I agree with this, Frank. I've referenced Shaker a few times on different threads (the 16th on best short par 3s) because I think it has a lot going for it. The front nine is good, but I believe the back nine is fantastic and really makes the course stand out. It was my home course for a season in college, so I would guess I've played about 75 rounds there and I still don't know how to play the 10th hole.
The 10th is a driveable par 4 that plays down a valley and then back up the hill to the green. It's a tight tee shot with a green fronted by bunkers. On days I was confident I could carry the traps, it seems like the play. When played with a layup off the tee, it is a tough wedge shot to get close since it's usually less than 100 yards and plays uphill to a very steep green, which fits the short hole.
The 11th is a good par 3 that plays about 160 and is slightly downhill with a drop off and creek on the left side of the green. I always found club selection very difficult here. The hole plays down hill, but long is dead, making it very tough to strike a balance between keeping it short of the hole and taking into account the elevation drop.
The 12th is probably my favorite hole on the course. The tee shot is semi-blind up to a plateau where most balls end up. From there the fairway cants to the left and crosses a creek to the the green. This description is sorely lacking and does not do justice to the great look a player has to the green from a perfect tee shot on top of the hill.
Thirteen is probably the toughest par 4 on the course, it's long and a creek runs adjacent to the fairway at the corner of this dog leg right. The hole runs along the boundary of the property, so missing right is not an option. It's one of those holes that forces a player to hit a good shot with out much room for a bailout. Even then, it's still a long iron or hybrid into the green.
The 14th and 15th are across a road, both are solid holes, but nothing stands out as remarkable in my opinion. When you cross the road again you get to the fantastic par 3 16th which Frank called out in the opening post. It's no more than a wedge for most players and they can only see the flag from the tee. Missing left is usually a lost ball as any approach not on the green rolls down a large hill to the creek.
The 17th is a medium length par 4 that has a relatively nondescript tee shot, but the toughest green on the course. The entire green slopes so sharply from right to left that it seemed excessive at times. Any ball than enters the green on the ground ends up off the left side in the rough. If a lofted or cut shot lands softly enough, the ball can be kept close to a pin, but it requires a very solidly hit shot.
Eighteen is a par 4 dog leg left that plays down hill to a creek and then back up to a green on the top on the hill. On a summer day, driver can be too much club and I've seen balls roll out 100 yards into the creek when players thought he hit a perfect shot. Obviously Ross had no idea drives would be going 300 yards, but it's a shame the last tee shot of the days in a controlled lay up in some cases for the long players. That being said, the majority of drives end up on the down slope and a player is forced to attack an elevated green off of a downhill lie. It can be tricky to navigate, but the ground flattens out 20 or 30 yards short of the green so a player has a chance to run the ball on to the green with a flatter trajectory shot.
I could play the back nine every day and enjoy it because of the variety of shots a player is forced to hit. Hopefully someone will have some pictures that better capture the essence of an underrated course than my descriptions. I don't think it's as good as Canterbury or Kirtland, which are the best known Cleveland privates, but it can hold it's own against the rest.