Fox Meadow CC (Medina, OH)

Fox Meadow was designed by Steve Burns in 1996 a few years after he did Hawks Nest. I guess it's easy to compare the two, since both are only an hour apart from each other. Many would say the hawk got the better of the fox. Fox Meadow is basically a housing development with the holes on the perimeter of the property. With the best pieces of land being used for housing, Burns had to come up with a solid design. 

I think the course has a lot of nice holes. Typically the fairways are wide, and the greens are open in front. The first hole that stands out is the fifth, a par five that demands a solid drive to reach the dogleg. The par three seventh is a nice hole. I like how the right pin positions are tucked behind the bunker. 

I think the toughest stretch of golf begins at eight and lasts thru thirteen. 

Nine is 412 yards from back tees. The player who favors the left is rewarded with a preferred angle into the green. Ten is 474 but I'm not a big fan of it. The green has a gulley protecting the left side so if you can't hit a short enough iron to hold the green then you're running the ball up on the right. Eleven is straightaway and uphill. (Eh) Twelve has a great greensite down by the water, but I'm not sure the dogleg is strong enough to dissuade players from just bombing it towards the green, as opposed to hitting it in the fairway. Thirteen is a strong par three. 

Note the texture and framing that Steve Burns used. This is the best feature of Fox Meadow! And the reason for the course's popularity. 

The course ends with some good birdie opportunities. Sixteen is a short par three. Seventeen follows with a driveable par four. It's one of my favorite holes on the course. The long hitter can take a rip, while the shorter player has plenty of fairway to setup the shot he likes best. Then eighteen is a buttonhook par five that makes this one of the most exciting ending holes in the city. 

Long hitters who cheat towards the right half of the fairway can possibly have only a mid to long iron in. The view above is where a shorter player layup. With sand and water guarding the entire right side, any score is possible on this last hole. 

While Fox Meadow won't blow your socks off architecturally, it is a beautiful playable golf course that is a fun to play. I've played here several times including a four man scramble where we started on the fourteenth hole and birdied our first ten holes, including an eagle on eighteen. I give it a 5 (good) rating.