Hawthorne Valley Golf Club

Hawthorne Valley is a nice course in a beautiful area...course is a bit pricey with regular rates, so the GolfNow discount helps. I recommend it.

A Donal Ross design built in 1927, I believe. If all you've played are courses of "modern" design, or you have a thing for historic designers, you gotta get here! As soon as you pull in the drive you get the feeling you're in for something special. I absolutely love this place. Quintessential Ross. The design takes full advantage of the topography, which is quite hilly, with Ross's penchant for small greens. Very challenging! Also the clubhouse is gorgeous.
I must say a word about the customer service. Superlative! I made the mistake of booking a round for the wrong day and was trying to get a refund from GolfNow. Bob, who runs the pro shop, went to the trouble of running down the starter, checking the time sheet, determined that we did not play, and returned GolfNow's phone call, all to help out a total stranger, me! I made a point of thanking him personally when we played there the next week. We will be back!

Classic Donald Ross design that until recently wasn't available to the public. Course was in excellent condition the day we played despite a challenging summer with high heat and little rain. Staff friendly, decent practice facility, good carts. Overall a very good value and a fun, challenging layout.

This course is a great Donald Ross designed course. It is challenging, kept in good condition and tucked away is Solon. For a woman golfer it is a bit punishing because there are very few holes that give a woman an advantage but I am willing to play the course any time I can because it is beautiful, unique and challenging. In addition the head starter treats you well and tries to introduce you to your playing partners like you would get at a country club - Pat contributes to the wonderful atmosphere at the course. It is absolutely one of the best public courses in the Cleveland area.

Very interesting and challenging course, with lots of blind dog legs and tricky lay up situations.  Like all Donald Ross courses, the course is designed to penalize the golfer who tries to take too much, and is forgiving to the golfer who doesn't hit long drives or fairway woods (as long as they stay safely on the proper fairway)

The greens are extremely challenging, with many contours and levels, and most are strategically protected by bunkers that are just big enough to block the most likely route for a pitch and roll.  Many greens are also elevated above the fairway, making anything left short die immediately or maddenly roll back down  the slope.

Unfortunately, like many present day D.R. courses, trees have been allowed to impede many shots that Ross intended to be allowed, making it too difficult to get out of trouble from an adjoining fairway or even nearby rough.  

Ross intended to make his courses challenging AND forgiving, but that aspect is largely gone at Hawthorne due to the preponderance of mature trees lining fairways originally designed to remain open.  The new trees that have been planted only reinforce and reveal the intent of the current management to lock the course down into a narrowness never intended by the architect.