Skyland Pines (Canton, OH)

It caught me by surprise to learn Skyland Pines is a Stanley Thompson design, especially since he focus' quite a bit on par three holes, of which there's only three here! In fact, the first par three isn't encountered until the ninth!  

It also only has three par fives, so there's a lot of par fours! 

Seven of the first eight holes are par fours. They basically play parallel to each other, each one fundamentally solid. One is a short uphill par four with a very difficult green. 

Then two plays downhill to a green that easier. The third is next, a short par four with a very narrow fairway to hit a driver in

Four and five are midlength par fours lined with trees on both sides. A large tree on five narrows the fairway considerably. 

The sixth is the first par five. It's a slight dogleg that plays along the boundary. It's important to challenge the OB if reaching this in two is the goal. Otherwise three well played shots should easily get a five.

Seven is a good par four that plays from a different angle. The drive is over the brow of the hill to a blind landing area. The ball is below your feet for the approach shot. After the short par four eighth, the golfer arrives at nine, the only par three, and best hole on the front. 

The bunker on the front left is obvious trouble, but being in the rough on the right is trouble too. The green slopes to the left so it's difficult to up n down from there. 

The back nine starts with five good holes, and coupled with the ninth, is a good stretch of golf. I've always liked ten tee and the drive over the hill. 

It's tree lined on both sides and it demands a good drive. The green is backdropped by a little hill, and a small bunker guards the front. It's just a solid hole. 

Eleven is a strong par four. Length and a forward pitched green keeps par at bay. Then twelve is a fine par three that plays uphill. Thirteen is one of the more memorable holes at Skyland. It goes downhill, the last eighty yards dropping to the point the green cannot be seen from the fairway. A shot that carries just over the hill can run down onto the putting surface. Fourteen is in the corner of the property, OB long and left. A bunker short right makes this small green even smaller. It's not very long, but a three is much appreciated. 

The next three holes are the weakness of Skyland Pines, back to back short par fives, and a very bland short par four. I've wondered if the original green for fifteen was another fifty yards down the hill by the road. With sixteen tee just a few yards away, wow!, maybe these were at one point strong holes. 

The eighteenth saves the ending with the best hole on the course, a dogleg left that bends around the trees, and drops down the hill to green backdropped by sand traps. (And the road) 

Only a good drive will have a view of the green. It rivals any eighteenth hole in Akron/Canton, and there's some beauties! 

Skyland Pines will never be confused as an upscale golf course. Most people in northeast Ohio probably never even heard of it. But it's a solid golf course! It's fun, it's well designed, and it's in great shape. The regulars rather keep it a secret I'm sure. I give it a 5 (good). I wish there were more little gems like it.