Laid out on a rolling landscape to the southeast of Cleveland, the tree-lined fairways at Sugar Bush Golf Club comprise one of the region’s sportier layouts. It’s a lightly bunkered track, with water coming into play at three holes.
Overall rating
Laid out on a rolling landscape to the southeast of Cleveland, the tree-lined fairways at Sugar Bush Golf Club comprise one of the region’s sportier layouts. It’s a lightly bunkered track, with water coming into play at three holes.
Sugar Bush
Sugar Bush Golf Club is proud of its heritage as a “gem,” offering low greens fees to Garrettsville, Ohio (and to residents of Cleveland willing to make the relatively short drive in that direction). Designer Harold Paddock was heavily focused in northern Ohio, and Sugar Bush may be the crowning achievement in his collection.
Camp Creek is the defining feature of the property, providing all the water hazards experienced during a round. At No. 6, players must position themselves off the tee well, or else the creek may catch an approach shot that doesn’t draw enough to come into the putting surface. Coming back in the opposite direction, No. 7 — the top handicap hole — forces smaller hitters to consider laying up short of the creek or going for the 450-yard par four in two. Even the first hole will have players thinking right out of the gate: At just 490 yards, it is more than reachable as a par five, but of course Camp Creek will force some deeper consideration.
Between the two nines, players will spend equal time in more open parts of the property along with those featuring more tree-lined corridors.