River/Maple at Fowler's Mill Golf Course

We really wanted to see where our golf games were at and this Pete Dye course definitely did not disappoint! I would highly recommend it if you are in the area.

Booked a 7am round the night before. Ranked as one of the best public courses in the state of Ohio, my wife and I were excited to check it out after playing Boulder Creek the day before. Starter was great and actually moved us up in the rotation because the twosome we were paired up with opted out - getting us ahead of a few foursomes.

The greens were great. Probably rolling 10 to 11. Fairways and tee boxes were in good condition. You can see most everything in front of you so there aren't too many surprises for first-time players except for some very well placed trees that would otherwise dictate hitting to one side of a fairway or another in order to have a clear approach to the greens (I usually chose wrong when this was an issue).

Bunkers were inconsistent, some appearing as if they were abandoning them with weeds in them, while most were well maintained.

The 4th hole was probably the best of the bunch wrapping around a large pond and hitting to a slightly elevated green. Really a gorgeous hole!

Overall - the course was worth playing and my wife and I enjoyed the layout. Does it deserve the ranking as one of the top 5 public in Ohio? Top 20 definitely, not sure about the top 5.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve played Fowler’s and looking at some of the reviews, I was concerned. This course is still great! It has a great, challenging layout. The greens and tee boxes were in good shape. The staff was friendly and it has good practice facilities. Still one one of the best public courses in the Cleveland area!

Fowler’s Mill is a really good course but it can be dependent on when you play. People who travel to it from out of area looking for a Hot Deal tend to rate it low playing out of season or close to it. If you play during the offseason between October to mid-April in NE Ohio, the conditions can be tough. This area is the snowiest city in Ohio with snow from some Octobers to late April. This can cause the course to be really wet, cart path only and cause the crew to not be able to blow leaves or mow. However, in season, from May to October the course is really nice. Lake/River is challenging and very well maintained. If you want a 9 hole course then Maple is really fun as well. I’ve found Maple isn’t as well maintained as Lake/River but it’s still in really good condition except for maybe the bunkers. They are not maintained well if at all. In the summer Lake/River is pricey too ranging from like $60 weekday and $90 weekend as of June 2024. They also have a nice, grass driving range right next to #1 and putting and chipping areas. They usually have the cart girls going around with a good selection and the club house has good food like hotdogs, burgers, drinks and snacks. The pro shop has a good selection as well. I play here a few times a year since it is about 15 minutes from my house. Is it truly the best public course in Ohio? I’m not sure but it really is nice no matter when you play as long as you understand the conditions/weather of the area and know what you are getting.

I am a single digit handicap who has worked in the golf industry for 5+ years.

I played on a Sunday AND…… the weather was near ideal and gorgeous. The layout and routing of the course was pretty good. That’s where the good ends.

While the carts were new and nice, nearly all of them had TRASH in them. When I went to fix my first divot I noticed the sand bottle was empty ….. tried the other side - same!

SEVERAL fairway bunkers were in disrepair and not being maintained anymore….. had grass and weeds growing in them.

The whole course had been grossly overwatered …… there were several places where carts or maintenance equipment had left 6 to 8 inch tire tracks of mud in the playing areas.

Fairways had NOT been mown. Greens were SO soft, a 40-yd pitch would leave a divot.

I might of thought rain a factor but 1) it had been sunny the last few days and I spoke with someone else on the course and they said at most they’ve been a quarter inch of rain over the last few weeks. ( there were places on the course in the sunlight that still had water at the tops of grass blades in mid afternoon ) I also played elsewhere in town the following day, and this problem did not exist.

It was nearly impossible to find a golf ball ….. between plugged balls and leaves that had not been blown away from playing areas. It was next to impossible..

Also - no short game area to warmup / practice with.

I was kind of expecting an anticipating an upscale golf experience and this was NOT it. HORRIBLE experience!

I made a trip to the area from about 5 hours away and this was easily the worst course in my itinerary.

Whoever runs the place should be embarrassed!

***Btw - I next to never provide review of anything or anyone but I had to warn golf enthusiasts of the condition of this property-

I recommend you take your money elsewhere, unless you want to go play at a Mudbog!

Fowler’s is a great P. Dye track. Unfortunately, this time around the course was almost under water. But, we played anyways. Staff couldn’t have been any nicer to its out of town guests.

It was an overcast morning. The course was in great shape. The rough wasn’t overgrown. The course is well maintained. The greens are very fair. The landscape is beautiful with mature trees and playable bunkers.

Beautiful layout. Challenging course with several different types of holes making each shot unique. Would absolutely play here again, one of the best publicly available courses in Cleveland IMO.