33 hours. Arguably, 33 of my favorite hours ever spent on a golf course, completing another leg of ‘The Tiger Challenge’ at Firestone Country Club.
With the days of summer quickly coming to a close, I planned this trip in record time. I booked my flights, accommodations, and tee time Wednesday afternoon and arrived in Akron, Ohio at 10:30am on Thursday with my backpack and travel bag in tow. For this particular trip, I booked a ‘Stay and Play’ package at the infamous ‘Rubber City’, scheduling my round on The South Course for 7:30am on Friday.
When driving into Firestone Country Club, you can’t help but notice the legendary water tower, standing 125 feet high, holding 50,000 gallons of water, and resembling a giant golf ball on a tee. Before arriving, I had done my homework on the grounds and knew the water tower was built in 1959 after a fire burned the clubhouse to the ground because of the lack of nearby water. In 1990, the water tower was drained, leaving it empty and an unmistakable reminder of the impact that Firestone Country Club has had on golf since being founded in 1929 by tire tycoon Henry Firestone.
The club originally served as a recreational retreat for Firestone employees and then transitioned into one of the most televised, recognized, and utilized championship facilities. The club has hosted 70+ years of professional play with greats such as Arnie, Jack, Chi Chi, Sam Snead, and Tiger walking the storied Robert Trent Jones fairways. With 8 iconic and memorable wins, Tiger Woods holds the record for most wins at this 54-hole facility.
When you walk into the clubhouse, you immediately feel as though you have been transported to a golf haven and Hall of Fame. The clubhouse is decorated with iconic photos from famous finishes throughout the years, and you can hear golfers from inside ‘The 1929 Grille’ reliving their round and their attempt at ‘The Shot in the Dark’ (more to come on that later). After checking in, my clubs were taken to the pro shop, and I was shuttled to my villa, situated on the 16th hole of The South Course (‘The Monster’).
The accommodations at Firestone are hands down the best I have experienced to date. The villa consisted of several units that are furnished beautifully and open up to shared amenities such as a full kitchen, poker table, fireplace, common area with a big-screen TV, and a pool table. If you are looking to make this a golf trip with friends or family, I promise that you will not be disappointed in the amenities.
After dropping off my backpack, I changed into my golf shoes and headed back to the clubhouse. My first stop was the pro shop to check out the merchandise, find out some information, and see if there was any chance I could play at least 9 holes to loosen up and get a feel for the greens. In the pro shop is where I met the person who truly made my trip exceptional, Kenny. The pro shop at Firestone never seems to have a slow moment; between people browsing, trying things on, making purchases, and looking for tee times, the staff seems to be in constant motion and works like a well-oiled machine. I asked Kenny if there was any chance I could get out to play sometime in the late afternoon, and he told me to come back and see him around 4:00pm, when things might be a little slower.
So, from 12:30pm until 4:00pm I utilized every facility that Firestone had available: the driving range, the short game area, the putting green, the snack bar, and the Ladies’ Locker Room. Once the clock struck 4:00pm, I was back inside, and Kenny worked some magic to get me out on The North Course and paired me with an amazing caddie named Brian, who was headed back for his senior year and last season of collegiate golf. While none of Tiger’s wins came on The North Course, I would recommend playing it if you make the trip.
Kenny advised that I start on the back 9, and he was definitely not wrong. The North Course is a Robert Trent Jones design and is known to be a ‘shot makers’ course. The course is filled with water hazards and runs alongside the city reservoir. Kenny recommended to Brian that after we wrapped up our round on The North, we take a ride out to the 18th on The South Course to replicate ‘Tiger’s Shot in the Dark’ on August 27, 2000, at 8:25pm from 167 yards out in the right rough to a back pin. Brian and I took on the ‘shot in the dark’ at 7:24pm…so not quite dark, but I did hit the green with a hybrid from the infamous plaque. After this whirlwind day of travel, golf, and adrenaline, I was happy to head back to my room and call it a night.
After an early wake-up on Friday, I made my way with my luggage to check out of my room in the clubhouse around 6:30am. The front desk gave me a key for the Ladies’ Locker Room, and I was able to store my luggage on site for my remaining time. Once again, Kenny and his team made sure that I had everything that I needed before I headed out for my 7:30am tee time. I was again paired with Brian the caddie, and we were off to The South. A round walking The South will run you $550 before paying the caddie. Upon hearing my story and the fact that I was a walking single, Bob B, the starter, sent me off at 7:20am…I was the first player out on Hole #1 on The South Course on Friday morning. As I teed up the ball and looked down the fairway, I felt a sort of rush as I noticed my footprints were the only ones present in the dew on the first tee box.
Firestone South plays 7,400 yards from the Blue tees, a little out of range for me. I decided to play a combination of the Green and White tees, which put me at about 6,000 yards. The first hole is a great starting hole that is straight away with a second shot to an uphill green. As I walked down the fairway, I remembered the warnings I heard from fellow golfers on the range…stay in the narrow fairways and avoid the unbelievably deep bunkers. As we made our way onto the first green, I was feeling pretty confident after getting on in regulation and making two putts for an opening par. As we walked to the par-5 second hole (the only par 5 on the front), I couldn’t help but be impressed with how well manicured and maintained the grounds at Firestone were by the grounds crew (kudos to them). As we made our way around the front nine, it was amazing to putt on freshly cut greens that had just been rolled.
The first par 3 was the 5th hole and played around 170 yards. I hit a hybrid that leaked right; however, I luckily avoided the three soul-crushing bunkers surrounding the green. As we continued to fly around the course in record time, I had to take a moment to fully appreciate how quickly a good round could go south if you ended up in a bunker like the ones I saw on Hole #8. When reading up on the course, I was shocked to learn that there were 74 deep and high-lipped bunkers strategically placed all over the course. I rounded out my front nine with a par and was glad that I narrowly avoided the crater-like bunkers that I read so much about.
We made the turn in unbelievable time, an hour and ten minutes. The 10th hole is a straight-away uphill par 4 with a tiered green. Make sure to check the pin position on this hole before hitting your shot into the green. I left myself with an uphill putt and continued on my way.
The 11th hole is a par 4 with a tough blind tee shot, and unfortunately yours truly found the trees twice. The first punch-out shot was going to be picture-worthy until it hit a branch and basically shot right back at me. My first double bogey of the day still couldn’t get me down. As we continued making our way around the course, Brian told me stories about how he had the privilege of seeing so many golf greats at Firestone in tournaments like the WGC, Kaulig Championship, and being a Standard Bearer for Rocco Mediate. The history steeped in the bentgrass fairways of The South Course is enough to make any golf fanatic a little giddy.
As the round continued, I couldn’t help but start to think about ‘The Monster’ (16) and ‘The Shot in the Dark’ (18). The 16th Hole was nicknamed ‘The Monster’ by Arnold Palmer in 1960 after making an 8 on the iconic par 5. Palmer hit his drive into a bunker, his second shot into the rough, third shot into a drainage ditch, which caused him to take an unplayable, eventually putting in for an 8. When asked about the hole, Palmer responded to reporters that the hole was ‘a monster’. Hands down, the 16th hole was my favorite on the course, and as I walked over the ‘Arnold Palmer Bridge,’ I paid homage to ‘The King’ by making par.
My round wrapped up on 18 with my best drive of the day. Once again, I had to walk over and check out the famous spot where Tiger hit an 8 iron about two feet from the pin at dusk in the 2000 WGC-NEC Invitational. If you don’t remember, Tiger hit this shot at 8:25pm after the field had a 5-hour rain delay. He and playing partner Hal Sutton chose to finish out their round after officials offered the option to resume play in the morning due to the dusky conditions. With Stevie on the bag, Tiger tapped in for a birdie and won the tournament at -21. From tee to green, The South Course at Firestone ranks as one of my favorites on The Tiger Challenge.
My day on The South wrapped up around 10:20am, and now I had some time to check off some famous Firestone Country Club fare. First on the list was getting a slice of the famous Crunchy Cream Pie from ‘The Grille’. The story behind this noteworthy pie was that Jack Nicklaus loved the vanilla custard, whipped cream, and crunchy topping so much that he had his private jet fly to Akron to pick up 36 pies for his exclusive event at Muirfield Village Country Club in Dublin, Ohio.
I get it, Jack; the pie was absolutely worth it.
My flight back to New Jersey wasn’t until 4:00pm so I still had some time to hit the range and digest before I checked out the next notable snack shack item.
After practicing, getting cleaned up, and packing my stuff in the locker room, I made my way back to the pro shop to say my goodbyes and thank you. I was thrilled that Kenny was able to take some time to show me memorabilia from the Club’s 25th Anniversary ‘Shot in the Dark’ event. The Club made custom hats, headcovers, and towels to commemorate the iconic moment. In addition, Kenny sent me home with the lighters that the club used to light the green at their commemorative event. Also, I was gifted a bag tag from Firestone with my name engraved- my newest favorite bag accessory. I was introduced Dale Davis, Director of Golf, who took the time to tell me more about the course history, club events, merchandising, and his love of Firestone and the game of golf. I can’t thank Dale enough for his hospitality and his genuine interest in my journey.
My last stop was at The 7/12 Grille (halfway house) with Kenny to grab a famous 712 Burger Dog. Kenny took me the long way to the 7/12 and showed me around The Fazio Course, providing me with more Firestone history. While I didn’t get to play The Fazio, I certainly will have to make a trip back to Akron to take on the links-style track.
After the tour, we arrived at the 7/12 and tried to order two 712 style Burger Dogs; unfortunately, they only had one left and were waiting for more after the lunch rush. Hospitality was on full display right to the end as Kenny made sure that I got the last one before heading back to New Jersey. I had never heard of this Frankenstein creation; however, as the name implies, it is a hamburger patty shaped like a flat hot dog with all the fixings on a grilled hot dog bun, and it might be the best thing I have ever eaten on a golf course. If you visit Firestone, a Burger Dog is a must, and be sure to get it 712 style: chopped onions, cheese, pickles, and top secret burger sauce that has a kick.
By 1:30pm, I shuttled my way back to the Cleveland airport to hop on my 4:07pm flight back home. My trip to Firestone was truly five stars from start to finish, and they are true to their word about having ‘Legendary Golf and Hospitality in the heart of Ohio’.
See you in the fairway!
Courtney
The Tiger Challenge 