Akron / Cleveland OH Golf Weekend

  Sand Ridge GC

Golf Digest, 5/10

My Town: Ben Curtis

As a former British Open champ attests, northeast Ohio has more to offer golfers than you might think

By Dave Shedloski
Photo courtesy of Sand Ridge GC
May 24, 2010

[Fat Guy Note:  It irks me when they ask a tour pro for course recommendations and all they can spout is private club after private club you'll never get on.  For what it's worth, here's Ben Curtis on his hometown stomping grounds.]

Asking Ben Curtis for recommendations on where to play golf is like asking Clint Eastwood about favorite movies. They both have a lifetime of experience from which to draw.

Curtis practically grew up on the tiny course his family owns in Ostrander, Ohio, northwest of Columbus. Before he became an All-American at Kent State, and won the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George's, Curtis was known for sneaking out at night in his pajamas to practice putting on the greens at Mill Creek GC, where he started playing the course his grandfather designed at age 3.

Having kept a permanent home in northeast Ohio, in Stow, Curtis has a particularly good grasp of the best golf in the area.

COURSES

I have to start at Firestone CC, in Akron, 1) because I'm a member; 2) because it's got a tour stop; and 3) because it has three courses, and they are all good. I like the style of the South Course, where we play the Bridgestone Invitational, but I actually play more on the new West Course. Tom Fazio designed it. It's less crowded, and it has the best greens. There are some good views, too. With some of the elevation changes, you feel like you're above the famous Firestone water tower.

[TravelGolf.com Note:  If you happen to be or know a ClubCorp member, Firestone is a ClubCorp facility, which means that the approximately 80,000 members of ClubCorp business and country clubs potentially have access to the 54-hole facility. Although access to the famed Championship South Course at Firestone is limited, the other two courses at Firestone – the North and West – have good pedigrees as well and would be worth the upgrade to Signature Gold membership to play.]

Probably one of my favorites anywhere is Canton Brookside CC. It's a Donald Ross with really fast greens. Hit it 10 feet above any hole and you're cooked.

I like Cleveland's Pepper Pike Club, even though its sister course, The Country Club, is more famous. The designs are similar, but Pepper Pike has a prettier look, more ornamentals and flowers, almost like Augusta National.

A couple of others to check out are Congress Lake Club and Sand Ridge, in Chardon. Congress Lake is one of those good courses no one really knows about, another neat Donald Ross layout. Fazio designed Sand Ridge, which has a good look to it.

WHERE TO STAY

Bertram Inn at Glenmoor in Canton is a pretty popular spot for the tour players when they're in town. It's a gothic building that was converted from a monastery into a hotel... In downtown Cleveland the best choice might be the Renaissance Hotel, which is one of the city's landmarks.

DON'T MISS

The must-see stop in Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. I know people who could spend a whole day there.

   Rock-&-Roll HOF

Next door is the Great Lakes Science Center... There is also Cedar Point in Sandusky. It's an old-style amusement park that bills itself as the "Roller Coaster Capital of the World."

Dining:
A place I like after playing at Pepper Pike is Sara's Place. It's known for its homemade pasta and great Italian food... Nick Anthe's, in Akron, is a good seafood place, and it has a cozy bar, too... Diamond Grille deserves a mention. Great steaks and chops. Tour players go there a lot... Russo's in Peninsula, a tiny town near Stow, has really good Cajun food and Italian soul food.

Pubs:
I don't get out to many, but one place worth checking out is Hook, Line & Drinkers on the Portage Lakes in Akron. It's a laid-back place with some good seafood... The Olde Harbor Inn nearby is also good, with the Lighthouse Bar & Grille and Marina Bar & Grill. They also are known for their seafood.

Fat Guy Research:  Golf:  For a fairly complete guide to Cleveland public golf, check out www.golfclevelandohio.com.  This local golf blog lists info on most if not all Cleveland area golf courses, complete with their own smiley face/emoticon course rating system, although the course descriptions are less than descriptive and often end up sounding very similar, bogged down with too many descriptions of individual holes and shots.  It's still the best one-spot guide to Cleveland golf I've found.  Their Cleveland faves:  Aurora, Avalon Lakes, Blue Heron, Boulder Creek, Deer Ridge, Eagle Creek, Fowler's Mill, Grey Hawk, Hawk's Nest, Hawthorne Valley, Kennsington, Firestone Farms, Little Mountain, Manakiki, Pine Hills, Quarry, Sanctuary, Shale Creek, Sleepy Hollow, and Stonewater.

Grub:  Jimmy Buffet lists the SKY WAY DRIVE IN in Akron as one of the 10 best cheeseburgers on the planet.  "It seemed fitting that in the hotbed of Parrot Heads in Northeastern Ohio, there had to be a great cheeseburger."