Monday, November 10, 2014

The Quarry Golf Club (East Canton, OH)

Brian Huntley has been designing some very good courses around northeast Ohio so it was only a matter of time before he would be given a great piece of land. That opportunity arose with The Quarry, and Huntley hit a home run!! 

I personally feel that it's the best course in state. It takes advantage of every great feature on the site, and it is loaded with great views. Each hole is memorable, and demands the golfer to think his way around the course. It is just an absolute blast to play!!

The Quarry starts off with a good par five. The tee offers great views of the course and it really gets you excited to play. 
It's a reachable par five if you can avoid the wetlands off the tee and somehow get the ball to stop on the small green, but for the majority of players, the key is getting a good yardage for the third. Like I mentioned, it's a small green and a gaping bunker fronts it. Good hole! 

Two is a long par four whose fairway tilts towards the left. It's usually into the wind so it plays even longer than the listed yardage. Three follows with a fine par four where a couple Dolly Parton mounds block the view from the tee. Huntley does a good job tying the green in with the bunker and wetlands. Nothing spectacular til this point but the fireworks will soon begin. 

The fourth hole is a driveable par four. 
If you look at the top pic, you're able to see a kick plate coming off the hill. A well placed drive between the high grass on the hill and the center bunker will catch that slope and roll down towards the green. The green is pushed up with fall offs front, left, and rear. If the drive is left of the center bunker then a deft chip is needed to get close to the hole. Therein lies the beauty of the hole. All the chips and pitches round the green are testy including the toughest shot, a 40 yard bunker shot should the drive be pulled just a bit when trying to drive it. 

The fifth is the toughest hole on the front. 
It doglegs around the quarry to the right. The player must decide how much yardage he can carry from the tee. The green can be seen and that tends to entice players to bite off more than they can handle. The conservative strategy is left of the fairway bunker which minimizes the carry but leaves a long approach to the green. The quarry is alongside the hole the entire way. A long iron approach must be just as accurate. 
As you walk to the green, this view greets you. Unknown to the first timer, the par four 14th will play up that hill! 

We finally encounter a par three at the sixth. It's just a little thing, but it packs big bite. 
Water short, ravine long, the wedge shot must be perfect from the tee. While the left pin position does leave some wiggle room, the right side is punishingly exact. A great short par three! 

The drive up the hill to seven tee makes one anticipate the tee shot coming down it. 
Being a par five makes the drive even more enticing. Two great shots can leave one on the green putting for eagle. As you can see in the pic, the putting surface is a good bit up the hill. So the second shot easily plays thirty yards longer. For the shorter hitter, two good shots leave a challenging pitch to the flag. The uphill lie causes players to dump it short in the sand or blade it long over the green. Four is a well earned score. 

The eighth might be my favorite hole on the course. Huntley does a great job letting the natural beauty set the tone and difficulty of this long downhill par four. 
Obviously there's water all down the right but notice not one sand trap is needed to defend par. Visual intimidation is the main defense and it's all carry to the fairway, then into the green. Beautiful hole. Four is a good score. 

Nine is the only hole I consider to be nonchalant. 
A central fronting bunker creates all the interest, especially for front pin positions. It's a mid to short par three so a good chance to end with a birdie. 

The tenth starts the back nine off with a difficult par four. 
It plays a little bit shorter than it's listed yardage which is good considering how well defended the green is. In pic above, the bunker towards the right is where green is divided into two tiers. The back right section requires a shot directly over sand trap. Also, the long hitters must account for the wetlands off the tee that is visible on left. 

The drive on eleven makes this a par five that most will play as a three shot hole. 
The fairway doglegs slightly right with water down the entire left side. Trees on both sides is enough pressure to take a three wood or hybrid from the tee. This is a fine play since you can play the second well clear of the water and hit a short iron third. Not sure if this is a good par five to go for in two. Plenty of bad places to make a bogey, or worse. 

Like three, twelve is on the other side of the lake. Huntley took a big risk here making a very good short par three that he had to know would be criticized simply because it's the second short par three. 
This gull winged beauty has a couple real classic pin positions on the far left and right sides. On the left, the bunker and false front make this a super tough flag to fire at and get the right distance. The right is a bit easier since you can bounce it in. This hole absolutely works! It's such a great shot! I wish more architects weren't afraid to find good holes reguardless of distance. 

The next hole doesn't work quite as well. It's such a punishing precise par four, it borders on the unfair. The drive must be hit straight and long, otherwise it's possible not to have enough club to reach the green. 
I don't even shoot at the green. I aim at the right fairway and try to up n down for par. In the pic above, the green is over the two grass bunkers. You may also notice in the pic how the farther your drive goes, the lie becomes more downhill. It all adds up to a very difficult hole. 

Then we arrive at fourteen, the hole that plays up the cliff to a spectacular elevated view. 
As you can see in the photos, it's a ways uphill, and the rock outcropping is the main feature. The prudent play is a three wood to the right where there's plenty of fairway to attack an open and inviting green. The aggressive player tho can take a crack at carrying the unique hazard, and driving up short of the putting surface. It's another hole I absolutely love! It's fun! It's different! And it makes this course that much more special! 

The reward for the bold routing up the hill is the tremendous view from the fifteenth tee. 
This par five allows players to soak it all in and then decide how aggressive they want to be. A piercing drive down the right side that can skip by the trees leaves a manageable distance to reach the green in two. Down the left makes this a simple three shot hole. 
It's a small green so not an easy target to hit from the valley below. Much like seven, the third is from an uphill lie but a smaller green to hit. It's still a very good birdie opportunity. Then sixteen follows with a dogleg right that drops downhill once it gets over the crest. The green is uphill with a large central bunker fronting. The interesting thing bout this hole is rear tee way back on the hill. They have the option of making this a long par four or a short par five. 

Seventeen is the last par three of the day, and after playing a couple short ones, the only acceptable distance would require a long iron shot....and Huntley delivers with a beautiful downhill par three. 
Played over the corner of the lake, there are several pin locations that get the blood flowing. It's another shot that I love hitting! Plus plenty of short grass if one chooses to bailout. It really solidifies the strength of The Quarry. 

Finally we come to eighteen. It's a solid par four that doglegs left around the water. The imposing clubhouse lies directly behind the green, and it's large veranda allows the membership to watch the action coming in. 
Players choose two distinct lines off the tee. Left leaves a shorter shot, but the approach is all carry. Hitting it close to the OB right leaves a longer shot, but a better angle with less carry. Being a left to right player, this might explain my unusual success here. I've made many birdies here and it's because I can attack the right and rear pin positions without worrying bout the hazard. Nonetheless it's an exciting finish. 

The Quarry is Brian Huntley's best golf course. It surprises me why it doesn't get more fanfare from the publications.  I really believe it's the best course in the state. I give it a 7 (great) rating. Btw, The Quarry is not the best "tournament course". It's quirky and full of local knowledge. But that s why it's #1!