Inverness Club

1920, '31,'57, &'79 US Opens

Course: 18 Hole Private
Architect: Donald Ross

Founded: 1903
Location: Toledo, OH
Web Site: www.invernessclub.com
Date Last Played: May 12, 2008
Score: 80...ish

There's no "I" in Open....or is there?

"God measures men by what they are

Not by what they in wealth possess

This vibrant message chimes afar

The voice of Inverness"

Pretty good huh? Those words are inscribed on a clock that was donated to The Inverness Club by the Golf Professionals who participated in the 1920 U.S. Open Championship. This gift was inspired by an action that hits very close to this writers heart. During the U.S. Open that year, Golf Professionals were invited into the clubhouse of a hosting venue for the first time in championship history. This invitation created a historic swing in the status quo of the Golf Professional/Member relationship. The U.S. Open returned to Inverness three times with significant lapes between contests (1931, '57, and '79). Unfortunalty technology has forced Inverness into the "too short" club of historic venues and the hopes of a U.S. Open returning are bleak.

The big "I" (as commonly referred to by locals) is a classic championship course that has maintained its "old school" charm throughout the years. I would like to believe Donald Ross would still enjoy his course even after a couple tweaks by renowned architects Arthur Hills and Tom Fazio.

I have had the opportunity to play Inverness on three occasions all of which were Northern Ohio PGA Tournaments. Each time I retuned I looked forward to playing two holes. Numbers 1 and 10. This is not to say that the other 16 holes are not special in their own right. But to be honest with you, I can only remember a handful of them without looking at a course map. Holes 1 and 10 have a very memorable and distinct look to them. This look was created by merging the fairways of each hole creating a "front lawn" feeling. It is truly unique design. I also like this design feature for another reason. Two fairways doubles my chances of actually hitting one off the first tee! I have a tendancey to get a little "snappy" when starting my round so having a fairway right next door (actually left next door) is very comforting.

Notable Holes: Let's start with the 4th Hole. A lenghty par 4 which features a HUGE green. Wait. I though all these old courses had small greens? Although most of greens at Inverness are delicously small (bite size if you will), the green at the 4th is large and udulating. With the green sloping severly from front right to back left, finding the green here is more difficult than you may think.

For our next notable hole we don't have to go far. The 5th at Inverness is a tasty dogleg left which demands length and control off the tee. A wayward drive will more than likely force a player to lay-up or bail-out left to avoid the water hazard which runs the entire length of the hole and defines the right hand side of the green.

Now, I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but for me the rest of the holes are just "ok". It's not that I don't really like some of them, but they just don't wow me.

One thing that does wow me is the history and tradition that the Inverness Club has to offer. Even the great Donald Ross thought so highly of its design that he choose to single out Inverness in his book "Golf Has Never Failed Me" (he only mentioned 7 courses of the 400+ he designed). I hope that the USGA doesn't forget about the big "I" and brings the U.S. Open back their for some more big history.