The Country Club in Pepper Pike, Ohio

[wsmorrison]

If anyone finds themselves in eastern Ohio or western Pennyslvania, you should try and see The Country Club in Pepper Pike.  Designed in 1928 next door to the earlier Flynn design at Pepper Pike Club (1924), it is one of the great Flynn courses in this country and would be on anyone's top list of courses were it in Philadelphia or anywhere else.  It was recently restored under the careful stewardship of members David Gleason and Ralph Karlovec.  The architect from IMG, whose name escapes me, did a wonderful job of restoring bunkers, expanding greens and returning about 10 acres of fairways (about 42 acres in total I am told).  There is width galore and the strategic implications are maginified as a result.  They really do get it at the club and the members' response has been overwhelmingly positive.  

The elevation change is a bit pedestrian at about 50 feet but the routing is superb and make the most of the land movement and meandering streams.  While the set of par 3s might not match some of the more celebrated Flynn courses, they are quite good although mostly bunched in the 170-190 yard range.  the greens are superb and fully expanded with the complex outlines typical of Flynn's drawings evident and not the simplified ovals that so many greens devolve into.

I'll try to get pictures posted, but the opening hole to the finish offers a great test of golf with superb holes making great use of landforms that offer natural challenges.  The green expansion to the right of the 3rd hole is really good.  3 is a 338 yard uphill par 4 with a bunker field on the right landing area.  A tee shot on the left side of the fairway helps to open up the green which is shallow sloping severely back to front and left to right.  It has severe bunkers behind and fronting, there is also a trecherous falloff to the right of the green.  Other holes of particular interest include the exceptionally strong stretch including the uphill dogleg left 6th (452/430 par 4), the long well-bunkered straightaway 5th (505/475 par 4), and the 569/556 par 5 eighth with its abrupt drop separating the fairways and a dangerous falloff to the right of the green.  Likewise, the strong finish of 15-18 is nearly as good as it gets in golf.  The 15th (457/445 par 4) plays slightly down into a landing area that ends in a large diagonal ridge that is wonderfully bunkered with 4 large bunkers and up to a left green site set at an angle.  16 is a 541 yard par 5 and precedes the wonderfully natural looking 17th with a diagonal ridge that needs to be carried.  A draw is rewarded with an additional 50 or so yards but results in an elevated approach to a well guarded green that slopes right to left pretty severely (Tom Paul, isn't this kind of like the hole Mark Parsinen showed us in his NY apartment where he was trying to balance the effects of long hitters with shorter hitters?).  The far side of the fairway is another diagonal that needs to be considered on the tee shot so you don't hit through the fairway.  The photograph of this hole surely will have a prominent place in our book.  18 is a strong finisher requiring a demanding tee shot with a long draw being well rewarded with an easier shot in to a difficult green angled beautifully with challenging slopes and a deep fronting bunker.  

[Jeff_Mingay]

Wayne,

If my memory serves me correctly, the IMG architect you refer is Brit Stenson (sic).

[wsmorrison]

That's it, Jeff.  Thank you.  I think I am getting Tom Paul disease, forgetfulness that is.  Do you know of other courses where Brit did work?

[Jeff_Mingay]

I don't know of any other restorative-based work Brit has done, but he designed a pretty good golf course in the Muskoka region north of Toronto, at the Grandview Resort near Huntsville.

Mark O'Meara gets credit as "architect" of the course (in fact, it's called the O'Meara course at Grandview), but it was Brit.

To put the Grandview course in perspective, nearby Deerhurst Highlands (a Cupp/McBroom design) has long been considered one of the "top" resort courses in Canada. I think Stenson's Grandview course is much better.

[T_MacWood]

The 17th at Country Club is one of the more interesting medium length par-4's I've run across. The green complex--which is elevated on a diagonal ridge--resembles a modified Redan. The tee shot is also thought provoking because it sits at an awkward angle and requires a decision on where the approach should come from, at what distance, elevation and angle one wishes to approach from.

In the 1940's or 50's RTJ listed his best 18 in the country and included this hole.

[TEPaul]

Wayne:

Yes, I guess the 17th at TCC does have some of the playable characteristics that Parsinen was looking for on that hole he designed for Mexico. It is sort of a balancing out of rewards for the long hitter vs the shorter hitter or shorter options. But there are a lot of holes sort of like that where increased distance gains you a shorter shot but perhaps from something like a downhill lie vs being farther back with a flat lie. In the case of #17 more distance into the dip just gives you more elevation to approach up to. It's a great little hole and Flynn did that beautiful diagonal ridge real justice by using it in the correct place and leaving it just as it was (not putting bunkering and such into it!).

[Craig Disher]

Wayne,
Great summary. I wanted to post the AOTD view to help show what you're talking about but obviously the picture was taken pre-restoration. Given what TCC started with, this may be one of the best restorations ever. What I first noticed was the absence of the two bunkers visible from the tee on #2. The increased fairway widths will be obvious to anyone who has played there recently.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=3413

Our caddy pointed out that playing the corner on #17 for extra distance isn't a great advantage. Playing well right, high on the ridge, gives a choice of approachs (run-up off the bank fronting the green, high fade onto the putting surface) whereas the short approach from the left leaves only a blind lofted approach to a small green. This has to be one of the best short 4s in the world.

[mark chalfant]

Wayne,
I enjoyed your post. I visited  TCCPP  six years ago and was impressed. The routing was beautifully conceived even
though the changes in the terrain were subtle. I agree that
the par fives are a very strong ensemble. Moreover, I thought
the back nine was excellent. For instance, the lovely but
demanding # 11  (195 yd) over  a ravine to a very
attractive green site. #15-17 is a superb strech, with
16 and 17 posessing both great character and challenge.
Personally, I prefer this back nine over the Primrose nine at
Brookline.  However, I slighlty prefer Flynns masterpiece
at  Spring  Mill to this  excellent course at Pepper Pike.
Glad to hear about the restoration. People visiting Cleveland
should also visit  Mayfield which is a brilliant work of art
over rolllercoaster terrain. Hope youre doing well.
Mark

[wsmorrison]

Mark,

I think the land that Philadelphia Country is better than that at TCC, Pepper Pike.  Yet, I think Flynn did an incredibly good job routing TCCPP to take advantage of what there was in the way of interesting land and I can find no fault in the routing at all.  Ron Forse once told me that this course convinced him at an early age that Flynn's routing ability is genius.  From my lay perspective, I sure do see it.  It is hard to imagine any 15-17 being better than PCC but TCCPP gives it a great run.  The final hole at TCCPP is far better than 18 at PCC, but as we know, the current 18 at PCC is a Gordon modification after the clubhouse moved--it too would have favorably compared to TCCPP.  All in all, I might just give the nod to TCCPP over PCC and that is saying a lot.  The restoration effort at both TCCPP and at PCC are excellent.  It is nice to see Flynn's design integrity being carefully considered and returned.  If only Rolling Green had the ability to understand shortcomings as regards to design intent, were willing to spend the money to ameliorate the wayward efforts of the past, and the conviction to proceed with a comprehensive tree management process and bunker plan to remove the recent errors made.  It sure looks like Manufacturers is going about it correctly if they follow the plan and much credit is due to Ron Forse, Jim Nagle, Scott May, and the membership.

[wsmorrison]

Craig,

I hope some rainy day soon that you'll try and get aerial photos of The Country Club and Pepper Pike Club.  It will be interesting to compare what Flynn built, what was done over the proceeding 80 years and what was recently done to restore the course.  It will make an interesting section of the book and a valuable tool for other clubs to see what was, what is, and what can be done.  I hope we can post the photos on GCA and elicit a dialogue.

[TEPaul]

I may be mistaken about this but my recollection seems to be that the routing of Pepper Pike today is not exactly the same as the routing Flynn did there. I seem to remember that some holes were reversed and such but perhaps I'm thinking of another course. I think I recall Ron Forse musing on what it might take to put those original holes that were changed that way back again. Basically I think I recall he'd have to reverse a few of them---in other words to put the greens back where the tees are now and vice versa.

[wsmorrison]

The routing of The Country Club in Pepper Pike is exactly the same as the Flynn plans.  Pepper Pike Club next door is likewise today the same routing as Flynn's plan.  Tom, I believe you are thinking of a different club.  Denver CC and Manor were completed by Collis and he reversed the 9s (greens and tees) that Flynn did not complete.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Wayne,

One of the most interesting visits I've made to a golf course was at Manor (with Craig Disher).

As you know, Flynn's original routing for the front nine at Manor was not built. Those holes were constructed as per a new plan by Harry Collis commissioned after Flynn's back nine design was built. (I think the new Collis plan involved fitting in a few more building lots. Craig?)    

Anyway, we took Flynn's original routing plan on a walking tour, and examined his front nine holes on the ground. It was a really neat exercise. One, too, that revealed a superior routing by Flynn.  

[wsmorrison]

Jeff,

Tom Paul and I walked the course with Craig on a different ocassion and we agreed with your assessment that Flynn's design was a superior one.  Funny that Collis did nearly the same thing at Denver CC when Flynn's work there was not completed.  Tom and I suspect that like at Denver, Flynn was not around at Manor for very long and may even have left the job.  Flynn sure did a lot of work in the DC/MD/VA area at least as a percentage of his portfolio.  I hope Craig gets into greater detail about the differences between Flynn's design and what got built.  Arthur Hills is doing a remodeling of the course despite the best efforts of Tom, Craig, and I to educate the membership about the merits of Flynn's plans and the relative rarity of his work.  The members remained unconvinced and Craig has since left the club.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Wayne,

I was also asked to submit a report at Manor, regarding Flynn's work there and the opportunities to recapture some of his original design, on behlaf of the member's association. (My report ended up some 15 pages long!)

I know Ron Prichard also submitted a detailed letter regarding the same, and of Craig Disher's efforts as a member of the club to have Flynn's original design recognized and recaptured. Including you and Tom, too, how many people "in the know" advised the club on the opportunity to capitalize on its golf course's heritage?! To no avail.

It's a shame. But, Manor is an example of a club where there seems to have been no hope to restore. Although... the plans tabled by Hills' group make reference to restoring Flynn's design?  

[wsmorrison]

I have had disagreements with the architect group over their representation of the master plan for Manor.  An educated membership (we all tried to advance the knowledge base at the club) would clearly see their plan for what it is.  It is a modernized design, one that in my opinion (for what it is worth--I am not knowledgeable in any area other than the Flynn design integrity and my own taste) is needlessly expensive and disconnected with Flynn's design.  We made the original Flynn plans available to the architect's group through Craig at the end hoping they would use them to greater extent.  This was not to be.   The group has done a lot of work in the DC area.  They are very successful so I imagine that a lot of people either like their work or don't know better.  I guess the clubs in the district follow the trend right or wrong since it frees them from thinking outside the mainstream.  The recent work in DC on the classic courses is not what most here would call sympathetic restorations to any substantial degree.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Wayne,

Because nearly all of the classic courses in the DC area have been modernized, Manor had a really interesting opportunity to make the course unqiue by truly restoring the original flair for Flynn's original design. That was my argument.  

Precedent suggests the club will be left with a generic course, more similar to others in the area instead.

[wsmorrison]

That is exactly right, Jeff.  More is the pity.  The Manor folks had an important opportunity and faltered.  It will be interesting to see what the membership thinks of the work after completion.  The hope was to use the renovation to attract membership.  If I had to guess, I'd say that is unlikely and it certainly will be a far costlier process regardless.  I agree with you that they lost a chance to differentiate themselves from the DC crowd and Manor will be just another generic course.

[TEPaul]

Wayne:

Are you absolutely certain the routing of Pepper Pike is the same as originally? It's not Manor I'm thinking of---I remember what happened there very well when we went down there and discussed it with Craig Disher.

[Craig Disher]

Tom,
Wayne is correct about Pepper Pike CC. The course closely follows the Flynn drawings.

The Manor situation still saddens me. It's especially disheartening after seeing the wonderful restoration at TCC. Jeff's report to the membership was extremely insightful and gave the club a great blueprint for how to get back to Flynn's original vision. But as was true for all the other NLE Flynn designs, it just didn't work out.

[TEPaul]

Craig and Wayne:

Is there not a hole or two or more at Pepper Pike that were reversed? I thought I recalled it was somewhere on the back nine. In any case, other than being a bit "prettified" (there're a good number of ANGC members at Pepper Pike) the course is really lovely, in my opinion---a wonderful flow across some excellent ground. I particularly liked the look of the 2nd hole with the use of the fescue they had on it. It seemed to create such a natural feel that seemed to make how to play the hole a good deal less than obvious---an important goal in "naturalism" in architecture to me.

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

Wayne,

Whenever I hear about a place like The Country Club that has had such a successful renovation project I want to find out who the contractor was. Do you know who did the work in this situation?  As a Superintendent it is always helpful to know who is on the dozer at the jobs that are well received.

Thanks.

[mike_malone]

 Sean,
     
      I have been wondering about the roles of the green cmte.,the super, the architect, and the "the guy on the dozer".
    Shouldn't the contractor's footprints be the least visible?
   

[Craig Disher]

If my memory is correct, Chip MacDonald's company did the construction work. Their work at TCC was excellent in every respect.

[Mark_Fine]

Some good posts guys!  I love TCC.  It has always been one of my favorite Flynn designs.  My trip out there to play it last week did not dissappoint.  It was great.  If I had one slight criticism it would be that some of the bunkers looked too "machine finished" to me.  I guess I'm a purist when it comes to these old classic courses and would like to see all the finish work on these bunkers done by hand.  I had this same discussion with Bill Coore the other day during an interview for our book and he concurred that hand finishing makes all the difference.   They still have some tree issues as well but Ralph is working on that and has made some excellent progress.  
Mark