Stonewater Golf Club (Highland Heights, OH)

The golf boom of the '90s officially hit Cleveland when Stonewater was designed in 1996. I remember touring the course with the GM who pointed out all the great qualities Hurdzan and Fry used to make this the centerpiece of the housing development in Highland Heights. The stacked stone walls line many of the tees, greens, and water hazards, and with the bright white sand traps, the course visually stands out. 

(The first hole is a very difficult opener. With the water guarding the left side of the fairway and crossing it, players usually lay back and hit more club into the green. Miss it slightly right, and the water will quickly punish.) 

(Only one place is safe on the 201 yard third.) 

Stonewater begins with three very difficult holes that can ruin your round before it begins. It creates a psychology that forces players to be ready on the first tee.  As a private golf club, it works well.  

(The par five fourth is a good chance to get a birdie. A layup just short of the creek opens up all the pin locations.) 

Many of the greens at Stonewater have a ridge bisecting them, sloping the front of the green towards the player while the rear half slopes away.  This seems to be a design template Hurdzan uses frequently. 

(The fairways are wide at Stonewater...

...but the greens are well defended.) 

(The approach into ten. Note the big bunkering that makes the green look smaller. Also, you can see the ridge that bisects the green.)

(The 625 yard thirteenth finishes with a small well bunkered green. A good yardage will allow an aggressive third shot.) 

(The tough par four fifteenth is well bunkered and has a significant ridge dividing the green in half. Note the hazard cutting across the fairway. Players must take care not to drive the ball into it.) 

(The beautiful sixteenth is a birdie opportunity if one challenges the front trap with the approach shot.) 

(The seventeenth is a whooping 247 yards from the back tees. Thankfully the green is plenty big to accept a shot of that length. Par is a very good score.) 

(The final hole doglegs right, the creek challenging every shot before finally guarding short right of the green. Plenty of room to setup a short iron third shot to the green. In 2007, Jason Day birdied it to win the Web.com's Cleveland Open.)

In Stonewater's short twenty years of existence, it has held the Cleveland Open three times, from 2005-2007, and current world #1 Jason Day won in '07 shooting a final round 67 to finish -16. 

This history has made Stonewater one of the few courses in recent memory to transition from public to private. Luckily for most, the membership package is reasonable and a good value for the player. It's definitely worth the effort to find a way on to play. I think it's a solid 6 (very good).