Ohio Golf and Travel Features

Popular Ohio radio and television personality Jimmy Hanlin, who hosts “Tee it Up Ohio” on Sportstime Ohio and co-hosts a weekly radio golf show in Cleveland, had a vision when he first purchased a stake in Little Mountain Country Club in 2006 – develop an award-winning golf course where the on-course experience was mirrored by all-around service.

Today that vision has become reality, and it’s expanding. In 2007 Jimmy Hanlin Golf purchased Pataskala’s Cumberland Trail Golf Club. The latest addition to the group’s roster was Highland Heights’ StoneWater Golf Course. Those courses join the nationally recognized Little Mountain, one of only 17 courses in the country to receive a Five Star rating from Golf Digest in 2007, to create an outstanding trio of layouts that offer golfers impeccable conditions, dedicated service and tremendous value.

It wouldn't be a stretch to surmise that Ohioans or "Buckeyes" have as much passion for the game of golf as they do for their scarlet and gray collegiate athletic teams. The names of gridiron greats Archie Griffin and Eddie George can be countered by linksmen such as Jack Nicklaus and John Cook. After all, what better way to dot the "i" in Script Ohio than with a golf ball?

A little more than a year ago, the Buckeye Golf Trail was created not only to promote and feature the state of Ohio as a premier golf destination full of affordable public courses, but to celebrate the vast history of the game within the Buckeye State. 

The trail consists of ten superior golf courses from Toledo to Columbus designed by notable architects including Brian Huntley, Hurdzan/Fry and Arthur Hills. These courses represent just a sampling of the golf available in the state of Ohio. 

Brian Huntley is the hottest name in Ohio Golf Course design. He’s built a number of notable layouts including Deer Ridge Golf Club, The Quarry Golf Club and Beavercreek Golf Club and renovated courses such as Medina Country Club, but he saved what could go down as his best work for Norwalk’s Eagle Creek Golf Club.

Golf Digest, one of the nation’s most respected and trusted golf publications, has taken notice. The magazine rated Eagle Creek 4 ½ out of 5 stars in 2008-09, an honor the course has held over the past four years.

This rating and Eagle Creek’s reputation have put the par-71 course on a short list of the best public-access facilities in the entire state of Ohio.