Recreational Golf 2019

Auggie cites three real nice courses. I’ve never really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, partly because I’ve never played well there, and partly due to the volume of golfers that slow the pace to a grind.

Manikiki is—like Sleepy Hollow—another Metroparks course, which I’ve played in the fall and on a weekday, so not as overrun with golfers. That’s #18 in the picture. Great experience there.

And Pine Hills is an old school course, with one of the most challenging finishing holes in the area. Tree lined so one must hit it straight. A couple terrific par three tee shots on that course, too, and a couple nice dogleg holes. Always in good condition, and I’ve had several nice rounds there.

Can’t go wrong with any of those three, FairField
 
I bought new irons this winter and put new CP2 Pro grips on them. I have hit a bucket of balls off the mats at the driving range and played 9 holes at the local city course where I normally buy a membership. Not sure I'm going to or not this year. My 9 holes was alright at best, I struggled to chip around the green again. I plan on really working on that part and get better at that part of my game this year.

Also, this will be my annual plug if you will for the MGA a worldwide golf association that I play in. There are six chapters in Ohio most of them are in central and SW Ohio but there is a new chapter (2nd year) in Toledo. Visit mgatour.com if you might be interested.

We normally go on a weekend golf vacation to a place in Kentucky, but the golf has become so slow on the weekends it's really frustrating. So we are currently looking for a nice golf resort within 3-4 hours away that offers good deals for a couple days.
 
Auggie cites three real nice courses. I’ve never really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, partly because I’ve never played well there, and partly due to the volume of golfers that slow the pace to a grind.

Manikiki is—like Sleepy Hollow—another Metroparks course, which I’ve played in the fall and on a weekday, so not as overrun with golfers. That’s #18 in the picture. Great experience there.

And Pine Hills is an old school course, with one of the most challenging finishing holes in the area. Tree lined so one must hit it straight. A couple terrific par three tee shots on that course, too, and a couple nice dogleg holes. Always in good condition, and I’ve had several nice rounds there.

Can’t go wrong with any of those three, FairField

Actually that is hole #10, it is basically a twin to hole #18.

Below is 18 at Manakiki playing back to the clubhouse. Classic Donald Ross architecture in that it visually looks easy from the tee but because of the natural terrain you really only have half the fairway in play. Also the tee box points to the left so most head that way and the ball gets caught up in that very deep rough and the lie is crazy; finally that tree line goes further down the right side but you cannot see it from the tee with no rough to speak of so everything feeds down that way making the elevation change to green that much steeper if you stay out of the trees.

Manakiki_Thumb.jpg.ashx
 
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#2 at Sleepy Hollow in Brecksville. One of the toughest par 3s in NEO, 230 yards from the tips over a ravine with a long narrow green which really affects club selection:

cimg2159-768x576.jpg
 
Actually that is hole #10, it is basically a twin to hole #18.

Below is 18 at Manakiki playing back to the clubhouse. Classic Donald Ross architecture in that it visually looks easy from the tee but because of the natural terrain you really only have half the fairway in play. Also the tee box points to the left so most head that way and the ball gets caught up in that very deep rough and the lie is crazy; finally that tree line goes further down the right side but you cannot see it from the tee with no rough to speak of so everything feeds down that way making the elevation change to green that much steeper if you stay out of the trees.

Manakiki_Thumb.jpg.ashx

That picture doesn't scare me. As for your description....

Looks like a fun yet potentially frustrating hole.

#2 at Sleepy Hollow in Brecksville. One of the toughest par 3s in NEO, 230 yards from the tips over a ravine with a long narrow green which really affects club selection:

cimg2159-768x576.jpg

That looks like a three-putt waiting to happen (or a chip and a two-putt). Avoid the right with all your might! Nice pics.
 
That picture doesn't scare me. As for your description....

Looks like a fun yet potentially frustrating hole.



That looks like a three-putt waiting to happen (or a chip and a two-putt). Avoid the right with all your might! Nice pics.

That's the point of Ross architecture, you think no biggie up on the tee but the hole can kick you butt if not played smartly. Too many modern golf course design elements are the opposite, they look so intimidating when on the tee yet when playing the hole they never really come into play.
 
Since Sleepy Hollow in Alliance is being auctioned on Tuesday, the owner is not leasing carts, thus the only way to play is to walk or push a cart. At my age, I AM NOT WALKING 18 HOLES, NOR AM I PUSHING A CART UP AND DOWN HILLS. My membership states that I get a cart. I'm wondering if he is breaking a contract. :eek: :wallbang: The auction is Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Since Sleepy is unavailable, we headed to Sable Creek, in Hartville. Sable was in pretty good shape. There weren't many people out, so the first nine holes were played in a quick fashion. The threesome in front of us struggled on the next nine and we did a lot of waiting. Due to the wet ground, the course played long.

I shot a 46 on the Black 9, then we headed to the Maroon side. I started out with a bogey, then chipped in for a bird. A par followed on the next hole, then when I holed a 40 foot dow hill putt on the next hole, my partner just shook his head. I was back to normal the rest of the round with bogies, a par on the next to last hole, and a double on the last hole. I'll take a 40 any day.

Edgewater in Minerva, tomorrow.
 
I shot a 46 yesterday but after starting with a double bogey on 1 then a quad 8 on two followed by a triple on the par 3 3rd.... I'm pretty happy. I got par on 5 of the next 6 holes. Getting off the tee box with either my driver or my 3 wood is proving to be a challenge right now.
 
I was able to get out late this morning at Edgewater, in Minerva. It's a nice little course, with no "Oh Wow" holes, isn't long, and it's fairly wide open. We only paid $23 on a Sunday morning. They have changed some holes due to a drone park :mad::wallbang: buying the course in the near future. The parking lot was completely full. On hole #2, the green was cut out of the grass. The first two holes were par 3's and there were six, all together.

Except for a few shots, I was hitting my irons high, straight, and the correct yardage.

The forecast for next weekend is looking a bit chilly, but that can change. 50 degree weather is pushing it a bit for me.
 
Since Sleepy Hollow in Alliance is being auctioned on Tuesday, the owner is not leasing carts, thus the only way to play is to walk or push a cart. At my age, I AM NOT WALKING 18 HOLES, NOR AM I PUSHING A CART UP AND DOWN HILLS. My membership states that I get a cart. I'm wondering if he is breaking a contract. :eek: :wallbang: The auction is Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Since Sleepy is unavailable, we headed to Sable Creek, in Hartville. Sable was in pretty good shape. There weren't many people out, so the first nine holes were played in a quick fashion. The threesome in front of us struggled on the next nine and we did a lot of waiting. Due to the wet ground, the course played long.

I shot a 46 on the Black 9, then we headed to the Maroon side. I started out with a bogey, then chipped in for a bird. A par followed on the next hole, then when I holed a 40 foot dow hill putt on the next hole, my partner just shook his head. I was back to normal the rest of the round with bogies, a par on the next to last hole, and a double on the last hole. I'll take a 40 any day.

Edgewater in Minerva, tomorrow.

It'll get worse when the new owners don't honor it. The schmuck ought to reward his long term regulars. Only a matter of time before the new owners apply for the variance to put in a new housing development or NEO's largest dancer bar.
 
It'll get worse when the new owners don't honor it. The schmuck ought to reward his long term regulars. Only a matter of time before the new owners apply for the variance to put in a new housing development or NEO's largest dancer bar.

The current owner, or schmuck, insists that he will either return our money :rolleyes:, if the new owner doesn't leave it as a golf course, or, if the new owner keeps it as a course, honor our memberships. I am not holding my breath.

We are waiting to see what happens, then decide our course of action. I'm not sure if we can go after our money, or not. But, one of the important things is, where do the regulars play? We have had weekday morning tee times, forever.

Given the area economy, a new housing development may not be feasible. The back nine is landlocked, so, housing there is out of the question. I'm not sure if farming the land is within reason, either.
 
Played a couple balls around the local dog track, mostly hit good shots but also have some work to do in the early part of the season. That snow last week really made things very wet and had at least a handful of balls plugged; even lost a couple in the rough that were just off of the fairway. The Masters are on this week and the local courses will start to fill up as that is the unofficial start to golf season.
 
Sleepy Hollow's ABSOLUTE auction was this afternoon. A gentleman from Mogadore bought it for a shade under 500K. I'm told that the current owner was extremely upset with the price and that he will be talking to his lawyer.

Maybe someone with a law background, knows real estate, or has some experience, can give some input, but it's my understand that an absolute auction means ABSOLUTE.

I'm wondering if the owner is stuck.........
 
He should have had a reserve price, that's auction selling 101 and Kiko would have advised him of that when signing the contract. Maybe he owes property taxes and as part of the settlement w/ the city he had to have an absolute auction?

The bottom line is these are tough times in the public golf world and I would not invest in this business right now.
 
I call again today and talked to the pro, who seems to be in between a rock and a hard place. He told me that there were still no carts and that the owner was, "working on an angle to get carts." Meanwhile, the course isn't getting any play because no one is walking. I've talked to a few members, and they are getting pizzed, since a cart is part of our membership.

Are there any posters with legal knowledge? Is the owner not living up to the terms of his part of the deal?
 
Jaber can work slowly on some of his projects.

I can't believe Monastra ever ran any business given his apparent lack of any business acumen. Kiko's a professional shop. If someone dropped the ball it likely wasn't them.

The members probably have a claim against Monastra, but I suspect he's driven his entire life into the ground so he may well be uncollectable. He's probably more likely to get knee capped than pay on a judgment.
 
I was finally able to get out to Windmill Lakes for 18 holes. We were scheduled to tee off at 11:52, but didn't get off until about 12:10. We finished at 4:30.

The course was cart path only and a bit wet, so there was no roll. We were a little disappointed that there were a lot of leaves off the fairway. I probably lost 4 balls that I just couldn't find.

We are paired up with two young men that could really hit the ball. One was a former college golfer and played from the tips. Given my age and being realistic about my game, I played from the senior tees.

I look forward to playing the course when it's dry.
 
I was finally able to get out to Windmill Lakes for 18 holes. We were scheduled to tee off at 11:52, but didn't get off until about 12:10. We finished at 4:30.

The course was cart path only and a bit wet, so there was no roll. We were a little disappointed that there were a lot of leaves off the fairway. I probably lost 4 balls that I just couldn't find.

We are paired up with two young men that could really hit the ball. One was a former college golfer and played from the tips. Given my age and being realistic about my game, I played from the senior tees.

I look forward to playing the course when it's dry.

It is surprising Windmill was not maintained perfectly.

Playing cart path only and the course being wet is normal this time of year. #4,5,6,7 especially wet.

Our group will only play after Memorial Day.
 
It is surprising Windmill was not maintained perfectly.

Playing cart path only and the course being wet is normal this time of year. #4,5,6,7 especially wet.

Our group will only play after Memorial Day.

I'm wondering how many reduced rate memberships were sold. I'm guessing they think they will make up the money through cart fees, and food and drink.

Both times that we've been out, the starters have been very friendly, knowledgable, and courteous. That's really nice to see.
 
For the last 3 or 4 years, Windmill has gone later and later into the season to get up to top course conditions and has increasingly gotten a little more "rough around the edges." I wonder if the new membership arrangement isn't a last ditch attempt to try to rally the place.
 
Looking at an ad for new homes in the area, I noticed the subdivision name Dawn Acres and thought of the old cow pasture by the same name my dad and I used to play. I wondered if it, too, had become a housing development. Just googled the course and, yes, it is closed. This is the course I mentioned in an earlier post where my dad complained about the number of guys on the greens at one time.

All this makes me wonder how many owners ride the downward trend all the way to the bottom, hoping the tide will turn. Sad.
 
Looking at an ad for new homes in the area, I noticed the subdivision name Dawn Acres and thought of the old cow pasture by the same name my dad and I used to play. I wondered if it, too, had become a housing development. Just googled the course and, yes, it is closed. This is the course I mentioned in an earlier post where my dad complained about the number of guys on the greens at one time.

All this makes me wonder how many owners ride the downward trend all the way to the bottom, hoping the tide will turn. Sad.

It's just a shame to see golf course after golf course closing.

I keep hearing that people of the my generation, (50+), are starting to die out, and that younger people just aren't playing.
 
Ohio weather just SUCKS!:eek::dang:

We are supposed to play today, but the impending rain caused us to cancel. We are scheduled for Sunday morning and Monday afternoon. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

More on the Sleepy Hollow front. I talked to the pro shop and they insured me that they will have carts next week. Supposedly, the old owner has been working with the new owner to get carts in. I'm assuming the old owner has discovered that he doesn't legally have a leg to stand on regarding the sale during the absolute auction.

I wish they'd get this all ironed out so we can play the course.
 
We got out to Windmill Lakes this this morning in the cold and drizzle. It was cart path only, so we decided to use our push carts. The course was pretty wet and there wasn't any roll, but it felt good to get out and smack the ball around.

When we teed off at 11:24, there weren't many cars in the lot, but it seemed to fill up later.

We were paired with an older gentleman and his grandson, who had never played on a real course before. They were both very pleasant and kept mentioning that we were very patient.

Here's to the course drying out and a warm spring.
 
My first time out this year, at 11111111111411’s new home course at Windmill Lakes, with he and his Cuz. I’ve always done two times at the range tomstart the season before getting out on the course, but sort of used this as a practice round to immediately get into things, and I like this approach. Struggled on a couple holes on the front which really elevated my score, but was back to normal on the back nine (other than the fairway approach I had where I hit the top millimeter of the ball, popping it straight up, instead of 150 yards forward as I had originally intended).

Nice course. Kent’s golf teams use it as a home course, and tee-to-green it’s not tough if you keep it in play. The greens, however, have a good amount of undulation, with some devious pin placements, and those setups alone give the course good defense.

Slow round, given Easter Monday days off; somehow, a junior tournament going on there; cartpath only; a full tee sheet; and us starting early afternoon. Fun day with both Ones and Cuz, and I’m looking to get out Thursday in the Cleveland West Suburbs.
 
My first time out this year, at 11111111111411’s new home course at Windmill Lakes, with he and his Cuz. I’ve always done two times at the range tomstart the season before getting out on the course, but sort of used this as a practice round to immediately get into things, and I like this approach. Struggled on a couple holes on the front which really elevated my score, but was back to normal on the back nine (other than the fairway approach I had where I hit the top millimeter of the ball, popping it straight up, instead of 150 yards forward as I had originally intended).

Nice course. Kent’s golf teams use it as a home course, and tee-to-green it’s not tough if you keep it in play. The greens, however, have a good amount of undulation, with some devious pin placements, and those setups alone give the course good defense.

Slow round, given Easter Monday days off; somehow, a junior tournament going on there; cartpath only; a full tee sheet; and us starting early afternoon. Fun day with both Ones and Cuz, and I’m looking to get out Thursday in the Cleveland West Suburbs.

As usual, a fun day with Myron. Some golf, some rehashing old and previously told stories, and plenty of off color comments and musings. I am looking forward to the next outing with Myron.
 
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