens. Holes like 2, 7, 10, and 17 had putting surfaces that canted to the side or even away from you. The player always had to be aware so he could play the proper shot.
A couple holes will be sorely missed, starting with the all world fifth, An excellent par four whose fairway ended at 270 from the tee. The fairway resumed down in the valley with the green elevated above the chagrin river. It was such an intense approach shot into that green. And view was beautiful. I was fond of the following hole too, a short par four under 300 yards. The green was a terrifying thing, sloped hard towards the player. It took skill to pitch it close.
I loved driving the ball across the valley on 10. It was tough seeing the green but if you hit just short, the ball would take the slope and funnel to the middle. And who will forget the go for broke gamble tee shot on 12? It was probably best to just hit it straight but it was fun taking on the chagrin river and trying to fly it over. It was much shorter approach if you pulled it off. Finally, the 15 had the most uphill approach I can recall anywhere. And this hole was 437 from the back tees!! Vicious green!!
Alas!! Aurora is gone and we are less fortunate to play its challenges anymore. I always enjoyed playing here. It was a 6 in my book. (very good rating)

                                          Par 4 Fifth hole

 

Par 3 Thirteenth

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow has long been hailed as one the finest municipal golf courses in the country. Designed by famed architect Stanley Thompson in 1925, the course is routed in two out n in loops. Several ravines come into play throughout the round, and they are integrated in multiple ways, making for an interesting and varied test of golf. You can play here everyday and not get bored. My love for golf architecture originated here, and it's one of my favorite places to enjoy the game.
First hole, 530/478 yards; The new tee adds much needed length to the opening hole. It has the best opening view from the tee of the cuyahoga river valley and it sets the mood for a great round of golf. The hole is so downhill that the balls thirty-forty yards short can bounce and bound their way onto the green. Coincidentally, the front pin positions are very difficult to get close. The course gives you a good chance at birdie and start round off strong.
Second hole, 235/220 yards; This is one of the best holes in the city. Uphill, ravine on the right, and potentially playing 250 yards plus, two demands a fairway wood struck perfectly to find center of the green. Can you imagine this hole when Stanley Thompson designed it in the '20s?! When I was younger, the pro told me to layup short of green, and try to up n down for a three. It's still solid advice.
Third hole, 481/454 yards; What an incredible par four!! It may well be the best hole in northeast Ohio! It plays downhill off the tee. If you draw it, the ball might take the power slot and propel forward 220-170 from the green. If not then you'll be challenged to carry over valley 80 yards short of green. Player must also not block it right or it'll go in the valley and be blocked out by large oak on the hill. Those who do find fairway must hit a long iron or hybrid. It's a well protected green with ravine on the left. Once again, it's open in the front so balls can run on using ground game. It's my favorite hole on the course!

Fourth hole, 586/572 yards; It used to be unreachable in two shots, but today's technology brings it within range. It's the last hole to play downhill before the front nine starts tacking its way uphill to the clubhouse. The small green slopes back to front with a level spot in the rear. Not many fours get written on scorecard.

Fifth hole, 401/388 yards; We are now playing back uphill tho we may not sense it because of the gradual slope. The tee shot doglegs right and there's an opportunity to cut it with an aggressive drive. The fifth possesses one of the cruelest greens on the course. It slopes high left to low right. You must be short of the pin with your second shot. Even short of the green is better than being above the flagstick. It's an underrated hole.
Sixth hole, 171/155 yards; Stanley Thompson is known for designing excellent par threes that take advantage of the terrain, and the sixth is case in point. The green is perched atop a ridge and the tee on another as we play over a scrub filled ravine. It's a beautiful par three and the player must be careful not to be short or his ball will roll to the bottom of the ravine. It's playable from bottom but it can turn into a mess quickly. If the player does hit a shot, It is one of the easier greens to putt on, so a two can be had.

Seventh hole, 386/372 yards; The only mediocre hole on the course. The player must not be fooled into his inclination to cut the corner. It plays straightaway. The large green has a bowl in the front right corner. It's the main line of defense. When the pin is placed away from it, then three can be scored.

Eighth hole, 180/157 yards; Oh what a hole this was! Unfair in every way. The green was so severely pitched that balls would roll to the cup and tumble back to ones feet. Brian Huntley came in and flattened the green to its present look. However, he mounded the green and took away the imposing view from the tee when you knew a ball not hit straight would jump into one of the ravines guarding the left and the right. A needed improvement but missed opportunity.
Ninth hole, 366/357 yards; Nine is an up n over hole that has a very cool green. It's an uphill tee shot where a good drive will crest the hill, otherwise its a semi blind shot hit from an upslope. As I said, Thompson designed a very cool green. It's a punch bowl green with a severe back to front pitch to it. Players can hit shots off the side banks trying to take advantage of the slope to bring the ball close to the pin. Regardless of the shot, the ball must be below the hole. Otherwise it's an automatic three putt.

Tenth hole, 440/423 yards; Not many know this, but the tee box used to be back where the parking lot is now and played as a par five. This explains the small green and explains the use of the swale that crosses the fairway where all the long hitters drive into. As a long par four, many players instantly reach for a driver and hit the ball into the valley. It's a shorter second shot from the valley, but it's completely blind. From 200 marker, the player has clear view of green, and can use the terrain to run the ball on. It's a difficult start to the back nine.
Eleventh hole, 476/418 yards; Another gorgeous view of the cuyahoga river valley welcomes the player as he steps on the tee box. This long par four has the only fairway bunkering on the course, and the elevated tee screams for a full turn, no hold bars drive. The entire hole is downhill and players can land the approach several yards short of the green and watch it bounce on. Looking back from the green makes you appreciate how great this course is!

Twelfth hole, 143/137 yards; The old architects designed courses as the land dictated thus there were some unusual routings. Here at Sleepy Hollow, the back nine has only one par three and one par five. Twelve on the scorecard looks like a birdie hole, but this is one of the toughest short holes you ll play. The green is set at a 45* angle, and is 42 yards long. The left pin position requires a longer more accurate shot since the green narrows on that side. Once on the putting surface, two putts is not guaranteed as the green slopes hard to the right. There may not be a more diverse, more challenging set of par threes in northeast Ohio!
Thirteenth hole, 441/392 yards; Thirteen is a hole unlike any other. It possesses a fantastic tee box set across a ravine back in the hollow. Looking out towards the fairway, the player sees a couple shallow valleys that must be carried. It's a probably a good 220 from the tips. The green is placed at the end of a downslope, two bunkers carved into the hill just short of it. The inclination would be to bounce it in but Thompson's bunkers force an aerial approach. With a green that slopes away, the approach must be very high to hold it, or else it runs off into rear bunker. It's a hole I've not seen elsewhere.

Fourteenth hole, 497/465 yards; This risk reward par five has lost more tournaments than any hole on the course. It doglegs right like letter "L" around the property boundary. The aggressive play is a drive down the left side so one can hoist it over the trees and OB stakes to reach the green in two shots. Failure to do so is... A big umber! Those playing it as a three shot hole must still focus on hitting it the
correct yardage to the fairway across the valley. Anything that goes thru the fairway will be blocked out. This is an exciting par five.

Fifteenth hole, 327/319 yards; Fifteen starts the stretch into the clubhouse, all relatively short par fours. The green here is probably the most dramatic. With a valley left, right, and short, this effectively plays as an island green. Players must set themselves up with a good layup that leaves a favorite yardage so they can attack appropriately with the ball beneath the cup. This ferocious green is not one to be above the hole. As I've said a few times before, a hole you won't see elsewhere.

Sixteenth hole, 378/360 yards; Sixteen is routed thru a shallow valley and the golfer who challenges the treeline down the left side will be rewarded with a flat lie and clear view of the green. Those who hit straightaway take their chances. The valley is a very subtle hazard. The green is beautifully sited as the valley then protects the left and sand guards the right. Its a perfect example of Stanley Thompson's routing ability.
Seventeenth hole, 312/272 yards; The penultimate hole is a short par four that doglegs left uphill around a ravine. Huge oak trees rise from the ravine and the player must determine how much of the leg he wants to carry. Regardless of where he puts it, the player must be able to keep it below the hole. The green is small and slopes quickly back to front. While some say it's driveable, I've never seen it done before. A must birdie hole in competition.

Eighteenth hole, 386/364 yards; Sleepy Hollow finishes with a good par four. Not overly long, the challenge comes at the green. Sloping rear left to front right with a false front makes the approach a very demanding shot. Often players try to place the ball underneath the cup, and watch it catch the slope and spin down the hill short of the green. It's a classic ending to classic par four.

I'm biased towards Sleepy Hollow, it being my home course for many years, and I've always shied away from giving it the praise it deserves. Golfweek magazine just rated it #2 public golf course in Ohio which supports the view i had all along that Sleepy Hollow is a top 5 course. I give it a 7 rating. (great)