Shaker is just a block away from Canterbury, and for public golfers, Highland Park. I was quite surprised by its location especially since the front nine literally abuts against the apartments on Van Aken Blvd. It’s a compact fit in the middle of the neighborhood. The second and third holes eat up this boundary and afterwards the golfer is free to swing away.
(The opening 383/379 yard par four has a tee box tucked next to the pro shop. It’s busy with the putting green also close by.)
(The 551/501 par five third hole is reachable for the long hitters while the shorter players decide to challenge the brook or not. The hole doglegs left from the tee and you can see the proximity of the apartments in the photo. The green is pitched forward and two of the players in my foursome three putted from above.)
The greens are the star at Shaker. They are very quick and have a good deal of slope in them including six greens that actually slope from front to back. This is the first time I can recall a Donald Ross course having this feature. On the twelth, it’s so pitched to the left that my playing partner putted off the green. There’s other putting surfaces where degreening is a legitimate threat. When I played Springfield last year, there were certain greens where you had to be careful of this, but there seemed to be more opportunities at Shaker for this to happen. Even if it doesn’t actually come off the green, there are spots where it’ll creep away to three putt territory. It definitely gave me a different appreciation for Ross.
(The 422/406 yard par four fifth has a bilevel fairway that is separated by rough. Note the golfers ball in the rough. His lie and stance left him no shot to this elevated green. The creek at the bottom usually forces long hitters to layup further back than they’d like.)
Shaker Heights hosted the World Championship of Women’s Golf from 1981-1984. Beth Daniel won the first tournament here with an even par score of 284. In 1982-1983, JoAnne Carner won back to back with 284 and 282. Nancy Lopez won the final event at Shaker Heights with a three under par score of 281. All three of these of women are in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
(The 154/150 yard par three eleventh is terrific. Notice how the front left corner is tipped down towards the creek while the bunker on the front right pushes shots long and left. It’s a difficult shot to get close and the creek will gobble up anything mishit on that side.)
(The 372/358 yard par four twelth has the most difficult green on the course. It slopes hard from right to back left. It’s another bilevel fairway and the creek forces your hand where to layup from the tee. This was where the lowest handicap in our group putted off the green. As a foursome, we had three double bogeys. The only par was out of the front left bunker.)
As a Donald Ross enthusiast, I love to nitpick courses and compare them. Besides the two holes that cross the street, 14 & 15, Shaker has a nice roll to it. The valley gives it enough topographical change that it gives the holes different looks and shot values. Springfield, as an example, has a half dozen holes that play on flat ground and look very similar to each other. (A few rankings have it rated higher than Shaker) If a strong set of greens is your definition of greatness, then Shaker can match that standard too. The only drawback is the lack of professional distance. The surrounding neighborhood has it landlocked at its present distance.
(The 116/107 yard par three sixteenth is one of the finest pitch shot short holes in the country. The tiny green is completely blind with only the flagstick showing. Anything left is an instant double bogey. The front right bunker has a huge shoulder that shrinks the putting surface. Three of our four shots kicked hard towards this pin with only one staying on the green. There are several devilish pin locations with the back right possibly being the toughest to find. I wonder if it would even be visible.)
The greater Cleveland area is loaded with great private courses. While it may not be one of the big three, Kirtland, Canterbury, or The Country Club, it can hold its own against everything else in the area. It definitely is one of the top three Donald Ross courses in Ohio, and that is a pretty strong list. If the opportunity arises to play, then by all means make the appropriate steps. I give Shaker Heights a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play).
[I played in a Northern Ohio Golf Association (NOGA) net stroke play event. One of my goals this year is to play more tournament golf. Unfortunately at 51, I’m not old enough to play with the seniors so I must compete in the open division. I was paired with three young guys who were 3,4,and 5 handicaps. (I’m a 5 too) We played off the blue tees at 6,325 yards 71/136. I was being out driven by 50-100 yards! It was very impressive! It’s also humbling. I kept to my game and played to the outside corner of the doglegs to have shots into the greens. My short game was on point. I made some terrific chips to save par. The two double bogeys on the back were from strategic mistakes. On both holes I laid up too far back and had 180-190 yard approaches. I failed to hit a quality shot both times. On twelve I plugged in the front right bunker but the eighteenth was simply me choking. I wanted to break 80 so bad! After a well played pitch from the slope short of the green, I three putted from ten feet. It was disappointing but overall a great experience!]
[On a local connection, Shaker Heights is where Sandy Alves and Donald Ross first worked together. (Alves is also credited with Shaker’s design) Alves lived in Lil Italy off Mayfield road. He has several solo efforts in the area including both courses at Highland, Ridgewood, and Madison. He also is credited with Acacia (NLE) and French Lick]
(The driveable 264/251 yard four tenth starts the back nine in hopeful fashion.)
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