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
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 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.
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.
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.
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
