Well. One could write a term paper about the history of the merger of Losantiville CC and Crest Hills CC into a single entity, the Ridge Club.
Mr. Shaffer is correct. The Crest Hills course lies fallow in the middle of Amberly Village, a township on the North side of Cincinnati. A home developer recently tried to buy it, but his plan was rejected by the zoning commission. Several groups, including the Greater Cincinnati Golf Association, investigated buying it to operate as a public course, but this is very valuable land, so the financials just don't work for the Cincinnati market. And the zoning would probably be impossible. So the Ridge Club is, for now, stuck with property taxes and building maintenance until the right selling situation comes along.
The Crest Hills (Bob Simmons) course was rather short and not too difficult, but it was fun to play. It hosted a Pro/Scratch event each April. In addition to Losantiville, area private clubs include Makatewa (Ross), Camargo (Raynor), and Kenwood (Diddle), so it had some pretty high profile neighbors.
Now on to Losantiville. Designed by Tom Bendelow, the course sits on a very small piece of land which includes substantial elevation changes. One might consider the course "quirky," due to a number of blind tee shots, quick dog legs, and the legedary (at least among Cincinnati golfers) greens.
This may be the set of greens which are the most difficult to read that I have ever played. They are simply baffling. I've not played Augusta National, and will not make a comparison; however, there are a half dozen greens at Losantiville that putt similarly to what I've witnessed (in person) on the ninth at Augusta.
Losantiville would be a good course to play with hickories. Although it may seem paradoxical, its length (or lack there of), and the "quirk" factor, render length off the tee irrevelant, with the exception of perhaps five holes. Placement is key. Because of the severity of the greens, one must have an open shot for the approach. Having to fly greenside bunkers means being unable to keep the ball below the hole, and three putts will be the norm for many.
It has been said that there are no uphill putts at Losantiville; the green are so sever that most putts must be played well above the hole, meaning that the final few feet are straight downhill.
The one-shotters are Losantiville's particular strength. The second hole is 186 yards over water to a small green that slopes right to left toward the pond. There is room to bail out to the right, leaving the golfer who plays the conservative shot a recovery from rough hillside or bunker back downhill toward the water. The seventh and eleventh both stretch past 200 yards, the seventh playing all uphill, and the eleventh with out-of-bounds hard to the right. The seventeenth, which is not original, is the week sister in this group, at 165 yards and level a rather simple hole, though missing the green in any direction can easily result in bogey on what was an enticing opportunity.
An interesting aside: Losantiville was the home club of the legendary golf collector and dealer Mort Ohlman, who literally wrote the book on golf collectibles. (I'm sorry I cannot recall the title right now.) Mort was a character, and so he and Losantiville are a perfect fit, because this course exudes character. In its way it is a unique as Camargo among Greater Cincinnati courses. One would not go out of one's way to play it, but would be very glad he did if the opportunity arose.