The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
No. 4 hole at Pine Ridge is ace haven
Even novices have chance at hole-in-one
Chagrin Falls resident A. Dale Harsh began golfing in 1955. Then an Ohio State student, he signed up for a golf elective. Harsh, now 84, hadn’t recorded a hole-in-one in more than 60 years golfing.
Pine Ridge Country Club features one of Northeast Ohio’s best chances at an ace with its Par 4, 90-yard fourth hole. As it has been for many, the fourth was the site of an extraordinary feat for Harsh.
Harsh teed off with a wedge. His ball landed near the hole, and sank.
“When it hit, I think it must’ve been around five feet,” Harsh said. “It was very quick. It just rolled in the hole. It was weird.”
Pine Ridge golf pro Jen Irwin said the course is the site for five to eight aces per season. Nearly all of them come on the fourth hole. This year, golfers also recorded holes-in-one on some of the course’s longer Par 3’s — the 158-yard No. 11 and 218-yard No. 17.
But the fourth is without a doubt the most commonly aced hole.
Its distance, coupled with a flat green, makes it an easy hole to approach. Most golfers use a wedge, some a 9-iron, to take their shot at the putting surface.
“It’s such a short club that it’s just half a swing,” Irwin said. “Whether you use a tee with your ball or you just throw it down on the ground and hit it, I think it’s just a easy hole to swing at.”
The 90-yard Par 3’s tees are aligned nearly dead on to the green. Only a stretch of short rough lies between the tee and the green.
No trees obscure the ball’s flight toward the green.
A simple approach is best in an attempt to ace No. 4.
“I would probably hit right at it,” Irwin said. “If you (spin the ball back), I’d just take my sand wedge and kind of punch it right up to the hole, and just let it roll back to the hole.”
A 90-yard hole affords golfers the chance to attack the green with a shorter club, which allows for more forgiveness than swinging a longer iron.
Holes-in-one are rare, especially on courses with Par 3’s that roam longer than 200 yards. A short Par 3, like Pine Ridge’s No. 4, creates ideal conditions for casual players to make a memory.
“They don’t have a chance with those longer holes,” Irwin said. “So when you do have a shorter Par 3, it gives them a chance. I’ve been playing golf for 36 years and I’ve never had a hole-in-one.”
The high number of aces on No. 4 is a point of pride for Irwin. An opportunity to pick up a hole-in-one perhaps best embodies Pine Ridge’s accessibility to everyday golfers.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Irwin said. “Out here, we do get a lot of seniors and we do get a lot of players who have never played before so it gives them that opportunity to get close to a hole-inone, or two.”
Harsh was another golfer of many whose first ace dropped at Pine Ridge.
“It’s sort of weird,” Harsh said. “It’s something, all you try to do is hit the ball and get it on the green. When it gets in the hole, it just, I don’t know, It was just surprising.”
The other members of Harsh’s foursome witnessed his triumph, as did a foursome on a nearby green.
“Everybody saw it,” Harsh said. “They’re happy as (heck), you know, it’s a good feeling.”
Here are some other popular spots for aces around the coverage area:
Manakiki Golf Course
CITY » Willoughby ADDRESS » 35501 Eddy Road MOST POPULAR HOLE TO ACE » No. 5, Par 3, 138 yards MOST COMMON CLUB USED » Mid/long iron WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NO. 5 » The 138-yard fifth hole provides golfers ample opportunity to record a hole-in-one. Manakiki also sees holes-inone fall on No. 7, a 184-yard Par 3, but the majority come on No. 5. A well-placed shot with a 6- or 7-iron to the green, perhaps with a slight fade depending on pin location, can put a shot in the position to roll in the hole. No. 5 is handicapped as the second-easiest hole on the course. Tucked away in a corner, No. 5 does present a slight challenge with the presence of a bunker in the front-left of the hole.
Little Mountain Country Club
CITY » Painesville ADDRESS » 7667 Hermitage Road MOST POPULAR HOLE TO ACE » No. 12, Par 3, 123 yards MOST COMMON CLUB USED » Short iron WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NO. 12 » The 123-yard 12th at Little Mountain gives golfers a slight challenge but also offers plenty of reward as a common spot for holes-inone. Aces have also been record on Little Mountain’s lengthy 206-yard No. 6 and the 124-yard No. 14. No. 12 has been the site of two aces in one day, and is handicapped as the secondeasiest hole at Little Mountain Country Club. Trees ensconce the tee box, and a patch of trees dots the left rough near the hole’s midpoint, but none stand much in the way of a shot struck true to the green. A small bunker is nestled near the front left of the green, but the putting surface is large and prone to favorable rolls.
Painesville Country Club
CITY » Painesville ADDRESS » 84 Golf Drive MOST POPULAR HOLE TO ACE » No. 8, Par 3, 160 yards MOST COMMON CLUB USED » Long iron/wood WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NO. 8 » Painesville Country Club has a trio of holes prone to aces, but No. 8 has been the scene for many of its holes-in-one. The 112-yard No. 5 and 108-yard No. 14 have each had golfers ace them. Although No. 8 is longer at 181 yards, it’s home to more aces. Notably, one golfer aced it twice — from each the 160-yard gold tee and 181-yard black tee. No. 8 presents a challenge with water which intersects the first third of the hole, in front of the tee boxes. Trees flank the tee boxes, especially the black tee which narrows the window of flight for a tee shot. Two small bunkers lie in front of the green, to the left and right, while the green itself is on the smaller side compared to other Par 3’s. No. 8’s handicap is also lower than many of the more easily-aced Par 3’s, coming in as a the sixth-easiest hole at Painesville Country Club.
Black Brook Golf Course
CITY » Mentor ADDRESS » 8900 Lake Shore Boulevard MOST POPULAR HOLE TO ACE » No. 11, Par 3, 185 yards MOST COMMON CLUB USED » Long iron/wood WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NO. 11 » At Mentor’s Black Brook, where there’s been a flurry of holes-in-one lately, the 185-yard 11th stands out for its chances at an ace. Also a longer hole, holes-in-one have come on the 171-yard No. 17. Situated between No. 10 and No. 12, No. 11 provides a respite between the 284-yard 10th and a daunting Par 5, the 464-yard 12th. The tee box is nearly in line with the green, which allows golfers to swing their longer irons with a straight, clean swing. Water cuts through the 11th just before the green, which increases the need for loft as shots target the green. Bunkers flank the green on the left and back right, but the green is large. As long as a shot carries over the water, there’s a chance for it to seek the pin.
StoneWater Golf Club
CITY » Highland Heights ADDRESS » 1 Club Drive MOST POPULAR HOLE TO ACE » No. 6, Par 3, 141 yards MOST COMMON CLUB USED » Mid/long iron WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NO. 6 » StoneWater’s one of the area’s hottest spots for holes in one, primarily No. 6. At 160 yards, No. 11 also offers the possibility for a hole-in-one — although slightly more challenging with a touch more distance and a smaller green. No. 6 is handicapped as the fourth-easiest hole at StoneWater. At 141 yards from the white tee, a bunker stretches almost entirely around the right half of the green. A small dot of sand lies beyond the green, while there’s another moderate sand trap near the front left. But the green is large and inviting and if a golfer puts his or her shot on the surface, there’s a chance. As one club staff puts it, the No.6 green is like a bowl — “everything rolls in.”