Valleaire Golf Club (Hinkley, OH)

The southern ridge of Cuyahoga county is home to nearly ten golf courses, and while Sleepy Hollow and Pine Hills are the class of the group, the one tucked away off the road is the sleeper. Originally built for the Knights of Columbus, Valleaire plays over tumbling hills and the east branch of the Rocky River. 

The owners are putting a lot of money into the course, most recently a new clubhouse. They also switched the nines, so now the course ends on a 3-5-3 stretch. 

This is the eighteenth, a picturesque hole over water. It reminds me a tad bit of the finishing hole at Berkshire Hills. 

This is sixteen, a long uphill par three with a beautiful skyline green. It's arguably the best hole on the course. These two par threes sandwich an exciting par five where birdies and eagles are found. 

The architect purposely avoided the river, probably due to flooding, so only one hole uses it to a large extent. The back to back par fives at six and seven are very similar holes with a creek crossing the fairway, making the player decide between carrying it or laying up. Long hitters have no problem with the distance so they're easy holes for them. 

Then goofy architecture like this comes into play on a few holes. However, a solid group of par fours salvages the round with some exciting shots. Ten is a driveable par four at 280 yards, followed by the 465 yard eleventh whose green is an elusive target to hit. The shortish fourteenth is a well designed layup par four. And who can forget the ninth, old eighteen, where a drive up the right hand side is the only way to get a good angle to the green. 

Valleaire is an average course in my opinion, but average golfers like it, and much of that is due to the scenery and playability. It's the only course that I couldn't play on a Sunday afternoon, it was that busy. Like I said it's a sleeper course, and it's one of the more popular courses in the city. 3 (average)