Country Club of Hudson (Hudson, OH)

Country Club of Hudson is a solid, tournament-tested golf course. The Hudson Junior Invitational hosts the the best junior golfers every year and the past winners include John Daly (1983), Phil Mickelson (1985), and Rickie Fowler (2005). This year saw local kid Ben Fauver shoot a final round 67 to win the event by one with a 207 (-9) total score. 

Geoffrey Cornish designed CCH in 1967. It sits on a modestly rolling piece of property, and like many tournament courses, trees line both sides of the fairway. Judging by the work being done, a couple natural areas will be introduced into the design soon. The greens are well bunkered, and typically pitch forward with a left or right tilt. It’s a pretty straightforward golf course, and the biggest challenge is figuring out the angle of the doglegs. The shorter hitter must understand his aiming point from the tee. Even the longer hitter needs to know if his length will take him through the turn. OB is also present, and is more in play than one might realize. 

(The 418/404 yard par four second doglegs right with OB guarding the entire left side. The green sits above a little swale.) 

The condition of the golf course is first class, and many people view it highly because of this, however, CCH lacks the variety that all very good courses possess. 1,9,10,and 18 are all par fives that play on the exact same N-S S-N direction. The par threes are similar too minus the throwaway eleventh that comes across as an afterthought with its pitch across a pond. Only a select handful of par fours stand out, and I would pick 2, 6, 12,14 as the best of the bunch. I have no idea how to play 17. It’s a mid length par four that bends ridiculously left around a forest of pine trees. A pond guards the right side of the green, and if you didn’t give yourself an open shot, or a draw is not in your bag, then pitching to your favorite yardage for a pitch might be the play. 

(The 448/426 yard par four sixth plays slightly downhill to green bracketed on both sides by sand. Two solid strikes are needed to make par.) 

While my criticism may be valid, there’s no denying the strength of the golf course. It’s a staunch defender of par. It’s very difficult recovering from a missed shot. This is one of those different strokes for different folks situations and although I enjoyed playing it, CCH isn’t a place that will elicit you to run to the first tee and immediately play again. I give CCH a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play).  If conditioning is one of your biggest criteria then you’ll rate it higher. 

(The 420/395 yard par four twelth has one of the steepest greens on the course.) 

[[We played the blue tees at CCH during an Inter-club event. Interestingly, the 6,477 yards is nearly 200 yards longer than what NOGA plays during their tournaments. I had one of my best putting days and salvaged a hard earned 76. To my surprise, that score was good enough for low round of the day as I won the scorecard playoff. (Helps to par the four hardest handicap holes) It is the first competitive event I’ve ever won. Note the competitive course record on the right side of the scorecards. 64 by Rickie Fowler (2005) and Jordan Gilkison (2021). Rickie still owns the 54 hole tournament record of 204 (-12).]]

Ridge Top Golf Course (Medina, OH)

Ridge Top was designed in 1961 by a local man named Bob Pennington. It maxes out at 6,241 yards. It’s built on a lovely piece of property with nice rolling features and several ponds. It has bluegrass fairways and bentgrass greens. Best of all, the modest green fees are reminiscent of the mom n pop courses that dotted northeast Ohio which unfortunately are no longer in existence today. 

The greens are the number one defense at Ridge Top. They have severe tilt to them and not always towards the line of play. It’s yesteryear setup reminds me of how we played golf when I was a kid. The ground firms up really hard and one has to judge not only the topographic features, like mounds and slope, but also the amount of rollout. This means reachable par fives and driveable par fours that look easy on the scorecard but end up round wreckers as you get on the opposite side of the slope and watch your ball race across the putting surface and off the other side. It’s the type of golf most people aren’t used to playing anymore. 

(Look at the light brown hue in the fairway. Yes your ball is going to run but can you control it? With all the irrigation we have nowadays, this type of appearance is rarely seen.) 

With these type of golf courses, there’s plenty of quirkiness to go around. The reverse C par five fourth and the J shaped short par four fifth are two that immediately come to mind. That said, there are a couple holes that would gladly be accepted by most courses. The 177 yard par three second plays to a green on the edge of the hillside. Its doubtful you’ll hit it below the hole so prepare for a tough downhill putt. The long 441 yard par four tenth is the best hole on the course. From the top of the hill, one must drive it over the valley to the fairway on the other side. The approach is then downhill to a fall away green. Anything long or left will find the hazard. Finally, the 136 yard par three eighteenth drops 40’ to a green benched into the hillside with water short. It’s just a short iron, but it’s a treacherous green with a lot slope.

(The downhill par three eighteenth is a lovely way to finish the round.) 

Ridge Top is a popular course in Medina and it’s doing all the right things. Besides the price point, it has a great patio for socializing after the round, and it has a good vibe that is welcoming. I know I talk a lot about architecture but courses like Ridge Top are a dying breed and I wish we had more of them. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(There are few public courses in northeast Ohio that I have not played, and I was excited to finally see it when the CNCGA put it on the calendar this year. I played the 10-12 stretch in three under, chipping in for par on 10, knocking it to six feet for birdie on eleven, and chipping in again for eagle on twelve. My 76 was the low round of the day) 

Mastick Woods (Cleveland, OH)

At the bottom of Puritas Hill, between the Rocky River and the hillside, sits Mastick Woods, an executive length nine hole golf course. On the day I played, a woman’s league was finishing on the ninth hole, and the course was filled with young kids playing with their dads. The air had the sweet aroma of moving water as the moisture from the river flowered the valley. I imagine this is the epitome of growing the game; a beautiful setting in an accessible location. 

Mastick Woods was designed by Metroparks superintendent Harry Burkhardt in 1965. There are various lengths of par threes, including a 200 yarder, and a couple short par fours. The greens are like upside down saucers, and anything hit off center will funnel away from the putting surface. They create interest on a site who’s only natural feature is the modest hill next to the wooded hillside. When I was first learning the game, this was one of the few courses where I felt safe. There was no expectation and I could hit the ball as often as I needed to advance it towards the hole. The devilish greens give it character, and promote the value of a good short game. I’m a bit surprised they didn’t make this the location of The First Tee. It’s been filling that role for many years. Between the three Rocky River Reservation courses, millions upon millions of people have been introduced to the game. Mastick is usually the first taste. 

Radrick Farms (Ann Arbor, MI)

        #20 Top College Golf Courses USA

Radrick Farms is Pete Dye’s first eighteen hole golf course. He stated in his book, Bury Me in a Pot Bunker, that he didn’t construct it (took UM three years to build) and when he visited to see how it was progressing, many of his ideas were not implemented. I’m glad they weren’t. The property is so beautifully suited for golf that it doesn’t need all the overstimulation Dye is known for. Instead, all the hills and ridges are artfully employed as the holes drop and rise in graceful, and sometimes, dramatic fashion. Dye turns the holes so effortlessly by using specimen trees to guide the fairways around the landforms. The greens are never attacked straight on, but curve or angle from the direct line. It’s a thought provoking course, and one that is so mightily different from the genre that he single-handedly ushered in. The massive amorphous greens are terrific in their contour, and several look as if they’re sliding off the hillside, similar to Springfield Country Club, a course that Dye would have intimate knowledge of. 

(The 490/467 yard par five fifth doglegs right to a large green that slopes severely to the front. A hillside of long grass to the left and a narrow water hazard right await any long shot not accurately struck.) 

The two holes that everyone will long remember are eight and nine, both short par fours. Eight fairway jogs left around a large sand trap, daring the player to take on the carry. The gull wing green is a real treat as the far left and right pin positions require deft accuracy to get close. Bail out to the middle and you’re in danger of three putting. The ninth follows with a dropping tee shot between sand and trees. The green is fantastic, pinched in by steep bunkers, and sloping towards the player. The rear portion is narrow. 

(The 334/320 yard par four eighth)

(The 345/325 yard par four ninth) 

The course continues to explore every part of the property and many will be stunned by the drop shot par three fifteenth, an anomaly in southeast Michigan. The sixteenth and seventeenth hole finally reach the valley floor as Fleming Creek protects the left side of the reachable par five and strong par four. The round finishes with the hole emerging from the trees through a saddled fairway to a green underneath the clubhouse. It’s a wonderful ride and one that accentuates all the strong qualities of this land that once was a gravel mine. 

(The 183/171 yard par three fifteenth drops over 100’ to the green.) 

Radrick Farms is owned by the University of Michigan, and the membership (it’s semi private) is relegated to faculty and donors. It’s a bit more difficult to get on here than the UM course, and I exchanged emails for a month with the GM to setup a tee time. The $170 was a tad more than I was expecting (it includes cart, range balls, lunch, bag tag) but I thought the experience was really great. Only the thirteenth, a super tight dogleg left par four, seemed out of character. My credibility might be challenged but I liked it better than the Alister Mackenzie - Perry Maxwell designed Blue. (That course is rated as the third best college course in America.) I encourage everyone to play both and formulate your own opinion. I give Radrick Farms a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The uphill 196/137 yard par three fourth hole.) 

[Joby and I played the blue tees at 6,442 yards, Jim the silver at 6,253, and Ken the whites at 5,829.  Jim shot the low round, avoiding the big number, while Joby and I both had three double bogeys. Ken started strong but stumbled in the middle of the back nine.] 

University of Michigan Course: http://golfingwithshawn.blogspot.com/2022/05/university-of-michigan-golf-course-ann.html?m=1

[[I need to comment on how secluded the Radrick Farms is. The entrance road is probably a quarter mile through a canopy of trees. It feels like your own personal course, and the vibe is low key.]]

TPC Craig Ranch (McKinney, TX)

Natural features and unique landforms shape the personality of a golf course and it’s the architect’s responsibility to make sure the golfer interacts with them in a variety of ways. At Craig Ranch, Rowlett Creek, with its bright limestone walls and bottom, slices through the property in grand style. It was an excellent opportunity for Tom Weiskopf to design a bold, interesting golf course, but alas he took the safe route, and only on a few holes do we see the site’s true potential. 

Weiskopf choose muscle over strategy at Craig Ranch as Rowlett Creek serves mainly as a backdrop. Only on the excellent par five ninth does one have to decide how aggressive to be on the second shot with its diagonal carry. The third is also noteworthy as the strong player has the option to carry the creek on a direct line to the green. Such is the life of a PGA Tour course. When challenging the best players and holding high level events, the architect must account for the prodigious length they hit it today and find the routing that best gets every yard out of the property. At Craig Ranch, this means eschewing the creek, and backing the tees and greens up to hit that number. That’s too bad because the beauty of the creek is what caught my attention when I arrived and what I remember the most after leaving. The course is still a great but it could’ve been next level. 

(The 378 yard par four third features one of the more daunting shots, especially if you missed the fairway. It plays much shorter if you play directly at the green, and the fairway does extend towards the tee box on this line. It’s a decided advantage for the long hitter. Note all the short grass for one to save their par.) 

(The 180 yard par three fourth is basically all carry since the neck on the front right barely qualifies as an opening. An extra club is a good choice.) 

(The 183 yard par three seventh is similar to the fourth but this time plenty of room to bounce the ball in. Note the distance between the creek and green on both par threes. The pros play this hole at 232 yard.) 

You want to take advantage of the short holes and the par fives because the par threes are long and 8,10,11,13 and 16 are stout par fours. If you can limit the bogeys, then you’ll have a good chance to snag a few strokes on the last two holes, a short par three and an easy par five. Fourteen is the driveable Weiskopf hole. It’s the most exciting hole during the tournament. Obviously you can’t hit it in the water, but also beware bailing out too far right. The angle over the bunkers can easily turn into a disaster. 

(The 485 yard par five ninth has a diagonal landing area for the second shot after the creek. The more aggressive line requires a longer carry. For shorter players, the left half is reachable but it might be more prudent to layup short of the hazard. Note the bare ground above the limestone. The club undertook brush removal to get a cleaner look however it’s causing erosion issues. It’ll be interesting to see how they address the situation.) 

It’s always fun to play where the pros play. To think 261 (-23)(twelve plays as a par four for them) won the tournament the past two years is amazing. For us mere mortals, you’ll be hard pressed to match your handicap. It’s a great experience if you get a chance to play it. The course is in excellent shape and the stone ranch-esque clubhouse is pure Texas. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(My host is an excellent female player and very passionate about the ladies game. She made several valid points relating to tee boxes, pointing out that men have options while women are stuck with what they get. I completely agree with her. The forward tees are 5,145. They’re a tad too short for her and definitely too long for most women. I believe 5,700 is the qualifying yardage for female events (which can be achieved through a mix of other tees), but most women should be at 4,000-4,500 yards. Considering that women are the biggest group growing the game, architects and GMs should start focusing on their abilities.) 

(The 264 yard fourteenth hole (330 for the pros) is a driveable par four.) 

2021 Lee Kyoung-hoon 263 (-25)

2022 Lee Kyoung-hoon 262 (-26)

2023 Jason Day 261 (-23)

2024 Taylor Pendrith 261 (-23) 

 

Lions Municipal (Austin, TX)

I snuck out and played the pride of Austin golf, Lions Municipal. The lore of the players who have called this home include Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, John Bredemus and multiple others. The city leases the land from the University of Texas, and golf has been been played here since 1924. 

Lions is not architecturally significant, however, it is culturally. Not long ago, there was a big push to close the course down but the golfers who call this place home fought to keep it alive. The Muny Conservancy was created, and not only did it raise a lot of money, but it generated a groundswell of support. Lions Municipal is alive and well thanks to this, but also thanks to the everyday player who shows up and pays their green fee. Growing the game is catchphrase used by many however Lions Municipal is actually doing it. It’s in a great location which is available for everyone to enjoy. 

(The 367 yards downhill par four sixth plays to a front to back sloped green.) 

Lions is home to Texas’ oldest amateur golf tournament called The Firecracker Open. It’s held just after the Fourth of July. The course is on 141 acres of rolling terrain. Short scrubby trees line the fairways and the small greens are protected by the occasional bunker. Judging the amount of runout on the drives is the biggest difficulty. I played it in 102 degree weather and the greens were spongy at best. This seems to be an ever present problem with Texas golf, and not only a Lions issue. The heat is so intense that the putting surfaces suffer from a playability standpoint. That doesn’t stop the locals from showing up. It was packed the day I played it. (The ranger said two local courses lost their greens due to the heat, and this nearly doubled the players showing up at Lions) As a golf historian, and a self described muni rat, I find the story of Lions Municipal to be very intriguing. (It’s on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the earliest desegregated institutions in the South.) It’s in a really cool part of Austin, near Barton Springs and Congress Street, so a good choice if looking for a game. I give it a 3 (average) (worth driving 15-30 minutes to play). 

(Watch out for the ground sweeper Live Oak tree where a misguided ball will be stymied. This is the short 312 yard par four ninth. The hole doglegs drastically to the left and if you try to get too cute, then the ball just might finish under it.) 

(Lions Municipal is only 5,875 yards par 71. I’m loving these sub 6000 yard golf courses. They’re more fun, take less time, and result in better scores. The three gentlemen I played with were fantastic. I think these type of courses attract golfers who enjoy the game at the correct level.) 

(It’s been a long time since I’ve seen water jugs on a course.)