Highland Park Red Course (Highland Hills, OH)

It is really exciting to see Highland Park back to its old self. The city of Cleveland had been neglecting its stewardship, which is a shame considering Highland is in one of the best locations a municipal course could ever want. It’s surrounded by a residential community with a main thoroughfare chocked full of white collar businesses. The massive green space accommodates two courses named Red and Blue. The Red has the advantage of possessing two nine hole loops while the Blue is a continuous eighteen holes. Since most folks are only playing nine holes, the Red absorbs most of the play. 

(The 380/372 yard tenth is a wonderful par four that flexes its muscle. A creek crosses the fairway at the bottom of the hill forcing most to layup and hit a long iron uphill. The long hitter does have the option to carry the hazard but the fairway starts making its ascent at that point. The green is large with a good deal of slope. A four is always a winner here.) 

Sandy Alves designed the Red course in 1927. Like it’s famous neighbor, the topography is undulating with rolling hills found throughout. The rolling hills gives the course it’s identity, and Alves varied the distances, so one is constantly playing over or into them at various lengths. Blind shots and semi blind shots will keep you guessing the amount of weight needed to trundle the ball onto a green or climb a hill. For the club level player, it’s a fine examination of golfing skill. 

(Similar to the tenth, the 341/315 yard par four second has a downhill tee shot followed by an uphill approach. This time however one is abled to carry the creek and hit a short iron. One of my favorite stories happened here during my time playing with the Night Train, a group of guys who played a daily afternoon skins game. A particular gentleman claimed to have driven the green the previous week from the white tees just over 300 yards. Our other playing companion didn’t believe him, so both men gave me $100 to hold as the bet was ten balls to drive the green…

…as this picture shows, the key is hitting the drive short right and letting the firmness propel it left towards the green. The grass gets a little thicker the further up one hits it, which is exactly where the gentleman was landing his balls. He lost.) 

The Red has an unusual routing and sports only two par 5’s and three par 3’s. While birdie is there for the taking on the par fives, the player is not so fortunate on the par threes. The second is 211 yards while sixteen is a bulky 223 yards. On both holes, a hybrid or even a three wood is the club from the tee. For a course that tips out at 6322, these two holes will shun any notion as this being easy. 

(The 396/386 yard par four twelfth has an upsweep in front of the green. Coming up short will stymie the ball, and send it scuttling down the hill. It’s a terrific hole.) 

(The 374/361 yard par four thirteenth has a green that lies just over the brow of the hill. The play is to land it thirty yards short and let it run down to the putting surface. Being long is ok since that leaves an uphill chip, but being short is a very challenging.) 

The variety of par fours the Red possesses is actually impressive. The shortest is 272 yards while the longest is 407 yards. With thirteenth par fours, you’d think they would become repetitive, but they never do, and that is a credit to Sandy Alves. The routing uses the terrain beautifully, and the ability to drive the ball over the hills or a creek makes it engaging from start to finish. The greens slope both towards the player and away from him. At the short 272 yard sixth, it pitches from front right to back left. You would be amazed at how testy the pitch is and how often you get a cranky sidehill putt that makes four a satisfying score. 

(At the 407 yard par four eighth, the player needs a solid drive to the crest of the hill to have a view of the putting surface. The green is in a shallow bowl with a false front. The player can use both the left and right sides to kick the ball on but the ball needs to be working with the slope. It’s a first rate hole and the author’s favorite!) 

I have a soft spot for the Red. In my early 30s, it was my home course for a few years. I’d go there a little before 8pm and would get in nine holes often times with the last two playing in the dark. It was therapeutic hitting the ball and knowing where it just by the sound and feel of it. 

(The 352/345 yard fifteenth is a fine hole with the creek down the right and crossing the fairway. Typically just a short iron approach the green is tilted enough to make birdie a good score.) 

I’m hesitant to vouch for Highland. The city just doesn’t consistently maintain it at a high level. That may be changing since the pandemic has brought a whole new group of people to the game. The numbers were up last year, and the course looks good. Regardless, the architecture is top notch. I give the Red a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 407 yard par four finishing hole plays slightly downhill. The bunkerless green is pitched back to front  and requires one to be below the flag. There’s a lot of tricky putts especially near the edges. It’s a classic eighteenth hole.) 

* For those wondering who is Highland’s famous neighbor, Canterbury CC is a block away.