Cleveland Golfer's Bible 5th Edition

Excerpts from

Brandywine Country Club

Par 3 Course

(330) 657-2525

Area: Far South City: Peninsula Cost: $$$$ Difficulty: ••

Address: 5555 Akron-Peninsula Rd., Peninsula

Specials: Senior specials: 18 hole special Mon–Fri before 12 p.m.; 9 hole special Mon–Fri before 2 p.m.

Season: Year-round, weather permitting Hours: Sunrise–sunset Tee times: Taken, up to 2 weeks in advance Leagues: Mon–Thu 3:45–6 p.m. May–Aug Ranger: Weekends Practice facil: Putting Green Clubhouse: Food, Beer, Liquor, Pavilion Outings: Available Lessons: Available Pro: Jim Bricker

Directions: I-271 to Exit 12 for SR 303 (Streetsboro Rd.); east on SR 303;

right (south) on Akron-Peninsula Rd. (also called S. Locust St.); on left.

Description

In the parking lot on a summer day, license plates give an indication of this course's drawing power: Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Portage, Huron, and Wayne counties are all there.

The front side offers a rolling, tree-lined, and well-maintained nine holes; the back side is legendary for its unusual holes that claw up and down hillsides, drop over cliffs, and steal balls from all but the most accurate players. In the pro shop is a shirt emblazoned with “I Survived the Back Nine at Brandywine.”

If the Z-hole here—the 545-yard par 5 that is impossible to eagle—is legendary, it's also, like other holes on the back side, a novelty. The tee shot is a short iron, and the green is hidden and unreachable for the second shot. Approaches from sidehill/uphill lies are not uncommon on the back nine.

Peninsula is a pretty little town off the beaten path. And Brandywine's drama is attractive.

Highlights

For players taken with the sensual beauty of courses, get the first tee time on a weekday. The gorgeous, deep-green front nine, sparkling with dew and framed on one side by tall, tree-covered hills, is awe inspiring. The game begins with a straightaway 376-yard par 4. The fairway rises past a century oak on the right side. Even though it should not come into play, it may stay in players' memories: it is a magnificent old tree. The fairway is generously wide on this hole, and the green slopes slightly forward. Sand marks the right edge.

The front nine is lovely, but the heroic shots and bragging rights come from the back nine. It opens with a 347-yard par 4. From a slightly elevated tee the fairway is straight, though narrow as it nears the green. Woods on either side and an equipment barn on the right emphasize the importance of staying in the fairway. Water comes into play in the last 100 yards, where a creek runs parallel to the fairway. There is sand at the right side of the green.

No. 12 is short, a 277-yard par 4. Cottonwood and poplars provide shade on the tee; hickories and oaks fill the woods on either side. To the left rear of the green, and not visible from the tee, is a lake. The ground behind the green falls away to the water. It's at this hole players realize the game is moving deeper into the hills that previously only lined the fairways.

At No. 13, the fairway dips in front of the tee, then shoots up and veers right. It's a 350-yard dogleg to the right and not one that tempts drivers to clear the elbow. The first couple hundred yards are all up—at about a 45-degree angle. On both sides of the fairway, tee to green, mature hardwoods begin where rough ends. Leaving the narrow fairway at any point can add a substantial number of strokes.

No. 15 is only 148 yards, but it can be reached with a well-hit short iron; the tee box is virtually the edge of a cliff, and the green is 150 feet below. Maintenance and conditioning are problematic on the back nine and this tee is a good example, with its rubber mats. This is one of the signature holes here and is pictured on the scorecard.

Between the 13th tee and the 16th green is the Ohio version of the Khyber Pass. The famous Z-hole—No. 16, a 545-yard par 5 (and number two handicap)—is played on a valley floor. Its fairway goes out straight about 200 yards, takes a sharp right to the 150-yard marker, then an equally sharp left toward a green with sand on the left side. The fairway on this hole is narrow and seems more so because the valley walls rise on both sides. Walking off this green with a 5 is wholly satisfactory.

On the other side of the road is a par 3 course recently created by the Yesberger family on what had previously been a practice area.

Brandywine has a juniors program that should be copied and instituted at every course. Lee Yesberger and her corps of teachers and rangers give kids the opportunity to learn well and play fairly the greatest game in history. She runs tournaments, holds parties, and keeps records for her junior players at the log-cabin clubhouse built in front of the practice green. Lots of golfers, years from now, are going to think warm thoughts about the grandmotherly Mrs. Yesberger, the woman who introduced them to golf.