 THE GOLF CLUB AT STONELICK HILLS (513) 735-4653
Ohio golf course review
The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills was designed by Jeff Osterfeld with visions of a pure golf environment, not a real estate deal disguised as a Golf Club. There are only a few home sites located on the perimeter of the course, not in plain view of the golfer, leaving this layout virtually undisturbed by residential development. Ranked 4th Best Public Access Golf Course in State of Ohio by Golf Week, and tied for 7th in America's Top Ten Best New Public Golf Courses for 2005 by Golf Digest, Stonelick Hills is a premier golf facility in the tri-state area. Stonelick has also been voted "best practice area" in the Midwest Region of the United States by PGA Professionals Guide to Travel in 2007. Most recently Stonelick Hills was ranked #2 Public Golf Course in Ohio by Golf Digest Magazine 2015/2016 and ranked #1 Public Golf Course in Ohio by golf Advisor 2016, ranked #1 in the State of Ohio by Golf Advisor 2017 and #35 in the world (all Public Golf Courses) by Golf Advisor in 2018.
Nicely sculpted, tree lined fairways wind around the hilly, mounded terrain and lead to deep crevasses just before L93 bent grass greens. Bunkering is not overstated, but these sculpted, shapely sand traps stand out with steep walls and thick rough surrounding. Although there are some flat surfaces leading to the greens, the approach is often challenged by steep valleys that drop off about 75 yards out. The flatter Green complexes may be easier to land the ball on, however, the more elevated platforms feature large drop offs on all sides of the green, resulting in challenging up and downs.
This par 72 layout features five par 3s, and five par 5s including three of each on the back nine. From the tips, 5 of the 8 par fours measure over 400 yards, including the 502 yard 5th. There are 5 sets of tee areas with the tips playing to 7145 yards with a 133 slope. Alternate sets measure in distance and slope - 6817 yards/131 slope, 6483 yards/ 129 slope, 5841yards/ 116 slope and 5116 yards with a slope of 118 for women hitting from the front tees.
Clubhouse amenities include a fully stocked pro shop, banquet facilities, and Stoney's Pub - open 9 am till 6 pm during the golf season, a crow's nest patio with aerial views of the 9th and 18th greens, and a friendly staff. The state of the art practice facilities features a full 1-1/2 acres of beautiful bent grass tee space with eight target greens of varying distance, and a practice fairway bunker. There is also short game practice green with a sand bunker for chipping and putting, and a putting only green near the 1st tee. We don't often get to practice out of the long grass, this practice area provides hitting stations set up in the bluegrass rough.
Yardage on the course is well marked including 150 yard stakes, sprinkler heads, and random markers spread across the fairways which are measured to the center of the green. A pin location diagram provided to players designates 6 different pin placements. Forty four soft sand bunkers are in play near fairway landing zones and mostly greenside. There are also some large ponds and flowing streams to contend with - water is in play on 12 holes.
Before you play, have a look at their website and click on 'Tour The Course' for a description of each hole. Yardage books are also available in the proshop. For more info, visit our page for the course, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
|
