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Course Review: Grantwood Offers Value, Challenge for Golfers of All Levels

With rates of $36 for 18 holes and a cart during the week and $42 before 2 p.m. ($35 after 2 p.m.) on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, Grantwood won't break your budget

My first tee shot of the golf season ended up on the driving range at Grantwood. Not to worry -- a mulligan was immediately granted by my playing partner. The second shot stayed in bounds but there were several more to follow.

The scorecard was a secondary consideration during my round at Grantwood, a course I have played many times over the years. Grantwood has always been a favorite of Solon residents and golfers from all over Northeast Ohio and Wednesday's near-80-degree temperatures under a sunny sky brought out a large turnout of players.

Grantwood is both affordable and a challenge for players of all skill levels. Named by Golf Magazine as one of the Top Five Courses You Can Play in Cleveland Under $50, the course plays at 6,429 yards from the blues and 6,200 yards from the whites. The senior tees top out at 5,645 and the ladies' tees are at 5,106 yards.

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With rates of $36 for 18 holes and a cart during the week and $42 before 2 p.m. ($35 after 2 p.m.) on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, Grantwood won't break your budget. Rates for juniors (18 and under) and seniors (60 and over) are just $27 during the week.

During my round, I became re-acquainted with some of Grantwood's tougher holes. The second hole, a 396-yard par 4, is rated as just the No. 10 handicap hole, but it plays much tougher with a tee shot that must avoid a creek running through the fairway and an uphill second shot. A par here is a solid score. 

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The third hole was once a very short par 4 but is now a 391-yard test with a narrow driving area and a pond fronting the green, earning the hole a No. 2 handicap rating. The scenic, 165-yard par 3 seventh hole is another toughie with a lightning-fast green guarded by traps and water.

The back nine is open but it plays long. The course's No. 1 handicap hole is the 391-yard, par 4 13th. A drive must avoid a creek at the bottom of a hill and the second shot is even tougher to a green framed by trees. The par 5 15th hole is a 549-yard tester, the No. 3 handicap hole.

With more than 40 bunkers and water coming into play on 10 holes, Grantwood requires shotmaking skills but doesn't overpower the average golfer. This could be why men's, women's, juniors, seniors and couples leagues all play at the course, which is owned and operated by the city of Solon.

Don Holub and his staff have done an admirable job getting the layout in playing condition this spring after the rain-soaked month of April put the course maintenance staff behind the eight-ball.

Grantwood also offers one of the area's best driving range facilities, open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. The range is open year-round with 15 covered and heated stations and multiple target greens. Best of all, there is nearly an acre of natural grass to hit from.

Assistant pros T.J. Tabor and Cary Bonham are available for lessons (the way I played I should probably schedule one). An Adult Summer Clinic and Intermediate Golfer Series are scheduled for July with a Junior Summer Clinic set for June. Junior Camps will be held in June, July and August.

For those who want to try out the latest in equipment, Demo Days wil be held June 9 when representatives from Calloway, Cobra, Ping and Taylor Made will be on hand.

And if you're thinking about a hot dog and a cold beer (as I was after my third double-bogey of the round), Grantwood's snack bar is a welcome sight when you're making the turn or heading off the 18th green.

Now if I could just keep my head down, left arm straight and shift my weight, someday I can par that third hole.

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