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
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
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
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
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
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 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.
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
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
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
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?
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
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!