The Pines Golf Club (Orrville, OH)

If nothing else, The Pines is a sound golf course. It has good length, nice greens, and a couple stretches (5-9 12-13) that are challenging and fun. More importantly to me, this is the first new course I’ve played this fall that avoids having any quirky or silly holes. It may get a little repetitive with the flat terrain and treeline fairways, but I never once rolled my eyes, or thought “if they only did this.” 

(The 185/151 yard par three eighteenth is not your typical finisher. The last full swing of the day must carry all the way to the putting surface and not go offline where the big pines eagerly wait to swat the ball down. A par is a good score.) 

The Pines was designed in 1960 just outside Orrville, a small town between Wooster and Massillon. Getting there requires driving on state route 585, one of the most scenic roads in northeast Ohio. The long views of rolling farmland is quite different than what a city slicker is used to seeing. The horses and cattle along with the crops, especially in the first morning light, or even better, the softness of the setting sun, is soul touching. I comment on this because I’ve always felt it contributed to the overall experience of the course. It’s so arbitrary, I know, but I have the same feeling driving to Eagle Creek, and it was one of the reasons why I loved Seven Hills. 

(The 178/153 yard par three fifth is a good looking hole. The green has a modest back to front slope, and is a good birdie if you hit it in regulation.) 

(The 421/366 yard par four seventh starts off with a beautiful drive over a couple small water hazards. The back tee is another sixty yards behind this view.) 

(The 525/510 yard par five eighth is arguably the best hole on the course. Knowing how small the green is, it’s not in anyone’s best interest to go for it in two. This view from ninety yards short opens up every pin position for attack.) 

(The 271/258 yard uphill par four ninth is my favorite hole. The contours of the hill require a drive up the left but the line of charm may fool you into taking the head on approach. For the long hitter, it’s a chance for glory.) 

My pictures highlight the best holes, specifically the 5-9 stretch, but unfortunately the flatter holes, especially by the entrance road, are not as interesting. This also applies to the 14-17 stretch too. If these holes had a bit more character to them then it would be as popular as Mohican Hills was, as both sit on the same Rt30 corridor. (You’d think a great course would’ve been built a long time ago on the 55 miles that separate Mansfield and Massillon) As is, The Pines is doing well and was voted 2024 best course by the Daily Record. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(We played the white tees at 5,991 yards. A few bad holes prevented both of us from breaking eighty. Note the deuce on eighteen. If this is the final round of the season, then what a way to end it!) 

Mound Golf Course (Miamisburg, OH)

Mound is a decent nine hole course that was designed by Alex Nipper Campbell in 1938.  The rolling hill that crests down to the clubhouse is the only natural feature on the property. Thankfully, Nipper’s routing allows four of the holes to significantly use this attribute while the ones on top are on flat terrain. The mound that towers over the course is the largest conical mound in North America. Built by the Adena Culture, it dates back to 500BC. 

Mound starts off with a short par four with a ravine on the right waiting those who push or slice it with a driver. The second hole is an even shorter par four but is a really cool drive as you climb the hill in one blow. The third is the number one handicap hole as it awkwardly doglegs left around the corner of the property. It’s reachable in two shots if you can power draw it down the right side. The fourth is a bland par three. It’s hard to recall since a dog barked at me the entire hole. If you want to talk about sucking the air out of the room, the neighborhood is too close and kills any feeling towards connecting with nature. Five doglegs right and narrows as you hit into the turn. It’s a well bunkered green. Six is a long par four with a cool green below the fairway as a pair of bunkers hide the putting surface from view. Seven follows up with a long par three where anything right is way below the green and leaves a completely blind pitch uphill. Eight is a short par four with another well bunkered green. Finally the ninth, which tees off under the shadow of the mound, plays straight ahead before cresting over the hill and dropping down to the green. This is the best hole on the course and undoubtedly the most picturesque. As a short par five, it’s a great opportunity to finish with a birdie. 

(The opening tee shot #1)

(The uphill drive on two is blind and imposing for the new player.) 

(A wonderful view greets the player as he approaches the green on the short par five ninth. Note the unusual decision to put the clubhouse under the hill and not on top where this view would be soaked in by everyone.) 

Seeing the mound, I couldn’t help but think about Moundbuilders, a Tom Bendelow course in Newark, that is closing this fall after the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state can declare eminent domain as Ohio’s first UNESCO site will preserve the Hopewell Culture and their mounds and earthworks. The mound, in my opinion, is the best part of the golf course, and I concur with many reviews that the entire property should be a park that educates people on the Adena people. Truthfully, the course is only mildly interesting, and the neighborhood that surrounds it could blend in peacefully without the golfers. I give it a 3 (average)(worth driving 15-30 minutes to play). 

(Mound has an eighteen hole scorecard but the white tees are simply known as the front nine and the blues are the back nine. 2,913 yards is the longest Mound plays.) 

(Miss right on the par three seventh and only the top of the flagstick will be visible.) 

Echo Valley Golf Club (Wellington, OH)

“I can’t believe that I never played here before!” That was the comment several of the guys repeated after our reconnaissance trip to see if Echo Valley was worth adding to the schedule next year. Everyone was super impressed. It was a delightful fall day, the leaves were taken care of so you didn’t have to worry about losing a ball, and the greens were as fast and smooth as any we’ve played. 

Echo Valley is your classic do-it-yourself mom n pop course. Like most of these type of courses, there is self expression when it comes to architecture. It’s not uncommon to see some out of box golf holes. The par three third is a classic example. It’s 170 yards thirty feet uphill to a wild green. Fail to hit the appropriate distance, and there’s a high possibility that the ball will roll sixty or so yards back down the hill. It’s these moments that sets the course apart. However, on the flip side, you often see quirky, or even unfair holes. Take the thirteenth and fifteenth where a ball not hit far enough, or straight enough, will be blocked out. Even the fifth, sixth, and eighteenth have dramatic doglegs that require length and accuracy to avoid being stymied by the trees. 

(The 375 yard par four fifth doglegs right from the tee before requiring a precise approach over water. This punchbowl green will funnel your ball towards the middle where a steep slope will demand your best putting stroke.) 

(My favorite hole on the course is the 425 yard par four seventh. It doglegs right with a reverse camber that’ll force a long second shot with the ball above your feet. Look at that view down the hill. It’s a classic looking hole!)

This is the fourth new course I’ve played this month,  all mom n pop designs, and Echo Valley is the quirkiest. Depending on what you enjoy, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. I personally don’t mind it, but it’s very easy to make big numbers. The greens are audacious. Granted we played the day they setup for the greenskeeper revenge, but I still believe three, and even four putting, will be common. 3,7,9,11,12,16 are all very good holes. I give it a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The 330 yard par four eleventh has a creek cutting across the fairway that might take driver out of your hands. The bridge dominates the view as you hit your approach into the green. In the background is the 115 yard par three twelth with its green shored up by wooden timbers. These two holes are the highlight on the back nine.) 

(The 325 yard par four sixteenth has a gorgeous skyline green with a vicious grass hollow eating into the right side. Like the greens in the Bermuda Triangle at Chippewa, the front half of the putting surface is unpinnable.) 

(Five circles on the card between the four of us. Pretty impressive considering the pins were in some crazy locations.) 

Paradise Lake Country Club (Mogadore, OH)

Short, quirky, and tight is the best way to describe Paradise Lake. The elevation changes and blind shots remind me of Salt Fork, a comparison that will make you smile if you like eccentric golf. How’s this for a first?! Both nines start off with a par three! 

(The 277 yard par four seventh swings around the corner and straight up the hill. Play this one close to the vest and refrain from cutting the dogleg. It’s just a short iron or pitch after the turn.) 

I’ve driven by this place a hundred times while driving to Seven Hills. It’s off state route 43 just past Mogadore Reservoir. It was designed by John Rainieri in 1975 and maxes out at 5,655 yards.  (Rainieri owns Raintree and Prestwick CC in Uniontown) Don’t dismiss it too quickly. The elevation change and par 70 designation play longer than the scorecard indicates. While four of the par fours are sub 300, four others are 390 yards or longer, the par threes are very good with some serious length to them, and the two par fives include the long 528 yard thirteenth. 

(The 333 yard par four fifth doglegs left with a beautiful tree guarding the inside line. A good drive leaves a short iron to this lovely green tucked in the corner of the property.) 

(The 390 yard par four ninth quickly topples over hill, creating a blind shot from the tee. Once you reach the valley, the approach is uphill to a green set beautifully in the trees and hillside. In my opinion, it’s the best hole on the course.) 

It’s difficult to advocate for Paradise Lake since it’s yardage carries that stigma of being executive length, especially for the longer hitters who might complain about hitting driver, or lack thereof. I personally enjoy it, and think it is very attractive. The greens are nice and roll smoothly. It could be a possibility for the CNCGA, and I believe JC commented that it was once on their schedule many years ago. The clubhouse and patio are A+. I give Paradise Lake a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The144 yard par three tenth is a lovely hole over the water. Anything right of the green will kick down into the hazard. It reminds me Sugarbush’s tenth hole.) 

(The 178 yard par three fourth drops 40’ down to the green. It’s startling to see this much elevation change so close to Kent.) 

(Look at the scorecard and note the par 34 front nine that plays only 2,578 yards from the tips. The only awkward hole is the 340 yard sixth where the drive must get past the 150 marker and stay right to have an unimpeded shot to the green.) 

(Paradise Lake boasts one of the best clubhouse and patios in the area. I hear the sausage sandwich is stellar too. The view goes without saying. Props to Al and Michelle for the recommendation.)