Zoar Village Golf Course (Dover, OH)

Just south of Canton is the Goldilocks zone where the temperature and lack of snow can allow a die hard player like myself a chance to sneak a round of golf in during the winter. A couple courses take advantage of this, but the best one may very well be Zoar Village Golf Course. 

(The eighteenth is well defended by water and sand. Pin placement is very important, and can make this a difficult hole or a birdie opportunity.) 

Geoffrey Cornish designed Zoar in 1975. 

(The tenth is a 425 yard dogleg right par four. The approach is a long iron uphill shot to the green. Easily the toughest par on the course.) 

Zoar is plenty lenient from the tee. Most fairways have room to drive the ball, and the flat terrain rarely demands a precise tee shot. The challenge is going to come at the greens. Cornish liked to put little knobs and ridges in them, separating receptive areas from tight defended ones. 

(Look how wide the par five second green is! Besides having room out to the right and behind the sand trap, the green extends left, past the hazard. That's variety!) 

(A knob in the front half of the third green separates the left and right pin positions. The rear portion narrows with fall offs on both sides, making another interesting hole location.)

(Only the front third is visible on the 210 yard fourth. The other two thirds wraps around the bunker. Pins in the rear can be very difficult to get close.) 

(Cornish's bunkers have been described as "floating in the air." In reality, fill is used to make a mound, then a bunker is carved into it.)

(The ninth does challenge the driver to carry the fairway bunker or skirt around it.) 

Zoar hosts several big tournaments each summer, The Gatorade Collegiate associated with Wooster College,  Yuengling Tuscarawas County Championship, and Zoar Senior Amateur, to name a few. With the ability to tuck the pins, the course does a good job defending itself.  The par threes in particular are a strong set. Two of them are well over 200 yards. 

(The 167 yards fifteenth is the shortest par three, with a right to left tilt making a back right pin very tough to get close.)

Any lost strokes can be gained back at the par fives. Each one is reachable, and depending on pin position, eagle is a possibility. 

 (The reverse camber twelfth has a late dogleg. This pic of the rear left section shows just how isolated a pin back here can be. There's no bunker short to help gauge the distance either.) 

The last three holes are par fours. 

(The 340 yard seventeenth is potentially driveable if one can carry over the trees in dogleg. The best play is laying up, and hitting a short iron in.) 

(The view of eighteen green from inside the bunker. Not an easy shot with all the marbles on the line. Also, it's the only water on the course.) 

I was here the first weekend of December, and the course was in good shape.  It was soft, but dry, and the greens rolled really nice. The group behind me came all the way from Mentor! That's a great endorsement for Zoar's commitment to winter golf. The guy told me they come because course is in good shape, it's a nice track, and they have covered carts. I like Zoar. It's definitely better than Wilkshire down the road. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth 30-45 min drive). In the winter, double the drive time. It's still cheaper than going south. 

(Get a little heater and BAM it's time to golf!!) 

Pine Ridge Country Club (Wickliffe, OH)

Pine Ridge owns the best footnote in northeast Ohio, It was Arnold Palmer's home course when he was stationed in Cleveland with the Coast Guard. 

(The 85 yard fourth is the shortest par three in the city. It's a hit or miss shot that plays over a gorge.) 

Palmer was a member at Pine Ridge from 1953-54. He won the Ohio Amateur in '53, which coincidentally was held at Pine Ridge, and then in '54 won the Ohio Amateur again. He also claimed amateur golf's biggest prize that year, the US Amateur in '54. 

(The 435 yard sixth green is tucked in the trees, surrounded by a dropoff left, right, and behind. The proper miss is short which leaves a reasonable up n down.)

I imagine Pine Ridge was a prestigious club once, but unfortunately, today it's just a shell of it's former glory. Very much like Ridgewood in Parma, it has been bastardized with housing flanking every foot of it's periphery, and those long ugly nets draped across the boundary line on several holes. 

(View of the 212 yard seventeenth from atop the ridge of the eighteenth. Note all the housing to the left and background of the pic. I'm sure it's not the course Arnold played in the '50s.) 

(The first hole is less than 300 yards, but the road is not that far away from the green. By moving the tee to the right, most players are forced to layup and hit a wedge in.) 

(The par five eighth has an interesting green. The flag on the right looks inviting, yet most of the internal contour is on this side.) 

The course is bisected by Ridge rd, holes 2-8 playing on the southern parcel. The tall trees and valley to the south makes this the more visually aesthetic side. With a couple strong par fours to tackle, most players would consider this a decent seven holes of golf. 

(The 310 yard ninth is driveable in the right conditions. Note the curved tree. It's influence dictates a layup to the far side of the fairway to achieve an uninhibited shot to the green.) 

The back nine has taken the biggest beating. In fact, the eleventh was a beautiful downhill par four played off the ridge down to the far corner of the property. With so many slicers hitting it OB, the course just decided to move the tee down to fairway and make it a so-so par three. It's this decision along with the high nets that makes this a disappointing nine holes. 

(The eighteenth reminds me of Conewango Valley in Warren PA except the hill is directly ahead instead of crossing diagonal...

...luckily the hole is only 316 yards, so the player has a few options off the tee. The houses behind the green are a reminder of the urban sprawl the course resides in.) 

 

Pine Ridge will always be connected with Arnold Palmer. There's photos and momentos to remind everyone of the courses former self. Lake Metroparks owns it now, and it has settled into a typical municipal course. Nothing here to recommend a visit, but a decent place for locals. I give it a 3 (average)(worth driving 15min). 

(The old clubhouse is still beautiful, but it now welcomes wedding parties and such instead of golfers.) 

Lost Nation Municipal Golf Course (Willoughby, OH)

I was a little skeptical when I first read Lost Nation was designed by Harry Colt and Charles Alison. Only a few courses in Ohio were designed by them, including Kirtland CC which was a solo effort of Alison in 1921. This architecture pedigree makes Lost Nation a must see. (There are only a few public Colt/Alison courses in the US) 

(The short par four seventeenth has a beautiful green protected by a deep bunker front left. Note how small the putting surface is. It's easy to spin the ball off if one is not careful.) 

Lost Nation is bisected by Hodgson rd  with holes 2-8 occupying the property on the north side. These holes are bordered by a private airport and residential housing. It's a conundrum of noises and sights. It's a different experience to say the least. 

(The 415 yard fourth is a strong hole. Notice how flat the property is on this side, and how the green, collar, and even the fairway just blend together.) 

(The 500 yard par five fifth has a creek that crosses diagonally, forcing the player to pick his line and his strategy.) 

(Some really cool bunkers are still present at Lost Nation.)

(The amount of front to back slope on seven is incredible! There's fifteen feet for a front pin, then the rest of the green pitches hard away from the golfer. It takes a few plays to gauge how the ball reacts when it hits the green. I've never seen a hole like this. It's one of a kind.) 

(The ninth is one of my favorite greens. Just look at the bunkers guarding it! The dark shadows forewarn the player not to be short.) 

Ward Creek traverses thru the back nine, and it's reclamation has significantly improved both the visual beauty and the drainage of Lost Nation. It no longer floods, and the creek flows uninhibited through holes 10, 13-16, and 18. 

(The eleventh has a vulcano green that can only be held by a high lofted shot. It's a very cool greensite with an abrupt swale that circles around like a moat.)

(The twelfth is one of the holes that fell victim to the housing crunch. It once was a 200 yard plus par three that sat precipitously near the valley edge. Now it plays over the valley, requiring a mid to short iron.) 

The reclamation project not only cleaned up the water and protected the hillsides from eroding, but it lead to a new tee for the thirteenth, and an additional fifty yards onto the scorecard. 

(The new thirteenth tee!! The old tee was in the valley and the player had a blind tee shot over the hill. The new sight line is easier to digest, but now the hole takes two well struck shots for a par...

...looking back from the green, you can see the hole doglegs right. Any ball that cuts too much or gets blocked out will find the water hazard.)

(What a glorious tee shot! It's only 180 yards but it's pretty awesome watching your ball fly over the waste land...

...a small low profile green finishes off the short par four fourteenth. I love this hole!)

(Lost Nation's best hole is the 440 yard fifteenth. The tee shot is hit over a shallow valley...

...a good drive leaves a long iron or fairway wood approach to an elevated green. Ward Creek cuts across, forcing the player to layup or challenge the hazard if the drive wasn't hit good enough. A par is an absolute great score!)  

(The eighteenth is a 500 yard par five with Ward Creek cutting across forty yards short of the green. It's a great  risk/reward hole! It's reachable in two, yet demands two perfect shots to reach the green. Short hitters must lay further back to avoid the creek's buffer. A birdie is a terrific way to end the round!) 

Lost Nation flies under the radar, and many golfers from the west side and south side probably haven't heard of it or have negative memories. Even in my past notes, the conditioning was a concern. However, it was in good shape, and it's November. If the city can keep it up, then this is a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour). The back nine alone is worth the trip!!

(The 175 yard sixteenth is all carry over Ward Creek.) 

 

Black Brook Country Club (Mentor, OH)

Black Brook made my winter list of places to see solely based on Bertie Way being the architect. I'm a big fan of both Goodpark and Chardon Lakes, two of his public courses that annually make Golfstyle's 100 Best Ohio Courses You Can Play.

(When it comes to ending holes, not many can beat the difficulty of Black Brook's 447 yard eighteenth.) 

Black Brook was designed in 1929, one year after Goodpark, and two years before Chardon Lakes. The main feature is the creek that cuts across the property at it's skinniest point, allowing Way to incorporate it in a few holes. 

(The first plays straightaway slightly uphill. The creek was dammed to make a small pond. It shouldn't come into play here, but does add to setting, especially one's opening tee shot.)

(At the 383 yard par four second, long hitters must take care not to drive it into the creek. The green is beautifully placed just above the valley atop the ridge. The internal contours adds to the challenges making this the best hole on the front nine.)

Black Brook is on a rectangular parcel of land, the northern half bisected by Lakeshore Blvd. This might explain the unusual routing of the front nine which has six par fours in the first seven holes, with both eight and nine being par threes. The third hole has a green that rests just a few paces from the boundary line. This old fashion architecture strategy makes players think twice bout firing at a flag. 

(The view from five tee shows a carry over a valley and scrub. Mentor Marsh backdrops the green, a reminder that the terrain slopes to north.) 

(The 376 yard sixth has this large bunker guarding the left side of the fairway. It's a birdie opportunity if one can avoid it. The green is very receptive.) 

(The eighth is 183 yards. Which is more difficult a recovery? The sand bunker or the grass bunker?) 

The back nine is more memorable than the front, it uses the aforementioned creekbed very well, and it plays between thick stands of trees on nearly every hole. There are some good birdie chances early on, but the final five holes are quite challenging. Fourteen and fifteen are 407 and 403 yards respectively, and the final two holes are a 200 yard par three followed by the 447 yard par four many consider one of the best in northeast Ohio. 

(The 298 yard tenth is driveable but the player will need to drive the ball perfectly thru a shoot of trees the last seventy yards. The prudent play is a layup to hundred yard marker, and attacking with a wedge. It's a true 2-7 hole, where eagle or triple bogey is possible.)

(The 198 yard eleventh is a bruiser of a par three. The tee shot is all carry over the creek and valley.) 

(The sixteenth is the only birdie opportunity in the last five holes. It's a 474 yard par five, but just like the par five fourth on the front, it has a large bunker crossing the front of the green. A good drive is a must for those going for it in two.)

(The view of eighteenth green from the fairway. It's a long iron, possibly even a fairway wood, to the elevated green. A par is an excellent score.) 

The city of Mentor acquired Black Brook in 2005, adding to the list of municipal courses in northeast Ohio. It's in good shape and is very playable for all levels of golfers. If the CGA was looking for an east side course to put on the schedule, then Black Brook would be a fine choice, especially in the beginning months of the golf season. I give it a solid 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 mins). 

 

Raymond C. Firestone Golf Course (Akron, OH)

Pulling into the parking lot, I saw mature trees, elevated greens, and deep cavernous bunkers, but alas, it turned out to be the North Course. That was my introduction to the public nine hole Firestone course. It was very disappointing. 

(The par four eighth can play very difficult when the pin is tucked in the far left corner of the green.) 

The public nine was designed with a heavy hand by the architect. A lot of dirt was moved, and most of it was used to make huge containment mounds around several greens. It's completely opposite of natural. 

(This pic is a good view of the containment mounds surrounding the green. Architecturally they don't add to the hole, but they do frame the putting surfaces.) 

(The containment mounds here are to the sides with the green sunken between them. This hole is above the valley, so a very nice view of the North Course can be had.) 

(The hill behind the green makes the approach seem like one is climbing a mountain. I wonder how they mow it without tipping over.)

The only positive attribute is the conditioning which they keep at a similar level to the country club. Otherwise it's a rather boring nine holes of golf. Also, I kept looking at the North, a small chain linked fence separating the two, and couldn't help but think the HAVES play there while the HAVE NOTS play over here. What a bummer they couldn't build a nicer nine hole course. I give Raymond C. Firestone a 2 (below average). 

(The par three second possesses one of the more challenging shots on the course.)