Findlay Country Club (Findlay, OH)

My foray back into tournament golf found me at Findlay Country Club for the Toledo District Golf Association's two man best ball. I was very excited not only for the competition, but to see this Tom Bendelow course that has hosted two Ohio Amateurs in the last ten years, 2008 and 2016. 

(The 531 yard eighteenth is reachable in two as no bunkers guard the entrance to the green. It's a dramatic finish where birdies and eagles are possible.) 

Findlay is not a very long golf course, topping out at 6,722 yards, yet it's able to hold it's own. The fast and firm conditions make the greens a difficult test of golf. 

As the pic shows, fairways bleed right into the putting surface, and players have the option of running it in or flight the ball high in the air, and stop it quickly by the hole. After watching a few shots trickle off the back, one quickly tries to adjust. 

Most of the greens have a back to front slope, with the rear having a small flattish tier. The sides tend to roll to the rough, and some internal contouring make for intriguing pin positions. There's not much movement in the land, and it's quite surprising how a flat course can be so hard to score on. In 2008, Massilon's Vaughn Snyder won the Ohio Amateur with a score of 283, and in 2016, Dover's  Ryan Troyer won with a 276. (2016 both the 4th and 15th holes were made into par 4s for the tournament) 

The course starts off with a 509 yard par five with a creek crossing the fairway 300 yards from the tee. 

The green is slightly raised and is very difficult to hold in two shots. Most players try to leave a good yardage for the third or hit it far enough for a simple pitch. The second follows with a simple par three, a little burrow in the middle of the green forms two distinct pinning locations, middle left and middle right. While a relatively easy par, birdie requires a very good shot. The 412 yard third typifies what one will see the rest of the day, an open front. One should formulate a strategy based on the firmness of the green and start attacking the holes accordingly. Missing short will always leave a reasonable chance to save par, but long or to the sides will test ones short game skills. 

The 496 yard par five fourth doglegs right with a large bunker on the inside corner. Players like myself have to respect this and play to the side. The longer hitters, and especially the younger kids, can carry it and hit mid iron in. The Ohio Amateur had this as a par four and I reckon it was the toughest hole on the course. It's a small green with some some cross bunkers twenty yards short. Five is the number one handicap on the card, a 417 yard par four that doglegs right with trees all down the right side. Once again the younger kids can cut off yardage while average hitters are playing to outside corner and hitting long iron in. This green (second pic above) is merely an extension of the fairway. In my foursome, every shot went long. Landing it well short is the best play. 

The par three sixth is 192 yards and has a muscular green. 

If you're familiar with Chardon Lakes' fourth hole, then you understand just how much pitch the putting surface has. The seventh was my favorite hole, and the only time I felt like I was playing somewhere special. It's a 409 yard uphill par four. A pimple in the middle of the green is the primary feature. 

The flag in the pic is just beyond it. All the putts are influenced by this slope. 

The eighth, ninth, and tenth are all short par fours, and is a good chance to gain a stroke. What I like is how several holes rotate around the clubhouse and allows members to watch the action at various points. Now the eighth tee is directly behind the clubhouse porch. 

It's a beautiful view but there's very little to challenge the player. The Blanchard River horseshoes here, and I feel the ladies tee up by the water would be more exciting since long hitters might be tempted to make the carry over to the green. 

As this pic shows, laying back and hitting wedge is the typical play. Boring! Then the ninth is just half boring. The tee shot is just a mid iron for better players. My brain was thinking after I hit my hybrid that this would be better as a par three. The green complex is really intimidating. 

Most good players are laying up to short iron or wedge range. This green is in full view of the veranda, so any birdie will get a little recognition. 

The tenth lacks the drama of the eighth and ninth, and so it's sub 310 yards gives players a chance to drive the green. 

An opening on the front right accepts a controlled draw, otherwise several sand traps lie in wait. The eleventh follows, and like the fifth, it doglegs right with sand and trees guarding the inside. Unlike the fifth, the green has a swale short and right. It's one of the tougher shots on the course, especially if one can't cut the corner. The twelfth is in full view of the clubhouse, and is the shortest hole on the course at 151 yards. 

This green has a lot of slope, and the tier is more pronounced in the rear. Spinning the ball back is the biggest concern, but overall, a hole that should be a comfortable par. 

The next three holes are all similar to each other. The terrain is flat and they play straightaway. The thirteenth does have a bunker that stretches across the front of the green to prevent long hitters from driving it, but nonetheless the view from the tee is the same. Fifteen is a par five the Ohio Golf Association turned to a par four for the 2016 Ohio Amateur, so that is a good indication of it's blandness. 

The sixteenth begins a good stretch to the house, and this 382 yard par four has a roll in the fairway that prevents one from seeing the landing area. 

Another open green lets you continue with your strategy. This one has a bit more slope than the others. The seventeenth follows with a solid 190 yard par three. 

The green tends to shed balls to chipping area behind it. It was the only birdie on a par three in our foursome, a direct reference to the green being the least sloped in the set. 

The round finishes with a 531 yard par five, who like number one, has a creek crossing the fairway. This time, the layup leaves a much longer shot to the green. 

There's no bunkers to prevent the ball from running onto the green. Even moderately long players can creep it up near the front. Eagle is a realistic possibility, and when the pressure is on, four is the toughest score to get. 

Findlay is in such great condition, I can see why it's beloved by all the great golfers in northwestern Ohio, including the organizers of the Midwest Collegiate Amateur Series. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving one hour). {Conditioning is not the main criteria in my rating, otherwise Findlay would be higher.}

Red Hawk Run Golf Club (Findlay, OH)

Art Hills dominates Ohio public golf, and rightfully so as both Longaberger and Shaker Run are routinely rated as two of the best courses in the state. I've always found this interesting because Red Hawk Run gets little fanfare, yet is easily as good, maybe better, than both courses. 

(The long par four second makes everyone nervous as water challenges the drive and approach.) 

I think one reason for the lack of love is it's location. Findlay is in the middle of nowhere! And getting to it means driving thru all the small towns like Bellvue, Fremont, and Tiffin. (Pure Americana if you ask me!) Also, the setting is rural with very little movement and flat topography, thus Hills moved a lot of dirt, and Red Hawk Run defies the minimalisic trend that has been the standard for several years. 

(The endless views of the countryside are beautiful, and the wind sweeps across with a good deal of force, making the holes play in a variety of ways.) 

What stands out at Red Hawk Run are the bunkers! This is the first time I've seen Art Hills use this technique. The fairways and greens are pushed up, and the bunkers are cut into the face, making the hazard play deeper than what it really is, especially if the ball advances further up. 

(Note how the bunkers are receptive to balls rolling into them. The high face is covered in whispy grass, adding an extra dimension of beauty and difficulty.) 

(This photo best illustrates my description of the bunkering. Thankfully the flat bottom allows the ball to find a gracious lie, and a possible down up down par.)

 

Red Hawk starts off with a nice mid length par four. The uphill approach has three bunkers that guard the green. 

A good drive down the right will leave a favorable angle and a good chance to start the round off well. The second follows with a very difficult par four that doglegs left around a lake. The green is awkwardly cut into the hill, basically sloping from left to right as if one was approaching from the right. This means people who challenged the water from the tee are hitting shots to a green that is shallow.  Going long means chipping to a green with water long. A par is a fine score.  

The third plays over a corner of the previous lake, and the strategy is a simple one: Don't be short. 

Depending on the tees, the hole can play over 200 yards! 

The fourth is the first of an excellent collection of par fives. This one entices the long hitter to cut over the edge of the fairway bunker and give the green a go in two. A small sinuous stream works across the fairway, just short of the green. 

The long player has a few options including hitting the ball into the fairway over the hazard. For the short player, finding an advantageous angle is key for a good third shot. 

Five and six head west into the prevailing wind. People don't realize how hard the wind can blow in this part of the state, and a short par three like five can play as much as three clubs longer! The long six can be a bear! The seventh is a very interesting short par four that is routed diagonally in front of the player. The split level fairway has a bunker between the upper and lower tiers. 

Laying back to lower fairway leaves a blind shot of the green with only the flagstick being seen. 

Taking the challenge and driving it to the upper fairway leaves an unhindered view. The long player can gamble and hit it just short or onto front of the green. It's a great hole!!

Eight is a beautiful par five and one of the few holes that play between the trees. It's straightaway, downwind, and reachable in two shots. It's a good opportunity to get a stroke back. Nine is a fine par four with a green set up in the hillside. The green slopes away the deeper the pin goes. 

The second nine begins with back to back long par fours. Both holes have trouble to the right by the green. 

This view of ten green from the eighteenth fairway shows how the terrain falls off into the high grass and sand. Twelve follows with a dogleg left, the raised fairway guarded by a long trap. Golfers must choose what section of the sand they want to carry. 

The sinuous creek reappears once again short of the green. The more aggressive shot from the tee, the better the angle into the green. This is a key three hole stretch where par is very good. 

Thirteen is a short par four with a centerline bunker. A good drive over it leaves a sand wedge and a good chance

for a three. 

Then the best par three on the course follows. The fourteenth is a beautiful two tiered green fronted by water. I've had good fortune here, twice hitting mid irons close for birdie. 

The back tier maybe a smaller area to attack, but a front pin brings all the trouble into play. It's a very good hole!

The Ohio High School Athletic Association plays the state regional final here at Red Hawk Run, and the last four holes setup for high drama since it's possible to birdie into the house, eagle being a possibility too. Fifteen is a shortish par four where the sinuous creek will make it's last appearance fronting the green. Sixteen is a reachable par five but it's a small target to hit with long grass long and a hazard right. Nonetheless an opportunity to get one or two strokes! Seventeen is shortish par three. I personally feel it's a little too bland to be a seventeenth hole, but it does play into the wind. Finally the eighteenth hole arrives with a long slightly uphill par five. 

Attacking this hole head on means hitting to a semiblind elevated green with bunkers fronting. Flanking to the left leaves this view.

A wide open shot offers a good chance for a birdie. That said, the new younger player is hitting the ball much further, so a frontal attack requires a high long iron or hybrid. It's a great ending hole! 

Red Hawk Run made the "Thrifty Fifty" list as one of the best affordable courses in the country. It's good to see it getting the recognition it deserves. I think it's one of the best public courses in the state, and should be on the top ten lists. I give it a 6 (great)(worth a two hour drive). 

(When I reviewed Shepard's Hollow last year, I commented about Art Hills. I play many of his courses, and many of them are sixes in my book. Red Hawk Run does not have the best topography, yet I think Hills got the most out of it. My gripe about his designs is with places like Longaberger and Bay Harbor which are in tremendous locations and should be all world courses.)

North Olmsted Golf Club (North Olmsted, OH)

Home of Northern Ohio Golf Association, North Olmsted is a nine hole executive course. It's a very popular place located in the heart of the west side suburbs. 

(Backdropped by the Wharton Golf Center, the 380 yard ninth is a lovely finish.) 

Earl Yesberger designed North Olmsted in 1948, and Bill Amick remodeled it in 1973. Amick is an interesting character who helped popularize par-3 and executive courses. He was the first president of the American Modified Golf Association whose objective was to limit the distance of the golf ball. When the Cayman ball was introduced, he designed a course for it. All the things people talk about now from time to money to land, Amick was pushing. It's 2017, and the new slogan for the USGA is "play9", a reference to growing the game with less investment by players. Executive and par-3 courses completely fill this niche! 

(The course plays literally in people's backyards.)

(This tiny green is a fun target. Irons only on the executive length course makes this a challenging hole.) 

(The 100 yard seventh has a minuscule green. Holes such as this is why Amick referenced them as challenge courses.) 

North Olmsted Golf Club is a fine little course. I liken it to a dream I had once. In it, I was playing in my old neighborhood, hitting shots over houses and garages. Quite simply, it's bonus golf, and a great way to kill an hour. (No rating)

(This is a good looking tee box! Note the bench. It might be my imagination, but I don't see them as often as I used to anymore.) 

North Hills Municipal (Corry, PA)

During my stay at Peak n Peek, I snuck off to play golf at North Hills Muni, just 10 miles south on rt 426. Ed Ault designed it in 1971. Ault was a prolific architect, and he claimed that he personally either renovated, did an addition, or designed twenty-five percent of all the courses in the Mid-Atlantic region. For golfers in northeast ohio, his work can be found at the difficult Windmill Lakes. 

(The short par four eighth displays all the natural beauty found in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.) 

Ault designed many courses for local and state authorities. I find that interesting because his courses are demanding. North Hills pushes that with length and tree lined holes throughout the round. 

(The 450 yard opener drops downhill...

...traps guard the green but do leave an opening for a low runner.)

From the back tees, the course is not even 6300 yards, but four par threes over 190 yards makes this a tough place to break ones handicap. 

(At 213 yards, the partially visible green at eleven calls for a draw that takes on the creek.) 

North Hills is a nice course for the locals. It's a good alternative for players who might want a break from Peak n Peek Upper. It s a solid track and one that will make a player hit quality shots. I believe that is the crux of Ed Ault's design philosophy. He makes reasonable courses with solid shot values that are easy to maintain. Besides eleven, the creek in the valley is not used too much. 

He let's the setting speak for itself, and is not afraid to define the playing corridors with multiple trees. In fact, the hardwoods are the main hazard here. 

It's a classical parkland course, I do feel that the bunker style is somewhat bland. They're not very deep, and they're placement reminds me of RTJ's or been Robert Harris's formulaic structure. 

I didn't mind playing here and I enjoyed myself, but I'll be the first to admit North Hills gets a lil boring. Needless to say, a fine 4 in my book. (Above average)(worth 30-40 min drive) 

(The par five seventh shows the lack of great land movement as the valley holes pretty much go back n forth.) 

Riverview Golf Course (Newton Falls, OH)

Riverview is located just off the turnpike in Trumbull County. It has held the Ohio Left-handed Golf Association Championship several times, an impressive distinction considering this is a mom n pop course that was once a potato farm. 

(The double dogleg par five fifteenth follows the natural curve of the Mahoning River.)

Riverview was designed by Ed Gintert in 1962. He was a property owner who decided to build a golf course. [Things must have been different back then because the Mahoning River runs right next to the course, and with today's regulations, I'm not sure it would have been so easy to do.] 

Gintert did a nice job routing the course. Three tee boxes sit on the edge of the river and two holes play alongside it. A tributary that feeds to the water is put to good use, and a couple ponds on the property are too. There are no sand traps. The greens are very well done. 

(Look how the putting surface begins at fairway level before climbing up to a pad type tier. I'd love to know where Gintert learned this style.)

(The par five third is reachable in two shots. The tributary is used well to defend the hole.) 

(The long par four fourth has a green that is spread across the top of a ridge. The water is mainly visual unless one pushes his drive wildly to the right. It's possibly the toughest hole on the course.) 

The par fives get most of the attention especially since the fifteenth plays alongside the river, but both three and eight have water in play for the aggressive golfer. 

(The eighth is a good par five that doglegs right. One can shorten the hole but a block or cut can find the water...

...a good layup leaves this view. Note the different cuts around the green. They keep them in beautiful shape.) 

(The fifteenth looking back from the green.) 

The par fours have good variety to them. Some short, some long, a couple driveable, and doglegs left and right. I personally think the long holes are the best. Four, nine, and seventeen are all strong holes. Seventeen with it's two tier green is particularly keen. The fourteenth is driveable.  It's next to the river, and can be a big swing hole if one gets loose with the drive. 

(The ninth is 438 yards. The left side of the green is open to a run up shot, but note the pin in pic...

...it is hidden behind a mound. This view from the fairway shows just how difficult the approach shot is.) 

(The 328 yard sixteenth doglegs left between the trees. It's a layup hole but the green has some bite to it. Don't be above the cup.) 

This is one of the few courses that ends with a par three, a 224 yarder that plays into a slight breeze during the summer. It's a tough hole to finish on but since there's no bunkers, being just short leaves a chance to save par. [I have no good pics of eighteen]

(The seventh has a wicked green on this short par three. Note the curve from my bag to the pin. There are several great hole locations.) 

(The twelfth is a beautiful par three across a pond. The green slopes to the right, but front left and rear left have slight tiers. I believe this is the only hole that was remodeled.) 

If I had to make a comparison, I'd say Riverview reminds me of Maplecrest. The fairways are thin but the greens are very well kept. The Gintert family does a nice job planting flowers and such around the course, but mainly though each hole has it's own birdhouse. 

Riverview is home to five high school golf teams. Talking to the owner, this was a huge source of pride. They are committed to promoting the game and growing it. It's a fun golf course, and I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-40 min). I think it would be a good course for the Saturday league. It's within a suitable drive time, and, like Maplecrest, is very affordable. I paid $16 to walk eighteen holes!