Visiting Cincinnati May 2-5 - Course Recommendations (or anyone looking to play)

[Criss Titschinger]

There are threads out there, just not a whole lot. In a state of great private golf, Cincinnati is a bit lacking with the obvious exception of Camargo and I would say Hyde Park.

There was a Camargo thread a few years ago that is excellent. There was a recent thread on Coldstream, which is the first I've really seen of the course. Jason did a great tour of Clovernook. And I think there's a limited one of Hyde Park too.

I could do a thread on Maketewah is there's any interest. There are a few really good holes and some okay ones. A couple of the newer holes are a bit schizophrenic from the rest of the course, but I think they're better holes than their predecessors. For me, that club is more about having a good members course with nice amenities and a friendly atmosphere. The Brian Silva designed practice facility built in partnership with Xavier University is one of the best in the U.S.

[Will Lozier]

Given the Donald Sterling controversy, this might not be the best week to play with the Colin Cowherd of GCA.

You're a legend in your own mind Jason. 

[Jason Thurman]

Guilty as charged, although I don't spend nearly as much time thinking about me as you do. You should play that TWGS event in Tennessee in May. You and Ben would love swapping stories for four hours. The only thing missing would be Garland.

[Nigel Islam]

Given the Donald Sterling controversy, this might not be the best week to play with the Colin Cowherd of GCA.

You're a legend in your own mind Jason. 

Will, I stuck him with that moniker so he did not nickname himself.  Although, I am expecting a "two for the road "on this thread.

[Richard Hetzel]

Is 18 at Fox Run a hard dogleg left? I am trying to figure out which hole it is so I can learn from it.

That would be 17. Equally, if not more, terrible.

[Jason Thurman]

Richard, do you have any clue what Fox Run has been doing with their 18th hole? I've seen some aerials lately that show all kinds of changes to it, none of which would appear to improve it much. From what I can gather, it looks like they had a temporary par 3 in place that played across the same land that the old tee shot would have played across, and they also appear to have cleared a new fairway that plays to the original green that will stay to the right of the pond throughout once it's grown in. Imagine the old sliver of fairway that fronted the green just extending straight back all the way to the tee and that's what the aerial appears to show.

That's just what I can glean from the satellite image though, so I don't know if my impression is correct. You may be surprised to hear this, but I don't make it a point to play there often...

[JLahrman]

Matt,

Thanks for that...I will definitely take you up on that offer.  Our pro sends a group over there pretty regularly each season.  He's a big fan of the course and has been telling me to make it over.

Definitely don't pass up an offer to see Moraine.

[Will Lozier]

Guilty as charged, although I don't spend nearly as much time thinking about me as you do. You should play that TWGS event in Tennessee in May. You and Ben would love swapping stories for four hours. The only thing missing would be Garland.

Oh I think you are certainly wrong about that.  Maybe I will...as long as I'm not stuck with you, your massive "ego", and your sad game.  Oh, and your Avatar! 

[Matt Meyer]

The offer to play Moraine extends to any GCA'aer, it is an impressive piece of property. Those that are interested feel free to reach out, the weather will break soon.

[Tom Allen]

Matt will probably kill me for saying this, but I second or third taking him up on the offer.  My one trip to Moraine impressed me tremendously.  Just a fantastic course all around.  In fact, I plan on taking Matt up on the offer myself!

(As an aside, I was the one who posted the really poor photo tour of Coldstream.  I'll be able to play it again this year, and this time I'll take a proper camera and try to capture the some more correct angles and fill in some missing shots, instead of just taking random snapshots with a phone.).

[Josh Tarble]

Tom,
How do you think Coldstream stacks up in the hierarchy of Cincinnati courses?  I don't know a ton of people that have played it.

[BHoover]

The offer to play Moraine extends to any GCA'aer, it is an impressive piece of property. Those that are interested feel free to reach out, the weather will break soon.

Matt, when does Keith Foster start work on the Moraine restoration? After seeing his presentation, I suspect the members must be salivating over what they will have post-restoration. It was already very impressive after the tree removal. But the course should be exceptional when he's finished.

[JLahrman]

Tom,
How do you think Coldstream stacks up in the hierarchy of Cincinnati courses?  I don't know a ton of people that have played it.

Will be interesting to see the responses for this...I have played Camargo, Coldstream, and Kenwood along with the vast majority of the publics. I have NOT played Clovernook, Hyde Park, or Maketewah. Coldstream is certainly worth a play and can be a very challenging course if you're looking to test your game. I'm not sure how it stacks up to Hyde Park or Clovernook from a GCA perspective though.

[Matt Meyer]

Brian,

Hope you're well and warm in Minnesota my friend. There's tremendous excitement amongst the membership about the restoration, all 18 holes will be open till aprox June 14, 2015. At that point holes 4-7 and 13-17 will shut down, leaving a 9 hole course consisting of1,2,3,8,9,10,11,12,18. Construction/Restoration will begin on the temp 9 hole after the July 4 weekend. The entire restoration is slated to be complete by May 2016.

[Tom Allen]

Tom,
How do you think Coldstream stacks up in the hierarchy of Cincinnati courses?  I don't know a ton of people that have played it.

It is solid.  Quite solid.  Great firm but receptive greens, and some very interesting contours or slopes.  Of the courses I've played (and that does not include Camargo), I think it has several great holes, many very very good ones, and just a couple that are kind of 'run-of-mill' or otherwise semi-ordinary.  They seem to like it to play fast and firm, too, which is a bonus.  They could really use a good tree-clearing to open up some sight lines, but I  still really really like the place.  Camargo clear no. 1 by consensus, then for me it is Coldstream at No. 2, Maketewah, Hyde Park, Kenwood, and several others vying for the next spots.  I am sure I am missing some of the other major ones, but that would be my personal ranking.  To me, Coldstream's exclusivity (still below Camargo though) probably plays a part in my ranking, as well as my being a close friend of one of the founding members.

Going outside of Cincinnati and including Dayton, it would be Camargo, Moraine, Coldstream, NCR, then many others closely following.

[Chris DeToro]

I've played Coldstream, but none of the other Cincinnati area courses (though I've played most of the Dayton area courses).  Overall, in general outside of Cincinnati, I agree--Coldstream is really solid.  I don't remember a lot of stand out holes, but rather, a lot of stout, solid holes.  The vibe of the club is nice too

[Josh Tarble]

Tom,
Very interesting.  As I've said several times I think Hyde Park is really, really good so I will make it a point to play Coldstream.  I think what's really apparent is that Cincinnati is blessed with several good to very good courses.  Much more than I originally thought and it shouldn't be overlooked as a golf town.

[JLahrman]

Tom,
Very interesting.  As I've said several times I think Hyde Park is really, really good so I will make it a point to play Coldstream.  I think what's really apparent is that Cincinnati is blessed with several good to very good courses.  Much more than I originally thought and it shouldn't be overlooked as a golf town.

It's not as bad as some on here seem to think. The quality of the public courses isn't what it is in some other cities. Certainly not what you have in Indianapolis. But there are several decent courses with appropriate price points. On the private side Camargo's reputation is well-earned. There is nothing of real national stature after that, but I've heard great things about Hyde Park and Clovernook. Coldstream is worth a look. Maketewah too.

[Josh Tarble]

Joel,
Clovernook and Hyde Park are both definitely worth playing.  Clovernook if only for their greens, but also an excellent example of an interesting routing.  Hyde Park has some of the most fun holes I've played. 

It sounds like Coldstream needs to be put on my list as well. 

[JLahrman]

After growing up in Cincinnati and living in the area for probably 25-30 years total, I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't played Hyde Park or Clovernook. My dad caddied at Clovernook as a teenager and took up golf as a result. I doubt I would have ever started playing golf had he not been a caddy at Clovernook.

As for Hyde Park, my brother and I tried to sneak on a few times back in our felonious teenage years, but we were never able to find a good enough spot to jump the fence without arousing suspicion. It's a tough sneak.

Coldstream I've played a handful of times, and not in at least 20 years, but it would definitely be worth your while to try.

[Zack Molnar]

I've played all of the Cincy courses growing up there, with various HS tourneys and matches at the courses, and our home course was HP. With the restoration of HP, i think its the second best in the city, with Camargo quite a ways ahead. I have not had a chance to play HP in past two years, but I have heard they have done some nice tree removal which has opened up the back nine, which will definitely help.

As far as Coldstream, it is a very good course with a lot of stout holes. As someone mentioned, great club, which a very understated feel. Definitely a must play in Cincy, as long with HP and Camargo if you can get the access.

Im very interested in the changes to Maketewah. Its been years since I've played it. Always had some funky holes on a funky property, but definitely a lot of fun holes as well. The local US open qualifier has been played there for years. What all have they done to the place?

[Criss Titschinger]

Im very interested in the changes to Maketewah. Its been years since I've played it. Always had some funky holes on a funky property, but definitely a lot of fun holes as well. The local US open qualifier has been played there for years. What all have they done to the place?

Zack,

Check out this post I did a few months ago. Should give you a quick taste on what's been done there.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59344.msg1411951.html#msg1411951

[Richard Hetzel]

Richard, do you have any clue what Fox Run has been doing with their 18th hole? I've seen some aerials lately that show all kinds of changes to it, none of which would appear to improve it much. From what I can gather, it looks like they had a temporary par 3 in place that played across the same land that the old tee shot would have played across, and they also appear to have cleared a new fairway that plays to the original green that will stay to the right of the pond throughout once it's grown in. Imagine the old sliver of fairway that fronted the green just extending straight back all the way to the tee and that's what the aerial appears to show.

That's just what I can glean from the satellite image though, so I don't know if my impression is correct. You may be surprised to hear this, but I don't make it a point to play there often...

I have not played there in years, it's not close to my house and have played when invited by a friend who doesn't come into town all that often.

[Richard Hetzel]

Tom,
How do you think Coldstream stacks up in the hierarchy of Cincinnati courses?  I don't know a ton of people that have played it.

It's a VERY SOLID course, but needs some trees thinned out IMHO.

[John Nixon]

Yes, I'm resurrecting a 10 year old thread.


Several mentions here of Indian Ridge, a public course just south of Oxford OH on US 27. I played it in 2007 and it was not in good shape, and I didn't remember much of it. Played it yesterday as it was roughly halfway between my house and an old friend's house who I was meeting to play.


I came away much more impressed with the course. Some challenging terrain utilized with a good variety of uphill and downhill holes. Maybe a few more blind shots than would be ideal. Fortunately we were paired with a couple of guys who knew the course and helped us with our aim. Generous fairway widths and while there are a lot of trees on the property they don't often impinge on shots in the vicinity of the fairways. In trying to compare to central Indiana courses I'm familiar with I keep coming up with The Fort, at least in terms of terrain. I'm not saying it's as good a design as The Fort.


Conditioning was excellent, particularly in light of the lack of rain the area has been experiencing. Several of the retention ponds on the course have been seriously drawn down to maintain the grass. 


The course in probably not walkable. The hills would add a bit of difficulty, but the routing is the main problem with walking.  A few very long green to next tee walks. Certainly not a must-play course, but definitely on my list to get back to or when someone needs a recommendation for a nice public course in SW Ohio.