Designed by Canadian architect Stanley Thompson in the 1920s, the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course opened as a private country club on property rented from the local authority before it became public in 1963.
Overall rating
Designed by Canadian architect Stanley Thompson in the 1920s, the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course opened as a private country club on property rented from the local authority before it became public in 1963.
Sleepy Hollow Golf Course
Sleepy Hollow is one of two designs from Golden Age greats to be featured among Cleveland’s municipal offerings (the other is Donald Ross’s Manakiki). Stanley Thompson came down from Canada for several northern Ohio projects, and contributed the second nine holes to the relatively new Sleepy Hollow Golf Club. Thompson’s holes now comprise the opening nine at the course, and his influence can be seen, particularly on the par threes.
The architect was noted for identifying the locations for his short hole greens before anything else, and the dramatic carries across glacier-hewn valleys are notable here (although players will appreciate walking across the long bridges across these valleys, similar to another Sleepy Hollow). The topographic features are present across the property, including a nearly 70-foot deep “canyon” on the inside of the dogleg par five at No. 14, which once counted it among the most-discussed holes in the region.
This topography also led to the institution of Cuyahoga Valley National Park during the late ‘90s, long after the area had been inhabited. This means that Sleepy Hollow is one of just a few golf courses in the United States that sits on National Park land. “Find your park” indeed...and play golf in it as well!