Ohio Golf Journal October 2019

opened the South course as a compliment to the Bluffs course. The South is a little over a mile away from its predecessor, but the courses couldn’t be more different. The Bluffs, designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith, opened in 1999. It is far more challenging than the South, though the ratings, 75.7 for The Bluffs and 75.6 for the South, are almost identical. Dana Fry and Jason Straka designed, the South. At 7,412 yards it is 112 yards longer than the Bluffs but there’s a big difference in slope. The Bluffs’ is rated 146, the South comes in at 132. Both are par- 72s for men, while the women’s par on the Bluffs is 73. The Bluffs has four tee placements for men and two for women. The South HAS ÚVE TEE PLACEMENTS FOR MEN three for women. The numbers don’t mean much ONCE YOU HIT YOUR ÚRST TEE SHOT on either course. I really like the South, which unlike the Bluffs has no water views and features very generous fairways. The South was designed two nine-hole loops, MEANING EACH NINE ÚNISHES AT THE clubhouse, the Bluffs does not. While the South has 112 bunkers, it is more user friendly. The bunkers aren’t as deep as those on the Bluffs, but they are similar. The putting surfaces are extensive on both courses, but the undulations are more tricky on the Bluffs. Which is better; Arcadia or Forest Dunes, the Bluffs or the South, The Loop or the Weiskopf? Who knows, and who cares? It just gives golfers one more topic to discuss over their favorite refreshment in the 19th hole. One thing is certain, however, both facilities are so good that all serious golfers should give them a try and form their own opinions.