Smiter
Dunce Cap For A Bit
I live in North Central Ohio. I'd like to see what everyone around here (or anywhere in state) likes to play. Obviously OH has some great courses that host PGA events and one that's so exclusive that I don't know how you'd ever get on it (name is escaping me at the moment but it's in UA in C-Bus, maybe The Golf Club?). Oh yeah, insert my normal "I'm wordy" warning as well as the standard "short attention spans" please feel free to not read.
The best course I've played is Muirfield Village. How I got on was a fun story. When I lived and worked in Columbus quite a long time ago, the President of my company and I were hired in at about the same time. As such I had a pretty good relationship with him as we went through and to a lot of things together initially. Anyways, we were playing in the company scramble and I was playing in the group right behind him. I was really on that day and almost holed out on the million dollar hole in one hole (which he saw) and won the long drive prize (which he saw). At the banquet afterwards he approached me and asked if I'd like to play in a member guest event with him the following week (or month, I forget which as this was about 15 years ago). Heck yes! One of the best paths to promotion (IMO) is building good relationships so it was an enthusiastic "yes, sir!" I didn't know what course he was even talking about and just about dropped dead from excitement when he told me when and WHERE to meet him. I'd been to the pro tour event there the year before and was excited as all get out. Actually playing the course was pretty humbling though. If ever there was a course that doesn't set up for my (lack of?) game, this is it. You have to work shots there (I'm a bomber, not a shot maker in style) and those greens were rediculous. After playing there I can't even imagine putting at Augusta. Wowzer.
A year or two before I played Muirfield I was set up to play at Firestone South. My uncle is in sales and he (and a guest) was invited to play a round up there. He asked if I wanted to be his guest and that wasn't a hard decision for me to make. Anyways, the day of the round we were driving up on I 71. About halfway between Cleveland and Columbus traffic came to an absolute halt. We had left plenty early to account for the unforeseen. Not this unforeseen. Apparently a police officer from Columbus had shot and killed his girlfriend, went on a high speed chase, ditched his car just north of us, and ran into the woods. I don't remember if he ended up shooting himself or if he died in a shootout with the Highway Patrol but that's how that ended. After missing our tee time we (cried like babies) went and played Shelby Country Club. If you've ever played there it's a decent course. But it dang sure isn't Firestone. Might have been my one and only chance there. Dangit.
I'm pretty lucky in that there are two of the best public courses in Ohio within 20 minutes of me. Deer Ridge and Ashland Golf Club (formerly Country Club of Ashland). Ashland GC is favorite of the two. It's not flashy but it's about as close to a CC as any public course. It was also listed by Golf Digest as a top 50 under $50.00 public course in the US. I played there all the time on a hot deal for $10.00. That's 18 with a cart and free range balls. Great deal and beyond. It must have severed ties with most of the golf app places as I can't find it on any of them this year. Rats, I guess I'll have to pay the full weekday fees of appx $30.00 for 18, cart, and range. For those that haven't played it, you wouldn't be disappointed if you'd have to pay $50.00. Its nice. Willie Parks course (IIRC) and in as good of shape as any including my home course.
Deer Ridge is another great course. It feels like you're playing a mountain course in NC Ohio. Tons of elavtion. Great conditions. Greens are crazy on this course, bordering on unfair. You can have a 10 footer that if you don't hole it will be 30 feet on your second. The only thing I don't like about this course is that it's kind of gimmicky on a few holes. Some holes are so short that they have to do something to make them a par 4. One is only 218 yards (again IIRC) but it's protected by trees, has a ten yard wide green, and no run up area. They have a100% blind par 3 too. The only good thing about this hole is that they have a flag pole behind the green (to align it) and a chart on the tee showing where the pin is for that day. Don't get me wrong, I doubt you'll be upset playing it but be prepared to feel like you're playing a WV mountain course and about 10 holes are normal holes, 5 holes are spectacular, but 3 will make you feel like your playing a putt putt course and the clowns mouth closed right when your ball got there.
Brookside in Ashland (not Barberton Brookside, never played there) is another local "play all the time" course. Two totally different nines. The front is wide open and more of my type of course. The back is hacked out of a forest and isn't my type of course. I'd like this course more if I could play the front twice. 17 in particular shoots through an almost unfairly small chute to get to the green. You can hit a fade or a draw. You have to be dead straight off the tee or bomb it past the trouble. Big greens that are relatively slow, but putt true. I'm actually planning to play in a PAT here in a couple weeks just for shins and griggles.
Oak tree is another that I play a bunch, probably more than any other. It's solid but there are some issues. The greens are generally slow and most have almost no break. Its probably an average local public course. It's mostly wide open and short, I rarely have more than an 8i into the par 5 first and all of the par 5's are easily reachable, most rounds. Where it gets weird is Hole 8. It's a par 4 that almost always plays into the wind. It's 488 yards (GPS) while only listed as 440 or so. Most holes on local courses overstate the distance. Not here. The last time I played it I hit driver/3w because it played into a stiff wind. I hit a high fade usually and it kills me into the wind. All 4 par 5's play shorter than this hole, well maybe 12 plays about the same given that it goes into the same wind, but I hate that hole. I've played there 4 times this year and it's the only hole I haven't par'd.
The best course I've played is Muirfield Village. How I got on was a fun story. When I lived and worked in Columbus quite a long time ago, the President of my company and I were hired in at about the same time. As such I had a pretty good relationship with him as we went through and to a lot of things together initially. Anyways, we were playing in the company scramble and I was playing in the group right behind him. I was really on that day and almost holed out on the million dollar hole in one hole (which he saw) and won the long drive prize (which he saw). At the banquet afterwards he approached me and asked if I'd like to play in a member guest event with him the following week (or month, I forget which as this was about 15 years ago). Heck yes! One of the best paths to promotion (IMO) is building good relationships so it was an enthusiastic "yes, sir!" I didn't know what course he was even talking about and just about dropped dead from excitement when he told me when and WHERE to meet him. I'd been to the pro tour event there the year before and was excited as all get out. Actually playing the course was pretty humbling though. If ever there was a course that doesn't set up for my (lack of?) game, this is it. You have to work shots there (I'm a bomber, not a shot maker in style) and those greens were rediculous. After playing there I can't even imagine putting at Augusta. Wowzer.
A year or two before I played Muirfield I was set up to play at Firestone South. My uncle is in sales and he (and a guest) was invited to play a round up there. He asked if I wanted to be his guest and that wasn't a hard decision for me to make. Anyways, the day of the round we were driving up on I 71. About halfway between Cleveland and Columbus traffic came to an absolute halt. We had left plenty early to account for the unforeseen. Not this unforeseen. Apparently a police officer from Columbus had shot and killed his girlfriend, went on a high speed chase, ditched his car just north of us, and ran into the woods. I don't remember if he ended up shooting himself or if he died in a shootout with the Highway Patrol but that's how that ended. After missing our tee time we (cried like babies) went and played Shelby Country Club. If you've ever played there it's a decent course. But it dang sure isn't Firestone. Might have been my one and only chance there. Dangit.
I'm pretty lucky in that there are two of the best public courses in Ohio within 20 minutes of me. Deer Ridge and Ashland Golf Club (formerly Country Club of Ashland). Ashland GC is favorite of the two. It's not flashy but it's about as close to a CC as any public course. It was also listed by Golf Digest as a top 50 under $50.00 public course in the US. I played there all the time on a hot deal for $10.00. That's 18 with a cart and free range balls. Great deal and beyond. It must have severed ties with most of the golf app places as I can't find it on any of them this year. Rats, I guess I'll have to pay the full weekday fees of appx $30.00 for 18, cart, and range. For those that haven't played it, you wouldn't be disappointed if you'd have to pay $50.00. Its nice. Willie Parks course (IIRC) and in as good of shape as any including my home course.
Deer Ridge is another great course. It feels like you're playing a mountain course in NC Ohio. Tons of elavtion. Great conditions. Greens are crazy on this course, bordering on unfair. You can have a 10 footer that if you don't hole it will be 30 feet on your second. The only thing I don't like about this course is that it's kind of gimmicky on a few holes. Some holes are so short that they have to do something to make them a par 4. One is only 218 yards (again IIRC) but it's protected by trees, has a ten yard wide green, and no run up area. They have a100% blind par 3 too. The only good thing about this hole is that they have a flag pole behind the green (to align it) and a chart on the tee showing where the pin is for that day. Don't get me wrong, I doubt you'll be upset playing it but be prepared to feel like you're playing a WV mountain course and about 10 holes are normal holes, 5 holes are spectacular, but 3 will make you feel like your playing a putt putt course and the clowns mouth closed right when your ball got there.
Brookside in Ashland (not Barberton Brookside, never played there) is another local "play all the time" course. Two totally different nines. The front is wide open and more of my type of course. The back is hacked out of a forest and isn't my type of course. I'd like this course more if I could play the front twice. 17 in particular shoots through an almost unfairly small chute to get to the green. You can hit a fade or a draw. You have to be dead straight off the tee or bomb it past the trouble. Big greens that are relatively slow, but putt true. I'm actually planning to play in a PAT here in a couple weeks just for shins and griggles.
Oak tree is another that I play a bunch, probably more than any other. It's solid but there are some issues. The greens are generally slow and most have almost no break. Its probably an average local public course. It's mostly wide open and short, I rarely have more than an 8i into the par 5 first and all of the par 5's are easily reachable, most rounds. Where it gets weird is Hole 8. It's a par 4 that almost always plays into the wind. It's 488 yards (GPS) while only listed as 440 or so. Most holes on local courses overstate the distance. Not here. The last time I played it I hit driver/3w because it played into a stiff wind. I hit a high fade usually and it kills me into the wind. All 4 par 5's play shorter than this hole, well maybe 12 plays about the same given that it goes into the same wind, but I hate that hole. I've played there 4 times this year and it's the only hole I haven't par'd.