clarkgriswold
Well-known member
Ummmmm, them errrr my golfin flip flops.
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.
#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:
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.
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. :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.
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.
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.
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.