(The 453 yard par four eighteenth is an excellent ending hole. A par here will win most carry overs or matches.)
Upon arriving at Stone Ridge, I quickly realized the course is the classic definition of housing community golf. I’m generally not a fan of such tracks because the visuals are bland and boring. This fact isn’t any different here, however, the course itself is challenging and offers several interesting holes to keep ones curiosity piqued.
(The par five fourth is 608 yards from the tips!)
The par fives are not your normal easy birdie holes. The greens are well defended, and the long hitter will often find more trouble than what he’d like. The small greens need to be attacked at good angles and with short irons. Hills puts a premium on being able to find these good spots.
(The 542 yard twelfth is nicely protected by water and sand. The par three thirteenth is in the background.)
(The 520 yard fourteenth is reachable in two shots.)
Stone Ridge has a solid collection of par threes. Two of them play over water however the sixteenth captured my enthusiasm the most! It’s not often one sees a great volcano green, and Hills did a very good one here!
(Compare the par three sixteenth volcano green to the foursome in the background. It’s definitely a target you don’t want to miss!)
(The 198 yard par three fifth green slopes towards the water so bailing out long or right is a tricky proposition.)
I felt disappointed towards the par fours. Usually Hills has a good mixture of long and short holes that require a lot of thought and strategy, but at Stone Ridge, the focus is primarily on picking a good line off the tee and challenging the trouble. If one is driving it good, then the two shotters offer a good chance at making birdie. The best par four is easily the eighteenth with its fairway hugging the water all the way to the green. The ninth is another fine one but this time the green is built up with a deep bunker guarding.
(The 423 yard ninth)
There are several par fours that are awkward with the tenth and eleventh being the biggest offenders. Eleven actually challenges the player to take on the homes if one is trying to cut off yardage! Mounds block the view into several greens. They are simply not up to the standard I’ve seen on other Arthur Hills courses.
Stone Ridge is reputed to be one of the best conditioned courses in NW Ohio, and that is the strongest reason why golfers rate this course so highly. In my opinion, it’s not worth the two hour drive from Cleveland, but should one happen to find himself out this way, it’s worth a visit. I give Stone Ridge a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour).
