Clovernook Country Club opened in 1923 on farmland in Cincinnati, OH. After 90 years, it is one of the relatively few unchanged Langford and Moreau routings still around. It shows many similar qualities to their other designs like Lawsonia, but on a more heavily treed property with terrain much more severe in spots and much less consistent overall. In fact, considering the property constraints, Clovernook might be a more elegantly routed course than Lawsonia even if it can’t match the brawniness and spaciousness of its big brother. Clovernook stands as a true testament to Langford’s ability to route excellent and playable golf holes across alternately severe and mundane terrain and to create variety on a less than great property.
Though of modest length at only 6560 or so from the new back tees, and around 6400 from the members’ tees, a tremendous amount of variation exists at Clovernook. Players will find holes on which to turn the driver loose, and holes on which to lay up with a 5w or long iron. They’ll hit everything from a short iron to a driver off the tee on par 3s. And they’ll face some of the most daunting recovery shots in the tri-state area to greens that range from extremely contoured to frighteningly pitched.
I’ll profile the course three holes at a time in hopes that some discussion will develop. There’s some really interesting strategy at work on many of the holes here and several are worthy of discussion. Yardages listed are from the members’ tees.
1st Hole, 460 yard par 5:
Decisions begin right away at the first, a classic half-par hole with multiple options on the first and second shots. As a par 5 for everyday play but a par 4 for tournament play, it’s a hole that the competitive player expects to reach in two. The best way to do that, however, is debatable. The tee shot moves slightly left to right with a stand of trees left, a daunting bunker complex right, and a fierce downslope long.
Tee shot. The landing area is partially blind:
The first of a series of bunkers cutting in to the right half of the fairway:
The options are as follows:
1. Bang a driver over the bunkers (about a 255 yard carry), leaving no more than a middle iron approach from a steeply downhill lie.
2. Hit a driver or 3w between the trees and bunkers (a shot of about 255 yards total), to a narrow landing area with a long iron approach from a slightly downhill lie.
3. Lay up with a wood or long iron, staying short of the bunkers (a shot of about 230 yards) to a flat and wide area of the fairway, leaving an approach of about 240 yards.
Personally, I prefer option 3 as the prevailing wind helps apply the brakes to a long and high approach and the second shot gives plenty of room to lay up short of the green. The second shot must carry a ravine (which we’ll see on many holes in this early stretch), but the stream at the bottom is really not in play unless a player makes a serious mistake with one of his first two shots. This is the first of many examples of how Langford’s routing worked to make a severe (in spots) property playable and interesting for everyone from scratch players to high handicappers. The strong player’s second shot is an interesting one, as he tries to reach the green in two. But the high handicapper also gets an interesting shot as he focuses on carrying the ravine and reaching the greenside section of fairway. There’s no shot in golf less interesting than a layup on a par 5, but Langford gave this layup a bit of drama to make it more engaging.
A look at the approach over the ravine from the right rough:
Like most holes at Clovernook (and other courses shaped by Moreau), reaching the green is only a small part of the battle. Once on, the player finds himself on a green with two pronounced ridges that make lag putts difficult. The greens at Clovernook tend to be large, fast, and heavily sloped. The first is one of about 7 that could vie for the title of best on the course and is as strong as any Moreau-shaped green that I’ve seen (which is a BIG compliment).
From right of the green, stern bunkers and a heavily contoured green await:
2nd Hole, 400 yard par 4:
One reason that Clovernook plays longer than its modest length would suggest is the way Langford routed many angled tee shots. The 2nd hole gives the first example of this. The tee shot goes back across the same ravine we saw on the first hole. A well struck drive up the left side of the fairway might leave just a wedge in, though a pull risks ending up in a severe depression. A drive pushed to the right side of the fairway, however, will face a mid iron approach or worse if it finds trees.
You can bust driver here, but hit it straight:
The fairway slopes hard from right to left:
The approach to the second hole is more straightforward, with a tree right of the green making it difficult to access right pin positions. The green is another large one with a lot of contour and a bit of a subtle false front. Two-putting from outside 20 feet becomes very difficult when the greens are running full speed.
One of the more straightforward approaches on the course:
Plenty of undulation in the green:
3rd Hole, 370 yard par 4:
Just a blast of a short hole and one of the better tests of accuracy on the course, the third hole begins with a cool tee that is essentially part of the practice putting green. The play off the tee is a draw of 250 yards or less to the end of the fairway (which falls into the same ravine we saw on the first two holes). The fairway is steeply banked from right to left and balls that hit on the right-center of the fairway get a big kick that can take them down to the fairway’s edge, leaving the shortest reasonable approach to the green.
The view from the members’ tee:
Lots of trouble for a miss left into the valley:
The real challenge of the hole, though, begins with the approach. One of the best greensites on the course awaits. The shaping here is pure Langford and Moreau – a steeply elevated green with severe fallaway edges into bunkers on all sides. The green slopes steeply back-to-front as well. A good approach that stays short of the hole will leave a good chance at birdie. An approach that leaks a few feet past the pin leaves a difficult par. And an approach that misses the green on either side or long virtually guarantees bogey. The right bunker is about 6 feet deep, while the left bunker is probably closer to 8. It’s a tough but fair penalty for an approach that should come from no more than 100-150 yards.
The first look at the fabulous third greensite on the approach:
Looking up from the bottom of the ravine:
A miss left means playing from this ~8 foot deep bunker:
Looking over to the 3rd green from the 2nd tee:
