Alliance Country Club (Alliance, OH)

Every year I play a golf course that exceeds my expectations and this year that place is Alliance Country Club. The course is in beautiful condition, and the creek is impeccably maintained, giving the golfer the option of playing recovery shots out of it. The overall appearance is very impressive. 

(The uphill 364/350 yard par four fourth turns left exactly where this picture is taken. The second shot is then downhill to a green that slopes hard left. If you’re playing for the ball to bounce on from the right remember that short shots leave an incredibly fast chip or putt.)

Alliance originally opened as a nine hole course in 1911, and after the clubhouse was built in 1925, expanded to eighteen holes. Golf architect Calvin Black did the expansion. (I could not find any information on him. He may have been a superintendent or possibly a very good player. These seem to be the two qualifications that many obscured architects possessed during this time frame.) Black’s routing and design hosted an exhibition match between Gene Sarazen and John Farrell in 1929, and in 1959 it held the Machine International LPGA Tournament won by Mickey Wright. Fred Garbin redesigned the course in 1983. 

(The 191/150 par three third is over a valley to a back to front sloped green. Note the cement steps from the cart path to the green on the left. Yes it is in play!) 

(The 391/369 yard par four sixth has a green set into the hillside above the creek. The front half is all alone with no place to miss…

…the rear half has more forgiveness with playable chips from the fringe or rough. Look at the beautiful playing corridor with the huge trees lining both sides.) 

Alliance is a traditional parkland course with trees on both sides of the fairway, however, it’s main defense are the greens. They have some of the most slope putting surfaces you’ve ever seen! Ridges or rolls that creep into the putting surface add to the difficulty, especially when you have to putt uphill to a spot before it tumbles on its side and rolls downhill to the hole. Local knowledge is a definitive advantage and being on the correct side of the hole will save you strokes. 

Most of the design revolves around the southern most creek and its shallow valley. Eight holes use it to defend greens or have tee shots driven over it. There is also a large pond with a different creek flowing in and out. This water hazard protects the holes closest to the clubhouse. The routing makes good use of both features and jumps from one hill to the next. The rolling topography will challenged the player the entire round with engaging shots and exact driving lines. 

(The 512/490 yard par five ninth has a great downhill tee shot between the trees. The creek crosses the fairway at the bottom before climbing uphill to the green…

…there’s a flat area on the left that will hold a second shot for a full view of the green. Most golfers will let the contours feed the ball to the right. It is reachable in two for long hitters.) 

(The 186/168 yard par three tenth is downhill to a small elevated green. The two bunkers on the sides are a solid ten feet below the putting surface. There’s plenty of fairway short of the green but saving par from there is not much better than being in the sand.) 

(The 510/481 yard par five twelth has a pinch point that narrows the landing area. The creek crosses the fairway 120 yards from the green. Poor drives will need to take this hazard into consideration. The green is pitched severely so a short pitch or chip is often the best strategy to hit an aggressive third.)

(The thirteenth completes the second half of the back to back par fives, but this one is a tad longer playing 534/524 yards. The rolling terrain can leave some awkward lies and stances for the third shot. It’s another difficult green. Don’t knock a pair of pars on these two holes.) 

Alliance tops out just over 6,400 yards from the tips but it only plays to par of 70. For most clubs, this is a great yardage. The tiger golfer will need to manage his game off the tee since there are a few tricky spots for the long hitter, but the rest of us can comfortably hit driver. As mentioned before, the real test will come at the greens. This really allows different skill sets an opportunity to win. The course doesn’t favor one group over another. I think it would be a perfect addition to ICPGA. This allows me to comfortably give Alliance a 6 (very good)(worth driving 1-2 hours to play). My only criticism is the par three eighteenth. If a short hole is ending the round, then it better be a great one and not just okay. 

[I played a practice round with my friend and her partner who were competing in the Ohio Ladies Fourball Tournament. We were looking for the best places to approach the greens and for bail out locations. We hit several putts and chips to various possible hole locations. It was a good learning tool and great way to figure out the course. They didn’t play well the first day, but they rattled off five birdies in a row the second day for the low round, and won low net for the tournament!]

Mayfield Country Club (South Euclid, OH)

Mayfield was designed in 1911 by architects Bert Wey and Herbert Barker. Its merits were such that it was chosen to host the 1919 Western Open, then considered a major championship, and the 1920 US Women’s Amateur. In fact, the great Harry Vardon exclaimed during his exhibition tour that it was one of the top three courses on this side of the Atlantic. Fast forward to today and this hidden gem flies under the radar both nationally and locally, barely moving the needle while other northeast Ohio stalwarts gardner all the attention. 

(The 202/185 yard par three thirteenth was featured in The American Golfer magazine. The green is tucked between two fescue strewn hills with bunkers ringing the sides. Club selection is vital to finding the putting surface.) 

Unlike Shaker Heights Country Club which plays in full view of the neighborhood that it sits, Mayfield drops down into a valley away from the hustle and bustle of the city life above it. This valley has several ridges and it’s the way the course jumps onto them that  makes it so unique. Three tee shots play up and over a two story wall of fairway. Today’s modern game abhors such tee shots since it’s blind nature creates uncertainty and doubt. It’s also very unforgiving if you don’t elevate it quick enough. 

(Where do you aim at the 340/333 yard par four second?! There is no discernible landmark in the distance…

…the rollicking fairway has few level lies for the approach. The green is up on the hillside surrounded by bunkers. The long hitter might be tempted to carry the entire hill to the lower fairway but the downslope between the two is rough. This is my favorite hole on the course!) 

(The 196/178 yard par three fourth plays downhill to a back to front sloped green. I’ve seen an old picture of this hole where a bunker fronted the entire putting surface.)

(The 420/412 par four fifth is the number one handicap hole. The ideal tee shot is just over the inside bunker but note the creek just past it on the right. There’s plenty of room to the left but that leaves a long second shot in. The creek continues down the right and cuts behind the green. Much of the putting surface is hidden and it extends further back than imagined. The front left bunker sees a lot of action.) 


(The 369/350 yard par four seventh has a severely undulating green. The creek cuts across the fairway 280 yards from the tee and guards the left side of the putting surface.) 

Mayfield is a continuous eighteen hole course and does not come back to the clubhouse. It has four par fives and five par threes including back to back one shotters at twelve and thirteen. Three of the five play downhill and connect the ridge line to the valley holes below. Unfortunately they all play in the same direction. Another tidbit that my playing companion pointed out was no approach shot was uphill. There are a few uphill drives but the greens are either level or below the fairway. Considering how unique the topography is at Mayfield, this is definitely a choice made by Barker and Wey. (It actually got me thinking about Bert Wey’s other courses. Goodpark, Black Brook, and Chardon Lakes. Only number 8 at Chardon does one hit uphill to a green.) 


(The 454/424 yard par four ninth has a completely blind uphill tee shot. I remember an old iron staircase that one took from eight green to this tee box, but alas, it is no longer there…

…the left side features a flat area to hit from while the half pipe right side will propel the ball further down the hill. The green actually slopes away from the golfer so it’s not uncommon to see balls go long. It’s a great hole!)


(The 542/527 yard par five eleventh is a most unusual hole that rises and falls before finishing at a green well below the fairway. One can land the ball fifty yards short and it will roll all the way to the putting surface.)

(The 407/390 yard par four fourteenth plays straightaway but the creek comes back in, squeezing the approach shot just feet from the right.) 

Mayfield occupies a rugged piece of property that stands alone in northeast Ohio. I’m a bit flabbergasted that it doesn’t get more recognition. Yes I would concur with anyone that points out the muted bunkering that I remember being visually more terrifying in the past but few courses are going to challenge the engagement Mayfield poses to the golfer throughout the round. The greens are demanding and one can putt off of them with a careless stroke. (It happened four times in our foursome) It’s lack of length (6687) has pushed it back into yesteryear’s class  as it’s too short for the top tier men but the rest of us will undoubtedly be examined of our golfing abilities. What a joy it is for the members who get to solve all the nuances present here! I give Mayfield a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The 410/405 yard par four fifteenth doglegs right off the tee and left into the green. A drive that flirts with the fairway bunkers offers the best angle.) 

(The 180/175 yard par three seventeenth plays downhill to another green ringed by bunkers. There’s a rise in the middle that makes indifferent shots difficult two putts. Note the huge hill in the background, the last blind uphill drive.) 

[I played in my second NOGA event this year, a net two man best ball from the white tees at 6,387 yards. My partner and I got off to decent start but we weren’t able to take advantage of our stroke holes at 9&10. The back to back par threes ended any chance at placing in the money. Neither of us stroked and they are very easy holes to bogey. The winning team netted -9. We finished at +3. It was disappointing. I wish NOGA would flight these tournaments. The senior tees are a huge advantage and some of these guys still hit it long and get plenty of strokes.]

[Back in the early 1990’s, I played here every Monday with my Uncle Tony and his friends. Mike Reid was the GM at the time, and I recall the big money games they played, often times $5 or $10 per hole. I was new to the game, maybe it was my second or third year, and even then, I knew it was a great course. It was one of the catalysts of my love affair with golf course architecture. It is one of the coolest courses in Northeast Ohio.]

Bethpage Red (Farmingdale, NY)

The Red is overshadowed and often overlooked by enthusiasts eager to play the Black, but to get a local flavor, one should incorporate it into their Bethpage itinerary. It’s more playable and more forgiving than the Black yet still packs a punch with a stable of long par fours. Locals gravitate towards it as opposed to its famous brother and one gets the New York experience when paired with those who call the area home. 

(The 419/401 yard par four eighteenth is a wonderful finishing hole that plays across the slope while climbing to a green in a natural amphitheater…

…a large bunker fronts the green forcing a high shot to find the putting surface…

…officials mulled over its inclusion as the final hole when the Black hosted major championships. The logistics have prevented it thus far. A championship tee has been added pushing its total length to 463 yards. At some point they will find a way to work it in.) 

The Red puts the golfer on high alert with its opening hole. The starter shed and tee box are adjacent to the clubhouse in a spot where everyone has a full view of your swing. On any other course it would be a short par five, but here it’s a bruising par four. This is a common theme on the Red. From the tips, seven of the par fours play over 450 yards. Many of them dogleg with a set of bunkers and hillocks guarding the turn. Very few play straightaway. 

(The 471/459 yard par four first is a total beast. The green sits way up on the hill and plays longer than it’s listed yardage…

…thankfully there is room to run it up the hill so one can be as close as possible. From the green, you can see the clubhouse plus the eighteenth hole on both Red and Black. A four here is a good start.) 

(The 181/171 yard par three fourth is all carry to a green fronted by a bunker short left. The view from the green is fantastic as you tower over the seventeenth green on the Black. Several other holes are visible too including those on the Green course.) 

The Red comes alive at the eighth hole when the golfer reaches the scrubby flatland. This stretch (8-15) is filled with strong powerful par fours. Gone are the mature hardwoods that defined the playing corridors and in its place are wide open tracts of land dotted with stands of pines and high grasses. It is a different look but one that allows the player to open his shoulders and let it fly! I personally love the change of scenery. The holes glide effortlessly over it! Two of the best holes are found in this area. The giant centerline bunker at the thirteenth is a unique feature. The golfer must trust his line if he wants to take it down the left fairway and have an open view to the green. The fifteenth is as natural a hole as you’ll find as it follows the contour of the land. If you can play this eight hole sequence close to even, then you’ll gain strokes on the field. 

(The 400/385 yard par four thirteenth is dominated by this large hazard that extends within forty yards of the green. The dual fairway is open on the right but blind on the left…

…the left fairway leaves a clear view into the green while the right fairway must carry the green side bunker. It’s a great hole and one that shows the ingenuity of Tillinghast.) 

(The 450/438 yard par four fifteenth is one of my personal favorites on the course. Look how it doglegs right to shallow valley where the players in cart are…

…from a good drive, it’s a long iron or fairway metal up a rise with sand guarding the left side and a tree well back hedging the approach to fade into the green. Just a beautiful golf hole!) 

It’s understandable why the locals love this course. It’s big and brawny like the Black but it also has moments of finesse like the short par four sixth. The par threes are all solid and a couple can be had. The only drawbacks are some of the trees need trimmed when the course is playing through the hardwoods, and the conditions are very municipal-esque with thin spots and hard pan in the rough areas. The Red reminds me of combination of two local courses, Mill Creek in Youngstown and Goodpark in Akron. Both are good courses and I feel the Red Course fits in that category. Golf Magazine actually rated it in their top 100 public which I feel is an overreach. I like the Red very much and you have to play it if you’re headed to Bethpage. I give Bethpage Red a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play).

[we played the middle tees at 6570 yards. It seems manageable until you realize it’s a par 70! Check out the course rating from the middle and back tees. It’s 2 and 4 over par! This was our second eighteen after playing Black in the morning. I think we played the front nine pretty well, especially me with a 39. I had birdie putts inside 15 feet from 5-7. The back nine, where the meat of the course is, was where both of us started to struggle, me especially. I had a chance to push my match on the last hole but tried to get too cute on the third shot and left it in the front trap.]

Addendum 12-1-24

Golf’s 2024/25 Top 100 Public in America came out and Bethpage Red was ranked #65. Either this is East Coast bias or Bethpage Black has long coattails. I think the conditioning of the course and the lack of great greens discounts it from being on the list. While the opening and finishing holes are fantastic, there’s a lot of average holes too. (3-4 16-17 instantly come to mind) I’m not surprised by its inclusion as seems Golf has been building it up, most recently on their Top Municipal list, rating it at #4. There’s several courses on that list which would have made a better addition, Keney Park being one of them.