Tam O'Shanter Golf Course (Hermitage, PA)

Tam O'Shanter is an old school golf course. The quaint clubhouse and large oaks greet you as soon as you pull into the parking lot. I felt very at ease when I got out of the car, and that is an enduring quality most places wished they had. 

Emil Loeffler designed Tam O'Shanter in 1929. It took him two days to lay out the course. He was paid $100 a day for this. 

(The 301 yard first hole starts the round with a good birdie chance.) 

Loeffler had great affection for Oakmont's long par three eighth hole, so he often incorporated a long difficult par three in his designs. At Tam O'Shanter, that hole is the 235 yard second. It doesn't look like much, aside from it's length, but it is a very difficult par. 

(Note the dip before the green. At 235 yards most shots will be played to run onto the green, but the little upslope will usually stop it short, just like ball in pic. The green slopes to the right, and is testy chip.)

The long par five that plays close to 600 yards is another Loeffler characteristic, and at Tam O'Shanter, it's the 570 yard third. 

(A creek crosses the fairway 100 yards from the green. Most players lay well back and hit mid iron into the small putting surface.)

My favorite hole is the fifth. The approach shot is over a valley to a green draped across the hill. 

(Look at that green! It s as if Loeffler just mowed down the grass! It's a great second shot!) 

Old courses tend to have cool tee boxes, and Loeffler took advantage of some natural features for some of the drives at Tam O'Shanter. 

(Six tee is atop a rock outcropping above the valley.) 

(The par three eighth tee is hit over a public road. Note the OB stake near the tree. It's definitely not the time to top your shot.) 

(Setting is often remembered long after the round. The tenth tee box emphasizes this point.) 

The front nine has the better land, and the better holes. Loeffler made great use of the valley. The back nine plays on flatter land, and Loeffler pushed the greens up a little bit more. The false fronts are more pronounced, and are the main hazard to protect par. 

(Look how high the green is above the fairway. The golfer must consistently remind himself to carry the ball past the first third of the green.) 

The knock on Tam O'Shanter is the finishing stretch of holes. Fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen are all sub 350 yard par fours. With the flatter terrain, none of them present a real challenge. In fact, the long hitter might be able to drive all three. Then eighteen finishes with a par three. It adds to the perception. 

(The green on eighteen is a tiny target well bunkered short and right. With a strong left to right pitch, par will be a good score.) 

Tam O'Shanter is a fun golf course, and one of more popular courses in the Youngstown area. (It's just on the other side of the Ohio/Pittsburgh line) Emil Loeffler's work is all over western Pennsylvania, and this course was one of his earliest works. The course is probably in the 4 range, but the ambiance and atmosphere bump it up a notch. I'm giving it a 5 (good). It's worth a visit if you're in the Youngstown area. 

(The par five eighth funnels into a small green.) 

Oak Tree Country Club (West Middlesex, PA)

Lately I've been playing more golf in the Youngstown area, and I cannot say enough just how good the golf is in this area of Ohio. It flies under the radar, but it really needs to be better known. Yankee Run, Firestone Farms, Millcreek, Kennsington to name a few, but possibly the best of the bunch sits on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border, Oak Tree Country Club. 

(The approach into the par four eighth.)

Oak Tree is an Ed Ault design.  It's a tight treelined course with closely guarded greens and treacherous putting. Good players will really enjoy this place, and will appreciate the challenge. The first hole is a slightly uphill par four with tight driving area and well protected green. 

(The first hole represents the course rather well. Pars are well earned and birdies are tough to come by.) 

(The second is a good chance to get a birdie. The downhill par five can be reached in two, but the front is well protected. I love the color contrast of the white sand against the green grass.) 

Three is a nice par three as the hole is just above the fall off to the left. It should be noted there are five par threes of which four of them play within five yards of each other. While it is nitpicking, it's a legitimate concern. I'm not sure why Ault didn't put more variety in their length. 

The fourth is a tough hole that features a very narrow driving area and green similar to the first. Then comes the fifth, probably the best hole on the front. At 440 yards, many players will be playing short left, and trying to save par from there. 

(Note how the water hazard frames the hole as opposed to directly confronting the player. To me this is an old fashion feature. Playability and the opportunity to salvage par is evident in the design.) 

(The beautiful par five sixth ambles uphill to a well protected green. All the three shotters are fabulous here at Oak Tree.) 

Birdie opportunities come at six and seven, a par five and a short to mid length par three. The eighth is a great downhill dogleg left par four that demands the golfer shape his ball into the fairway. The approach is across the water to a green set an angle with a bunker guarding. A par is a fantastic score! 

The front ends with a nice par three across water. There's plenty of room to hit a good shot, and maybe even get a birdie. Then the back starts off with a very difficult par four, long and uphill. 

(The putting surface cannot be seen from the fairway at the tenth. Par is a great score.) 

The eleventh is a fine par four. Then the comes the twelfth, a really good par five! 

(My favorite hole at Oak Tree. It's all about positioning the second shot. The green is guarded so well, the third has to be in the fairway and have a good angle.)

Thirteen is a nice par four over a gulley to a well bunker green. The walk over to fourteen tee reveals a picturesque par three. 

(The fourth par three at Oak Tree in the 165 range.)

(560 yard fifteenth is a three shot hole. The green sits below the fairway with a creek short of it. It's another really good par five!) 

The last three holes begin with a long tough uphill par four. Most will not make it up the slope to be able to see the green, so a four is a great score. 

(Tee shot on sixteen is very pretty.) 

Seventeen is the longest par three on the course but also the only ho-hum hole. The angle of the green is the biggest concern, a shot just over the trap will leave an uphill putt. Then eighteen finishes the round with a gorgeous downhill par four. 

A big long drive will set up a short iron second to a big green fronted by water. 

It's a realistic birdie opportunity if the pin is anywhere besides front right, otherwise players will be hitting to center of the green. It's a great ending hole that will put a smile on your face. 

Oak Tree is a hidden gem. That's a phrase I don't use very often, but I only know one other person who has played it. That's unfortunate because this is a very good golf course. I give it a 6! I'll be placing this on my annual golf schedule. 

(6=worth two hour drive)

Mallard Creek Golf Course (Columbia Station, OH)

Mallard Creek is a course that was designed with a financial formula. Wide fairways, big greens, and no sand traps equals more players on the course, more tee times, more money. 

My friends from UPS have memberships here, another financial stroke of genius. Buy a membership, and have access to three other courses. Don't worry that the other courses are mom n pop, five courses means the player has plenty of variety in his course selection. It's hard to argue this formula, and it's very popular. Several people who I consider hardcore golfers have invested in the Mallard Creek membership. 

There really is no strategy at Mallard Creek. It's the kind of place where drinking and golfing would be acceptable. I give it a 2 (below average). There is nothing here to recommend giving away ones hard earned money. That being said, Mallard Creek, just like Bob O Link down the street, another financial formula course, is very busy. People just want to swing the club, do it cheaply, and do it in a timely manner. And that is, as much as I dismiss it in this blog, a winning successful formula. 

Ridgewood Golf Course (Parma, OH)

Ridgewood is the first golf course I stepped foot on. My buddy from high school lived off the second hole, and we snuck out one day and played several holes. I remember coming to the eighth, a 200 yard par three, and taking a swipe with a three wood. The ball rose and streaked towards the green like missle. I was smitten, and the rest is history. 

Ridgewood is steeped in history. It was designed by Sandy Alves in 1925, and hosted several tournaments including a professional event won by Al Espinosa who shot 70. The 1927 US Publinx was won by Carl Kauffman from Pittsburgh. Walter Hagen, Babe Zeharias, and Arnold Palmer have all played here. Parma natives Chris Wolhman and Barb Mucha honed their games here before winning and finding success. 

Unfortunately, Ridgewood is in Parma, and when the city grew, eminent domain ravaged much of the back nine. They tried to salvage the course with patchwork holes, but it's a shell of it's former self. 

(The driveable twelfth has a tree and sand guarding the direct route to the green. Laying up is easy enough, but a careless shot will find the ditch.) 

Also, Ridgewood is close to Parmatown Mall, basically in the middle of the city, so it receives a lot of play, and not always from people who know how to play golf. The course tends to get worn out. Tee boxes won't have grass, the greens pot marked with ball divots. It's a place that good players avoid. It's unfortunate that that's the case, but...

There are some good holes here. The sixth demands an excellent second shot. Then the seventh plays high atop the hill where the player must carry the creek. The tenth turns against the slope and plays uphill to a semiblind green. Eleven is a long par four all downhill. Thirteen is over 600 yards! The hole rises and falls before doglegging and dropping to the green. If a private investor took over, Ridgewood could be a hidden gem! 

(The final 150 yards on the 605 thirteenth. It takes two big blows just to reach this spot!) 

Ridgewood is a 2 (below average) but with some TLC, it could easily jump a couple points. Being in a very populated area, I imagine the green space is coveted by the residents and city. Maybe taking that step to preserve and restore Ridgewood is not such a crazy idea.