Wedgewood Golf & Country Club - Ohio - USA

There are two Robert Trent Jones II courses in Ohio, and both were ordered by the same developer at the same time. The major difference between the two, to the advantage of Wedgewood’s membership, is the parcel on which the younger RTJ got to work. Although Jones is want to include bells and whistles in his projects, the land here—rolling hills not dissimilar from nearby Muirfield Village—convinced him (at least partially) from relying too heavily upon artificiality. Instead, as Macdonald deemed right, the land will reward and punish accordingly.

No. 13 is certainly more eye-catching on Google Maps than most holes at the course, but the three bunkers dividing the front foot of the fairway will not—and should not—threaten the player hitting from the tee. It becomes obvious upon approach, however, that they were a distraction all along. Your correspondent wound up nicely, but a slight tilt in the turf, hidden by the hazard, could have converted a seemingly ideal drive into a nightmare by bouncing it aggressively in the larger, and more realistically-reachable bunker on the right. Two feet of good fortune benefitted this player. No. 15 is one of several very reachable Par 5s, which requires less trickery on Jones’s part; the final stretch of the fairway banks right toward a collection pond. Bigger hitters can avoid the risk of running up a fairway wood, but they find their own pitfalls by ending up too far up the back of the green...prompting a downhill putt on greens reported as “10” on the Stimp.

The lengthy, rolling green at No. 9—another short Par 5—features the best of these greens, and demonstrates the importance of accuracy that is also reflected in the collection areas, and precise demands of tee shots. Local knowledge is earned, and it reflected among my hosts, who eagerly discussed skins. Your correspondent didn’t get to sample the local sand until No. 17 (those not playing from the Championship tees will find this to be the only short of significant length variance from the others), and it was about as cushy as it looked...a soft hazard, hardly damning the par chances. Matches at Wedgewood are made in the rolls of the fairway, not here.

Perhaps feeling pressure after installing a bizarre, boomerang-greened at the cross-town country club, Trent Jones II tries to beef up the final Par 5, sitting on a rare, flat plot, a little too much, pinching the final fairway between two irrigation ponds and reflecting his father’s occasionally-forced penal nature. When given good ground to work with, however, he manages a track that will make year-round play worthwhile for membership.

Wedgewood is kind of what one would picture as the ideal modern day designed country club. There's some definite man-made influence with the land that's detectable in some of the dips and rises with the hills across the property, but it's done an aesthetically pleasing way while offering up a very fair challenge. I believe if you can shape the golf ball both ways on command, this is a course it's possible to go very low on. Particularly a cut, as having a fade in your arsenal should allow for solid eagle looks on each Par 5, with definite birdie chances. One of those Par 5's is the 18th, which is a pretty epic hole on approach. A 200-250 yard approach in with the gorgeous clubhouse framing a large green with a massive pond on the right is a great way to end the day. The water hazards make a few holes beautiful, including 18, 9 (which runs parallel to 18), 4, 8, and 12. It's a very-well maintained course, and while not on a level of nearby Muirfield Village, deserves its recognition as a terrific private track.