Many outside of northeast Ohio haven’t heard of Pine Hills, but I can reassure them that this course challenges Sleepy Hollow, Manakiki, and Fowler’s Mill as best in the area. The course is full of variety with great short par fours as well as long two shotters. The eighteenth is arguably the best finishing hole in the city. The par fives, while on the short side, are a lot of fun and present exciting shots for those going for them in two. Finally, the par threes are a strong set, each demanding a quality strike to find the putting surface.
(The downhill 215/188 yard par three fourth is quite dramatic as the green nestles down in the valley with a creek cutting diagonally and to the right.)
(The 455 yard par five seventh is one of my favorites. Almost everyone can reach it in two shots, but hitting over the entire valley with deep rough and sand short left will make you grip your club a little tighter. It takes a high shot to land and hold the green. Birdie and eagle is available but double and triple bogey is in play too.)
(This is the view from eight green looking towards nine tee in the background. I’ve stood in this spot multiple times during my Men’s Association days and all the wildflowers and natural vegetation in the ravine makes this a stunning vista.)
(The biggest improvement to Pine Hills was turning this around the lake and making it a long dogleg left par four. The 450/412 yard fourteenth is an absolute beauty, and turning the ball over, watching it take the slope to the middle of the fairway is quite satisfying.)
(The final par three of the day, the 183/161 yard sixteenth is a straightforward hole where being short is the obvious hazard. Depending on your situation, a conservative shot is usually the play, but this hole is the easiest of the four par threes.)
(The 420 yard par four eighteenth is an excellent finishing hole. The hogback fairway will punish any type of indifferent drive, pushing blocks or weak cuts into the right rough, while a drive up the middle or with a tight draw gives the player a perfect view over the water. The green slopes towards the player but it’s shallow, thus it’s very difficult to get close to the hole with your second shot. Any ball above the hole or to the side will be a challenging two putt. Par is a great score!)
I’ve been reevaluating some of the local courses in my blog, and handpicking the ones I feel deserve to be talked about again. The new phones have better technology, and the pictures have improved immensely so that was my biggest reason to revisit Pine Hills. Having played many of the top courses in the state, I came to the realization that this is better than most of them. I give Pine Hills a 6 (very good)(worth driving 1-2 hours to play). This course has improved and it deserves to be recognized by the national publications and even the architectural golf social media sites.
