Golf Courses in Cleveland – Overview of top courses

December 15, 2017

Cleveland is one of America’s great sports towns – including plenty of golf lovers with a strong list of great golf courses in Cleveland. The Cavaliers and their star player LeBron James brought the city its first championship in any major sport in 2016, and while the Indians have gotten close a few times, they haven’t managed to bring home a World Series trophy just yet. But, perhaps someday both they and the Browns can follow the Cavs’ footsteps with some championship rings of their own.

 

Golf courses in Cleveland doesn’t quite have the same deep roster of classic, private clubs found in other great Midwest cities like Columbus, Detroit or Chicago. But even with limited options, the Canterbury Golf Club in Beechwood and The Country Club in Pepper Pike offer an excellent one-two punch.

 

Golf courses in Cleveland are among the best of Ohio’s three major cities, using a diverse and deep pool of courses to edge out Cincinnati and Columbus. Plus, Cleveland is home to Ohio’s only real golf resort, the Quail Hollow Resort in Painesville, east of downtown. Guests can stay at the 172-room hotel and gain access to the nearby private Quail Hollow Country Club with both its Weiskopf-Morrish Course and Devlin-Von Hagge Course. The Little Mountain Golf Club by Ohio’s Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, and Fowler’s Mill Golf Course by Pete Dye, are also close by in Concord and Chesterland, respectively, to provide more options.

 

A stellar collection of municipal and metropark courses gives area golfers great bang for their buck. Two of the game’s legendary designers from the Golden Age of Architecture—Canadian Stanley Thompson and native Scotsman Donald Ross—designed interesting, classic courses surrounding Cleveland. Each one has been incredibly well preserved over the years.

 

Thompson’s Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville might be the best of the bunch. The rolling hills and deep ravines of the Cuyahoga River Valley allow the 6,723-yard, par-71 course to disappear from civilization. It was a private club on land leased from the Cleveland Metroparks system until turning public in 1963. The Metropark’s other gem, Manakiki Golf Course in Willoughby Hills, followed a similar path. The Ross course was private until opening its doors to all.

 

The Hawthorne Valley Golf Club in Solon is another Ross playground. Although somewhat short, tiny greens and narrow fairways give players fits, offering a terrific challenge for your accuracy and a chance to use nearly every club in your bag.

 

More gems ring the outskirts of the surrounding suburbs – the Legacy Course at Sweetbriar Golf Club west of Cleveland in Avon Lake, and the Windmill Lakes Golf Club, the home course of the Kent State University’s golf teams in Ravenna.

 

Away from golf, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame adds credence to the slogan that “Cleveland Rocks.” And a few rounds on classic courses in this Lake Erie metro will prove that several golf courses in Cleveland rocks, too.