[Ran Morrissett]

Feature Interview with Wayne Morrison – Restoration of The Country Club – Golf Club Atlas

We post a Feature Interview with Wayne Morrison today on the restoration work of The Country Club in Pepper Pike, Ohio (affectionately known as Country by its members). Wayne’s answers also serve as a tutorial on William Flynn in general (for example, just look at Wayne’s detailed response to my open-ended question #2).

What course would you nominate as Flynn’s second-best original design after Shinnecock Hills? Country is now clearly a contender for that honor. I have been an enormous fan since first playing it in 2005. Every subsequent visit confirmed that affection. And yet, what did the club do last fall? Close the course for a restoration by Gil Hanse, a long-time resident of the greater Philadelphia area where so much of Flynn’s work is housed. This wasn’t some monster re-do like Sleepy Hollow or Oakland Hills as the course hadn’t been tampered with to anywhere near the same degree. Yes, the long-time pro Billy Burke had made some alterations in the 1930s but in general, kudos to the club who has been a good steward for decades upon decades. Now, even Wayne considers it as pure an expression of Flynn as exists.

This restoration is really a story of re-focusing on the details of the bunkers, mow lines and green sizes. To me, Flynn might be the most subtle of the Grand Masters and restoring his work takes finesse and a keen eye. Not to mention research, which is where Wayne enters the picture. Everyone knows he and Tom Paul are THE experts on Flynn and Wayne had been sharing their information, including Flynn’s hole by hole diagrams, with Country for years. This proved the platform from which Gil could faithfully work.

There is genuine beauty found in Flynn’s clean, streamlined approach – look no further than what Gil did at 13 as proof by consolidating four small bunkers on the inside of the dogleg into one large one per Flynn’s original drawing. Now the hole gracefully pivots left around the one bunker that’s at scale with the broad slopes vs the chopped up nature of four smaller ones. Da Vinci’s “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” rings true of Flynn’s work, never more so than now at Country.

Having said that, Gil did make several prudent tweaks here and there based on today’s technology - my favorite is the right bunker that he moved thirty-five yards down range at 16 and how the brow of the bunker perfectly matches up with the distant green, though the gap between the two is over 135 yards.

Just how good is Country? Well, the holes live up the site’s potential, which I think has always been immense. As Wayne points out, the high-to-low point is 75 feet, so the property enjoys fine movement without being “hilly.” A dominant creek weaves through the low portion of the property and Flynn incorporated it well at holes 1, 9 and 10 but tellingly, he took the golfer higher and away from the creek/softer ground at 11. Other feeder creeks exist and now a fescue program is underway which will augment the site’s expansive rolling nature. Its very best holes (7, 11, 15, 17) are genuinely elite holes in parkland golf and whatever its three worst holes are (you name them, I am stumped) are so darn good, in some ways, Flynn reminds me of C.H. Alision – neither could build poor holes because they always nailed interesting playing angles. 

Either Detroit or Cleveland wins my vote as most underrated golf city in America. It is awesome to see these old industrial powers present their courses in such enlightened manners. America wasn’t born great. It became great by industrious people working hard each day, year-in, year-out for a sustained period. Golf courses are a bit different – they can indeed be born great but after ~100 years, it takes smart people to commitment resources and talent to re-establish their pedigree.

That is what has occurred at Country.

Best,

PS Given the heavy Flynn content, we will leave it glued to the top until the US Amateur at Cherry Hills this August, which will be a supremely interesting tussle between Flynn and the field. Also, check out the last Q & A for a sneak peak at Wayne’s new project on a William Flynn Society and Institute and about sharing Flynn information for the greater good.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I play there on Thursday. I am looking forward to seeing what was done.
Ran, I'll go with Detroit as the most underrated golf city. Cleveland is close behind, though.

[Tim_Weiman]

Regarding golf in Cleveland, as I have written several times before, the most noteworthy thing is not private courses like Country. Rather it is the quantity of decent affordable public golf courses that average working people play, including the two Cleveland Metroparks courses Manakiki (Ross) and Sleepy Hollow (Sleepy Hollow).

[Michael Chadwick]

Bravo on the extensive interview, Wayne, and for showcasing what looks to be terrific work from Hanse and co. Look forward to the development of the Flynn Society!

[Tim Martin]

Regarding golf in Cleveland, as I have written several times before, the most noteworthy thing is not private courses like Country. Rather it is the quantity of decent affordable public golf courses that average working people play, including the two Cleveland Metroparks courses Manakiki (Ross) and Sleepy Hollow (Sleepy Hollow).

Tim-Sleepy Hollow has to be one of the best city owned courses in the country. I haven’t played Manakiki but want to get there this Fall.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I played there today. What a treat. The routing is brilliant, and the shots into the greens demand that you keep them under the pin. While there isn't a lot of interior movement on the greens, there is enough slope to keep you on your toes. I played there twenty years ago, and the course today feels like a different course. Kudos to the super, it was a fine condition, even after a torrential rainstorm.

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