Author: ohiogolf

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Orient Ohio

Split Rock Golf Club – always a good time

A friend and I returned to one of our old haunts, Split Rock Golf Club. In fact, we hadn’t been there since July 20, 2003! We used to hit the Rock on a regular basis but somehow it fell out of the rotation. It is a bit of a haul to get out to the Orient, Ohio (about 45 minutes from Clintonville area). Perhaps the long drive resulted in its falling out of favor. We were eager to see what had happened at the Rock in over four years.

Par 4, no.1 at Split Rock
Par 4, no.1 at Split Rock

I’ll be honest. I’ve never liked the opening hole at Split Rock Golf Club. I’ll decribe it as the nondescript par 4, first hole. In fact, the first hole still resembles the corn field that it once must have been. Oh well, perhaps the designers were throwing the golfing masses a freebie with number one. Just hit it out there, somewhere and you’ll be okay.

Par 3 second hole at Split Rock
Par 3 second hole at Split Rock

Things get a bit more interesting with the par 3 second hole. It’s difficult to judge the distance to the hole as it is quite a bit downhill from the tee. You can see the water in the front. On this day, the wind was howling – making it even tougher to pick the right club. My buddy and I both hit on and parred it.

Par 5 third at Split Rock
Par 5 third at Split Rock

Back to boring again. Not much going on with this dogleg left third hole. I missed getting a picture of the fourth hole which is actually a very pretty hole. We let a single play through and he picked up both our balls on the fourth fairway. Luckily, the fifth fairway is right next to the fourth. I asked him if he saw my ball and it turns out that he was playing it. Then he tried to tell me that he didn’t realize that we had hit. What a dork! Why were there two balls in the fairway? No good deed goes unpunished!

Par 4 fifth at Split Rock
Par 4 fifth at Split Rock

The fifth is sharp dogleg left par 4. It appears they are using some temporary tees on this day. The blues were playing near the white tees and the whites are marked as 366 yards. You might be able to see the flag on the left. I just swung right at the flag but came up about 50+ yards short. It added a little excitement after the Rock’s slow start.

Fivesome at the Rock
Fivesome at the Rock

It was a slow day but I generally frown on fivesomes on the golf course. You may see a little of this at the Rock.

The par 5 seventh hole at Split Rock
The par 5 seventh hole at Split Rock

The seventh always adds a shot of excitement to the round. This one was playing pretty short today. I hit it flag high (but off the green) in two. Stay right. All the trouble is on the left.

Split Rock’s par 5, tenth hole
The par 5, tenth at Split Rock

Here’s the par 5, tenth hole. The key to this hole is staying left on your second shot so that you have a third shot into the green. See the tall trees to the right. This is jail, as my buddy found out. The fairway may trick you as it will actually lead you into these trees. Play the hole so that you don’t have to negotiate these trees on your second or third shot into the green.

Split Rock’s par 3, twelfth hole
Split Rock’s par 3, twelfth hole

The twelfth is an uphill par 3. Take an extra club and try to keep it below the hole. If not, you’ll end up with a really tricky downhill putt. My buddy nearly jarred his tee shot on the fly. He was left, however, with the tricky downhiller and had to settle for par.

Split Rock’s par 4, number 13
Split Rock’s par 4, number 13

This is a short par 4 but not short enough to drive. Take a mid-iron off the tee and leave yourself with a nice 135 yard shot to the green. Careful, there’s a nasty bunker to the left of the green. This is a two-tiered green with a valley in the middle. If you’re in a cart, it’s worth it to drive up and see where the flag is.

Split Rock’s par 4, fourteenth
Split Rock’s par 4, fourteenth

Here’s the par 4, 14th at Split Rock Golf Course. It’s a 289 yard par 4 from the whites and 314 from the blues. The blue tees were near the whites today and we were playing the blues. I cranked a driver and flew it on. What kind of a ball mark does a 290+ yard drive on the fly leave?

Ballmark from about 300 out

How about that crater? I had a shot at eagle that I just missed but made the comebacker for birdie. If you leave it well short of the green, you’ll have a blind shot to the flag.

Split Rock’s signature hole, the fifteenth
Split Rock’s signature hole, the fifteenth

Not sure why this is the signature hole and not no. 18. It’s ridiculously short at 100 yards and really not that great a hole. Stay left to avoid the ravine on the right. Gauging your distance to the green below is always a trick. I didn’t get a picture of 18 as I was too wrapped up in my round at that point but that should be the signature hole. Play Split Rock and decide for yourself. We’ll be back!

Categories
Orient Ohio

Split Rock Golf Club

A friend and I will be heading out to Split Rock Golf Club or “The Rock” as we refer to it. Despite playing there several times, I’ve never seen a split rock or a rock of any remarkable size. It appears they have an early bird special of $23 (18 and a cart) on weekdays before 11 a.m. Split Rock touts their greens as the best in the area, so I’ll be looking forward to rolling the rock on these natural carpets. I’m still looking for the easiest way to get there from Columbus.

Here’s what Google claims:


View Larger Map

Split Rock, through Golfer’s Guide, alleges that the par 3 15th is its signature hole. I always figured the par 5 18th would be its signature hole. Well, I look forward to visiting the Rock again as its been at least three years since my last visit there. More later.

Split Rock’s website

Categories
Colorado Golf

Golf in Evergreen, Colorado

Evergreen Golf Course
The first at Evergreen Golf Course

I headed out to Evergreen, Colorado for a little vacationing as well as some golfing. We decided to hit the local muni, Evergreen Golf Course, which is owned by the City of Denver. We had a 1:40 p.m. tee time on a Friday and the course was packed. Despite that, they were running 10 minutes ahead of schedule and we got off almost as soon as we arrived. Unfortunately, we had to rent clubs which I would strongly advise against because the rentals were absolutely lousy. Oh well, at least you could rent a three wheeled push cart if you chose to walk. Be forewarned however as walking ain’t so easy in the mountains at altitude.

Evergreen Golf Course Club House
A look back at the clubhouse from the 1st green

As you can see the views that the course afforded were absolutely amazing. You just don’t get this kind of scenery in Ohio. The course in general was typical of your local muni – short, small greens and tight fairways. Despite the amount of play it received, it was in good shape. The first is a straightforward, uphill par 4 that plays about 290. The hole helps slicers with a bank along the right side of the fairway which kept many a slice well in play.

Continue reading “Golf in Evergreen, Colorado”
Categories
Columbus Ohio Ohio golf courses

Raymond Memorial – blue collar golf

Raymond Memorial Golf Course 4th hole
Raymond Memorial’s Fourth Hole

I recently visited Raymond Memorial after not having played there for a couple years. I generally try to avoid Raymond in the prime golfing months as it gets a whole heck of a lot of play and the people playing there are not too current on their golf etiquette. Despite this, Raymond Memorial does have its charm. And if you visit it when it gets a bit cooler, many of the blue collar crowd will be noticeably absent.

Raymond is known for its huge greens, mammoth sand traps, meaty par 3’s, and surly employees. It is also known for its double greens. Back when it was built in 1952, Robert Trent Jones, the designer, constructed two tees and two greens for each par 3 on the course. The idea was to speed up play. If someone was really slowing you down, you could always pass them on the par 3’s by playing whichever green the others were not playing. It probably led to a lot of confusion and the practice was abandonned but Raymond has always maintained the extra greens/tees. Raymond was using the alternate par 3 for the fifth hole which I had never seen done before in my years of playing there.

Holes of note on the front side include the par 5, first hole. Its a fairly straightfoward par 5, and I remark on it because it can be an easy birdie to start your round with. Just note where the flag is and make sure to hit to the appropriate level on the green.

Fourth hole at Raymond Memorial
Fourth hole at Raymond Memorial Golf Course

The fourth hole is a par 4, 90 degree dogleg right. If you are daring, you can take it right over the trees. Aim farther right than you would think. I’ve often ended up past the original no. 5 tees on my drive because I didn’t aim far enough right. On this day, we played from the blues, and I took it way right over the trees and ended up just left of the right bunker in this picture. If I went further right, I would’ve ended up in the trap. It would take a gutsy and powerful drive to hit this green in one but it may be possible.

I always like the short par 5 number 6. It provides for another birdie opportunity as the green can be easily hit in two. No. 7 is a really long par 4. I finally birdied it two years ago, and I believe that that was my only remaining hole that I hadn’t birdied on the front nine.

#9 and Raymond

No. 9 is a dogleg left. You used to be able to take it over most of the trees and leave yourself a short shot to the green. Raymond has planted a lot of new trees which prevent this, and they have added a lot of trees all around the course in general.

Overall, Raymond is a good time – just avoid the crowds in the summer.

[where: 3860 Trabue Rd
Columbus, OH 43228]
614-645-3276

Categories
Golf Equipment

Taylor Made Golf- Rescue Mid Hybrid Iron/Wood Graphite

I just picked this up from Amazon.com. Used it Sunday and hope to take it out on the course again on Friday. Perhaps after a trip to the range, I’ll have enough feedback to write up a little review of the Taylor Made Golf- Rescue Mid Hybrid Iron/Wood Graphite.

I’ve never been a big fan of rescue clubs. The Taylor Made Golf- Rescue Mid Hybrid Iron/Wood Graphite still has not made me a big fan of rescue clubs. The Taylor Made Hybrid that I purchased is similar to a two iron in loft. I was thinking that it would be a good club to hit on my second shot into par 5’s. I think it would also be useful to keep the ball lows and get out of trouble under trees. I haven’t had much use for it off the tee as of yet. Perhaps a higher loft Taylor Made Rescue club would come in handy on more par 3’s.

I hit mine about 215 yards, and it does loft the ball much higher than a 2 iron. It is easier to hit than an iron but, in my opinion, not as easy to hit as a wood. I’ll keep working with it and keep you posted.

Update 3-23-08 I’m still not a huge fan of hybrid clubs. Perhaps, I should have purchased a higher lofted rescue club. I don’t use it off the tee much and rarely use it on other shots. It could come in handy as a good chipper though. I’ll look for more opportunities to use the rescue this season.

Categories
Pennsylvania golf

Overlake Golf Course

Overlake Golf Course, Girard, Pennsylvania
The par 4, 13th at Overlake Golf Course

Looking for a quick nine in Girard, Pa, we came upon Overlake Golf Course. Overlake gladly obliged as we got there in plenty of time before they decided to call it a night. Apparently, the course sometimes closes early if things are a bit slow. They started us out on the back nine although I had heard that the front nine was the way to go if you were just playing nine holes. Well, we didn’t have much choice in the matter and the back nine was still fun. Hole 13 was a particularly memorable hole. A short par 4 that is reachable from the tee, I put my drive just to the left of the green and made a decent effort of trying to chip it in for eagle. I settled for a tap in birdie. My dad’s cousin wanted to give me the putt but the golden rule is you putt your birdie putts. If you don’t earn it, what’s the point?

Par 3, no. 14 at Overlake
Par 3, 14th at Overlake Golf Course

Here’s the par 3, 14th, I went by their yardage and ended up hitting it over the green. The 15th is another reachable par 4 but with a narrow fairway. The 16th is a dogleg par 5. 17 is another short par 4 with water to the front and right of the green. 18 is a dogleg left par 5.

Overlake is a fun little track. A bit short but offers some challenges from the tee. I hope to get back there soon.

[where: 10601 Ridge Rd
Girard , PA 16417-9427]

P: (814) 774-3361

Categories
How to break 80

Breaking 80 with the tools you already have

A goal among many amateur golfers is to break 80 and shoot in the 70s. I am starting a weekly (perhaps daily) column on how to do just that with the golfing tools that you already have in your possession. I recommend some practice but I’m going to go about this by not focusing on changes to your golf swing. Ben Hogan already did that in his book Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons. Instead, I want to focus on the other components of golf that come into play that you might not be marshalling in your quest to break 80. If you are reading this then you must feel that you have a realistic chance of breaking 80. Whether that means you have currently shot an 80 or even a 96 as your best score, I’ll leave it up to you to determine whether you have a realistic chance of breaking 80.

With that, let’s get started on breaking 80.

Looking for more tips on how to break 80 – see my publication, 79 tips to break 80 in golf.

Categories
Cincinnati Golf

The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills

The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills, First hole
The par 4, no. 1 at Stonelick Hills

On the recommendation of a friend, we headed out to Stonelick Hills Golf Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. Even though the course was just in its fourth year of existence, my friend promised a great golfing experience. And you know what? He was right. Pictured above is the starting hole at Stonelick. We opted to play from the blue tees. Stonelick also offers two sets of more challenging tees: the black tees from which the course plays 7145 yards and gold tees from which the course plays 6817. From the blues, we were looking at a manageable 6483 yards. Stonelick also offers white tees playing at 5841 yards.

Hole 1 is a great starting hole – not too tart and not too sweet. At 372 yards and with a generous landing area, the first offers a nice transition from the putting green to the golf course. Things get a little tougher near the green as a huge bunker guards against short shots and the shallow depth of the green in general requires a shot to an accurate yardage. My buddy found this out as his tee shot left him with a rescue club to the green. He hit a brilliant shot over some tall trees to the left of the fairway and drew the ball right over the flag. It was just a smidge too long and he ended up over the back side. I noticed on the first green that the course gets quite a bit of play as the green had been a bit roughed up by previous groups.

Hole 7 at Stonelick
Hole 7 at Stonelick

Here’s a shot of Hole 7 at Stonelick from the fairway back up to the tee. From the blues, the seventh plays 367 yards. Its a dogleg right with a pond at the bend. From the elevated tee, it doesn’t look too far to blast one right over the water.

Pond on 7
Pond guarding the right side on number 7

I, unfortunately, hit a fade (or as my playing partner liked to call it, “a sweet little buttercut”) that couldn’t quite clear the middle of the lake. My buddy hit a nice draw right over the front of the pond that worked its way to the middle of the fairway.

Green at no. 7
Seventh green

Here’s the green at no. 7. Camo shorts may not be the best golfing attire (see man in yellow shirt) but there was a deer stand above the green at the par 3 sixth which may somewhat justify his wardrobe decision.

Numbers 9 and 18 are two great finishing holes. Both are three shot par 5’s although the temptation to hit them in two exists. No. 9 has an island green that is fairly wide, so it’s not too intimidating. I was 200 out after a rough beginning on no. 9 but pulled a four wood and hit it in the front bunker. A decent tee shot can put you in position to go for the 18th green but water to the left and a narrow green may change your club selection at the last moment.

At the 15th tee at Stonelick
My good luck charm at the 15th tee

I had a rough front nine as tinkering with my swing led to a 51 but turned it around on the back especially after my good luck charm ran out of the forest and nearly right up to my buddy as he was teeing off. Hopefully, this little fella hadn’t lost his mother. After Bambi said hello, I shot 2 under for the last four holes and finished with a 38 for a 13 shot turnaround from front to back. I’ll take it.

Stonelick Clubhouse
Clubhouse at Stonelick

Finally, here’s a shot of the clubhouse at Stonelick. After my first birdie on 15, I took this shot on the way to the 16th tee. At $69 to ride 18, Stonelick was a great bargain. The course was in great shape and I really enjoyed the layout. Hopefully, I can get back there soon to take revenge on the front nine.

Oh yeah, my buddy beat me by one skin, so I owe him a bottle of wine at our next dinner outing. Yellow tail anyone?

The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills
3155 Sherilyn Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45103

513-735-GOLF

Categories
Ohio golf courses

Longaberger Golf Club – sooner or later reality had to set in

Longaberger’s par 4, dogleg left, eighth hole
The eighth hole at Longaberger

I’ve always enjoyed playing at Longaberger Golf Club but sooner or later reality had to set in: Why golf at the ‘berger when you can golf at Cook’s Creek for a fraction of the price and cut your drive time on top of it all? I would rate Cook’s Creek right up there with Longaberger, but driving over an hour and paying $125 (sans free towel these days) didn’t seem to cut it now that the novelty has worn off the ‘berger. Granted, the last time I played at Longaberger was at the beginning of April, and I was able to take advantage of the $79 greens fee (we were one of two groups on the course that day) and play 27 holes. Well all that has changed somewhat. Now, the ‘berger is $99 to play 18 for the summer with fees dropping to $89 on October 3. Those greens fees are starting to come more in line with what they should be. Eventually, the ‘berger may have to drop their fees even more as there is just too much competition in central Ohio from other golf courses.

With that said, let’s get on to the golf course itself. The ‘berger invites you to bomb it off the tee. There’s not a whole lot of trouble off the tees and the fairways are plenty wide so give ‘er hell! Your decision-making comes into play on your approach shot – especially on the par 5’s. The par 5, no. 4 is particularly devilish. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to pull the trigger on my second shot but the green is surrounded by water and trouble where there ain’t no water. Even after babying the ball up into the narrow neck leading to the green, your third shot is still no bargain. Similar conundrums await you at the other three par 5’s.

No. 8 is a memorable par 4 for its shape and slope. You can aim left off the tee and seek the flat landing area before the pond and hit over water from there. Or you can aim right and face a steep decline to hit off of to the green but avoid an approach over water. If anything, it’s fun to just rip one off the tee to the right with a little draw and watch the ball bound down the slope towards the green.

I’ve had many a good round ruined by the finishing hole. A long par 4 with the clubhouse looming overhead, the 18th requires a long, fairway bound drive in order to successfully maneuver yourself to a fine finishing score.

Longaberger Golf Club
740-763-1100
One Long Drive
Nashport OH 43830

Categories
Ohio golf courses

Blacklick Woods Metro Golf Course


The par 5 no. 4 at Blacklick Woods Metro Golf Course

One of the best deals in central Ohio is Blacklick Woods Metro Golf Course – $15 to walk on weekdays and after 5 pm on weekends. The long or gold course always seems to be in good shape. If you are a beginner and are looking for something a bit shorter but still 18 holes, try their green course which is a par 58 at around 3700 yards.

My favorite holes on the course are the above pictured par 5, no. 4. With woods lining the right hand side and a wide creek to cross right before the green, this hole presents some trouble, especially to anyone trying to reach it in two. I also enjoy the par 4, no. 7. Allegedly playing at 346 yards from the white tees, the seventh hole offers a blind tee shot to the green with water coming into play near the green. I once reached this in one to the amazement and disbelief of one of my assigned playing partners. The group on the green at the time confirmed it and had little complaint with being hit into. Rather, they were impressed that anyone could reach the green in one.

Number 14 at Blacklick Woods Golf Course
The par 5, no. 14 at Blacklick Woods Metro Golf Course

My favorite holes on the back nine are the par 5, no. 11 and the par 5, no. 14. Hole fourteen offers a good chance of hitting the green in two but don’t lose it to the right on your second shot or the trees/rough will steal your ball. Also don’t mishit it off the tee or you won’t clear the creek.

7309 E Livingston Ave
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
(614) 861-3193