Monday, June 26, 2017

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.}

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