Canterbury

Canterbury Golf Club
1940 & '45 U.S. Opens
Course: 18 Hole Private
Architect: Herbert Strong
Founded: 1921
Location: Cleveland, OH
Website: www.canterburygc.org
Date Last Played: 9/16/09
Score: 73

Canterbury Golf Club was founded in 1921 and is by far the most famous Major Championship Venue you have never heard of. So famous that it holds a record that is shared with only one other golf course/club in the world. Canterbury Golf Club has hosted the U.S. Open, the Senior U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship, and the U.S. Amateur Championship. Do you know what all of those are? Those are the 5 rotating men's major championships that are held in the States. Only one other course (Oak Hill) can lay claim to this distinguished honor. Although I do believe Canterbury has "one up" on Oak Hill, but I will discuss that later on. Canterbury also is the place where Jack Nicklaus won his record breaking 14th major championship ('73 PGA) overtaking the previous record held by Mr. Bobby Jones.

Canterbury came about when a group of prominent Clevelanders gathered to discuss the opening of a golf club in the area. They weren't sure on where it would be located or who would design it, but they were sure what the course would be build for... Championship Golf. Renowned golf course architect Herbert Strong was given the task of creating a course that measured up to the length, layout, fairness, and condition that is expected of a championship course. In modern golf term slang, he "pure'd it". This is proven by the golf associations continuing to bring major championship back to its hollowed grounds (as recent as the 2009 Senior PGA Championship).

Although Canterbury is considered a "golf club", it has much more to offer than just world class golf. Members can enjoy a relaxed yet refined atmosphere in the newly remodeled club house, work up a sweat on the tennis and paddle tennis courts, or lounge pool side while enjoying the beautiful Ohio summer weather (well...at least they have paddle tennis!).

But we're not here to talk about all that country club fluff. Let's get to the course. I have had the pleasure of playing the "burr" (very appropriate nickname due to it's geographic location) several times, and as it is with most great courses, it keeps getting better every time. One of my most recent rounds was played one week before the 2009 Senior PGA. Needless to say the course was absolutely delicious.

For my "Notable Holes" portion, I would like to let it be know that we will be playing the normal rotation that is used day-to-day at Canterbury and was used during both U.S. Opens (during the 2009 Senior PGA they moved around the rotation to better accommodate crowds).

So...Notable Holes: There are a bunch. Start with hole #2 which has one of the most severely sloped greens on the course. If you find yourself above the hole, you won't be for long.

Hole #3 is a great little par three (177 yards) that plays back towards the club house. If you look closely at this picture you can see the grandstands and TV tower that were set up for the Senior PGA. What you can't see is the small pond that guards the front of the hole and the beautiful "tudor style" club house located behind the hole.

Hole #4 is one of my personal favorites. During the Senior PGA it played 457 yards, but from the tips it can max out close to 500 yards. Your tee shot must avoid the fairway bunkers on the left to leave you with a longish shot into this non-bunkered receptive green. I believe the green structure on #4 is one of the best in the world when it comes to long par fours (of course I've only played a hundred or so courses so I may not be the expert on this) as it is receptive to a multitude of different approach shots.

Moving right along, I would be doing Canterbury a disgrace if I did not mention the challenging Par four 5th hole. Avoiding fairway bunkers that guard the left side of the fairway and a burn that runs along the right side is your first goal. If your approach shot is lucky enough to find the green, you are then faced with one of the most challenging greens at Canterbury. This green may be the stat leader in "de-greened" putts.

Not that there is anything wrong with holes #6 and #7, I'm going to fast forward to the 8th. A shorter par 4 that demands extreme accuracy off the tee and precise club selection on ones approach. The green's drastic false front will take any shot that comes up short back down some 30 yards. Since Canterbury's greens are always in great shape and kept very "speedy", only about 60% off this green is playable. The picture to the left was taken by myself from a TV Tower located between 8 and 9 (the steps on those towers are tricky with golf shoes on!).

My next notable hole is the 13th. Not only is it a great hole, it holds a significant place in U.S. Open history. Check out my "Ultimate U.S. Open Course" to find out what happened there.

The 15th at Canterbury makes my Notable Holes list and also is on my Nemesis Hole list. Your tee shot MUST find the fairway in order to have hopes of hitting this severely elevated green. I can't tell you how many times I've missed this green long...and short. (Notice the stairs leading up the hill...there's a lot of them.)

That brings us to "The Finish". In the summer of 2009, I took an intern to play Canterbury. Unfortunately our round was ended prematurely due to severe weather. When asked about his round, he couldn't have said it better. "I didn't get to play Canterbury. We got rained out on 15." I could give you a play by play of holes 16, 17, and 18 but I feel that I couldn't do them justice. Visit canterburygc.org for a tour of "The Finish".

Now in the beginning of this blog I mentioned that there was something at Canterbury that gave it a leg up on Oak Hill. That "something" is a Green Jacket that was won by Canterbury's former Head Professional Henry Picard at the 1938 Master's Tournament. I haven't convinced the professional staff to let me try it on, but it is still amazing just standing a foot away from one. No other club in the world can boast about the possession of a Green Jacket as the only other jacket that is not inside Augusta is Gary Player's (which is located in his home in South Africa).

In closing, Canterbury is unfortunately part of the group of past U.S. Open venues that may never host the great event again. Not because of the merit of the course, but because the lack of infrastructure to host such a "major" event. It will, hopefully, continue to host other events and bring back championship golf to the Cleveland area.