A collection of Black & White Cityscapes and Skyline Photos by Photographer Jason Wilson.

[Pinnacle Golf Club: Number 15 from the elevated ladies tees]

So I think the first time I had heard of Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City was sometime back in 2007.  I had only heard about it, and that its location was somewhere behind the Wal-Mart on Stringtown Rd.  So, just to clarify my first two sentences: Golf Course, Grove City, Wal-Mart.  I thought (at the time) I had heard all I needed to hear.  I think also I had heard something about a new housing development, bla bla bla. Whatever.  It didn’t matter.  Wal-Mart, Grove City, Golf Course.

Holy Sh!t was I F***ing Wrong!

Back in April of this year (2009) I had a little bit of time in the morning after an early meeting in Grove City, so I decided to drive around until I found that golf course in Grove City behind the Wal-mart.  So I headed down Buckeye Parkway and caught my first glimpse of one of the holes on Pinnacle’s front nine, Number 4.  A downhill approach shot that with a back-left pin would have to carry a beautiful cascade of two little ponds with a gorgeous stair stepped waterfall.

“Woah! I didn’t realize…..”, I thought to myself.

I navigated my way around the Buckeye Parkway / Pinnacle Club Drive roundabout, and found myself staring at a castle of a clubhouse. My eyeballs were gigantic.  – Anyway, the director of membership services, Stephanie, was kind enough to take me on a tour of the clubhouse, locker room, meeting and banquet facilities and the entire back nine. Since that day its been a small day dream of mine to get a chance to play this incredible (and private) course.

Today, that small day dream came true.  A very special thank you to Pinnacle Golf Club member Kim.  (Kim is also a Metroscap customer, with these framed Black and White Prints of the Columbus skyline, the New York City skyline, the Chicago skyline and the Manhattan Bridge in the lobby of her office.)

The review…

I’ll start with the greens in general.  Phenomenal. All 18 greens feel as if they’re the same green. What I mean by that is there isn’t one green that feels faster or slower than another.  The speed of the greens were very consistent and they all had the same amount of break. For example if you thought you had a read on number one green and made your putt, only to realize that you only needed half of what you saw… You could apply that rule to the other 17 greens.  Its nice to play a course where you know precisely what to expect once you finally do arrive to a green.

Number 1 – (Aerial View), Number 2 – (Aerial View) and Number 3 – (Aerial View)

The first three holes are relatively benign. Kinda flat, very wide fairways and landing areas. Bunkers are the course’s major defense on number 1, 2 and 3 with a couple of ponds on number 2 and 3.  I wouldn’t say the ponds are well placed, rather, they’re there and you’d better double check where they are and where you’re planning on hitting your first and second shots, especially for your 2nd shot on two.  The pond runs most of the right side of the fairway, but it really doesn’t come into play if you’re going for the green in two.  On a lay-up, however, know that anything left-half of the fairway is in great shape.

Number 4 – (Aerial View)
Four is where Pinnacle starts to become of the best golf courses I personally have ever had the chance to play.  The tee shot on 4 is crucial. It’s very obvious standing on the tee that anything left is a no-go.  Of course we all want to hit it straight down the middle, and usually rarely do, however, on number 4 you’d better make a concerted effort to pull one of those off, unless you want to hit a downhill approach shot over a large tree in the middle of the right half of the fairway.  So long as you’re middle, it’s a straight downhill approach.  Don’t under-club, or you’ll be digging another ball out of your sleeve of Titleist’s as there’s a pond running from short-left around to the back-left of the green.

Number 5 – (Aerial View)
Par 3. Another large green that slopes from back to front.

Number 6 – (Aerial View)
Six is the first of the target golf holes. It’s a distance on the card that looks short, but there’s a wide swath cut by Republican Run in the 285-315 landing area (from the black tees). You’re (well I was anyway) forced to hit a lay-up shot to a distance you feel comfortable with for your approach. You’re given plenty of area left off of the tee and are squeezed by bunkers on the right hand edge and long of the fairway the further right (and shorter of an approach shot you desire) your tee shot goes. If you lay up, this is an easy birdie hole.

Number 7 – (Aerial View)
A tricky par 3. make sure you have the right distance, and watch the tree tops for wind direction, cause you won’t get any indicator from the flag, as its surrounded by trees, and big houses off the right hand side of the number 6 green. (which would block any left to right wind at flag level on number 7 green)

Number 8 – (Aerial View)
Eight is a beautiful hole off the tee.  The tee shot must carry at least 100 yards of waste area, and oh yeah, by the way.  It’s also uphill. But a good tee shot will leave you with a fairly flat approach shot into a green on the same plane as your ball.  Again, though, don’t be left or long as another pond wraps around the left side of the fairway starting at about the 100 yard-in mark all the way around the back-left of the green.

[Number 8's uphill tee shot]

Number 9 – (Aerial View)
Nine is Pinnacle Golf Club’s signature hole. A medium length par 5 from the double black, but reachable from the black tees, especially since the 2nd shot would play downhill to a green protected by a very wide Republican Run short of the green.  If you’re gonna go for it.  You’d better have the right club, and you had better not be long. Any miss long and you may as well start thinking about double bogey because the green is going to run away from you back toward Republican Run and you won’t be able to get any spin out of that jungle thick rough. The smartest and best play is to be right of the big tree in the fairway, hit a lay up shot to 125-100 in, and pitch on to the now elevated green, take your two putts and be happy with par. My only complaint with this hole is that it’s a prettier and in my opinion a better finishing hole than the current number 18.

Number 10 – (Aerial View)
Ten has a challenging tee shot, but really, if you hit a decent shot off the tee, it’s not that tough of a hole its just a little long.  Probably my least favorite hole.  It was just bland.

Number 11 – (Aerial View)
Eleven, however, is anything but bland.  A long, all carry, par 3.  Again on this hole that one place that is just dreadful is anything long (obviously short cause of the creek is not a good idea either). And its easy to be long because the 206 yard tee shot plays downhill and in my opinion more than two clubs downhill.  I, personally, hit the ball very high and hit what I thought was going to be the right club, maybe a fuzz too much club, but not too much that I’d be anything but back edge 1-2 feet in the rough if I really mis-hit and mis-read the distance.  If I could play it again, I’d get the distance to the front edge of the green and play my shot to the middle of the green based on that front edge number minus one club.

Number 12 – (Aerial View)
Twelve is another fun target hole. 373 on the card, but again, in that 290-320 distance, Republican Run again crosses in front of the green.  Essentially forcing you to lay up again to just a smart distance.  Hit one to leave yourself 100-125 and you’ll again have a legit birdie chance, provided anything from 100-125 is a comfortable wedge for you.

Number 13 – (Aerial View)
Thirteen is a long par 5. If you have 300 and 267 in the bag, then by all means, play it as a two shot hole. Otherwise, hit something to clear the bunker left, take advantage of the very wide fairway and put something inside of 150 and knock it on from there.

Number 14 – (Aerial View) & Number 17 – (Aerial View)
Fourteen and Seventeen are for all intents and purposes the same hole. Cutting the corners are essentially impossible, because the corners are filled with VERY tall trees. So there’s really no chance of going over the corner. Fourteen has a much bigger green and doglegs left pretty much 90 degrees. Seventeen has a very small green relative to the rest of the greens on the course and doglegs right. The best play on both holes is to hit straight away to the end of the fairway and based on how much of a fade or draw you play off the tee will determine your distance into the green.  A 260 yard draw on number 14′s dogleg left can leave you with about 60 yards where as a fade would leave 105.  It’s essentially the same thing reversed for number 17.  Both are very fun holes and if you play them the designer (Lanny Wadkins) wants you to, you’ll have a look at birdie if you don’t screw up the approach shot.

Number 15 – (Aerial View)
Fifteen is another substantially downhill par 3.  It seemed less downhill, but I may have under-clubbed based on my performance on the other downhill par 3 on the back number 11. A back left pin would be more difficult than a back right pin, even though Republican Run runs right along the right edge of the green. Play a fade starting out over the bunkers and let it fall right.  If a back left pin, play the same shot and take your two putts. Don’t flirt with the bunkers especially the front bunker because the green runs away from the front so any shot out of the front bunker would have to find a way to avoid being on the back fringe.

Number 16 – (Aerial View)
Sixteen is the number 2 handicapped hole, and for good reason.  From the black tees all you’re asked to do is to hit a SEVERELY up hill drive on the tightest driving hole on the course, and oh yeah, it had better be laser straight.  I will also need to carry at least 230.  If it can carry 230 you should get some roll and have a nice down hill approach.  The toughest shot on this hole is the tee shot, probably the most demanding on the course.  I decided to hit 2-iron because I didn’t have any confidence in my driver and because the 2-iron, lately, has been reliably laser straight and deep off the tee.

Number 18 – (Aerial View)
Finally, eighteen is a long par 5 finishing hole.  And it’s a scoring hole.  There really isn’t too much trouble.  Play it as a two shot par 5, (again if you have 300, 267) or a 3 shot par 5, either way the only real challenge on this hole is in the approach shot as the 18th green is large and elevated a healthy amount. The closer an approach shot you leave (if playing as a 3 shot hole) the more pronounced the elevation of the green will become. Double check the pin placement because it’s a huge green.

The Conclusion…

All in all, I found Pinnacle Golf Club to be one of the best golf courses I, personally, have EVER had the chance to play. My “courses I’ve played” resumé isn’t incredibly huge, but it does include the likes of Hazeltine National Golf Club, New Albany Country Club, Longaberger Golf Club and TPC Sawgrass. I personally think holes 1-3 and 10 are duds, although the green on two is treacherous. The remaining 14 holes are simply a pleasure to play and a pleasure to view. I found that every one of the afore mentioned 14 remaining holes were not only very challenging but they were visually interesting. I will say this as my disclaimer, I have never had the opportunity (hint, hint) to PLAY Murifield Village Golf Club. However, I have been to my fair share of rounds at the Memorial Tournament. All that said, Pinnacle Golf Club REMINDED me of MVGC. That doesn’t mean I think its as challenging as I assume MVGC is/would be. The par 5s don’t even compare to MVGC’s, but I can see how Lanny Wadkins, after years of announcing and/or playing at the Memorial was influenced overall for his signature design course.

I have, however, had the chance to play some of the area’s other private courses, especially some of the newer developments like Kinsale, Rattlesnake Ridge, and Scioto Reserve. And in my opinion, Pinnacle Golf Club stands not just head and shoulders, but head, shoulders and nipples above any of the newer private course / residential developments. Again, my opinion here, but a private golf club should first and foremost be about the golf. Pinnacle Golf Club is all about incredible golf. Sure their locker room is smaller, and there isn’t a workout facility/gym within the confines of the gigantic clubhouse (there is a separate facility within the development). But they’re not marketing themselves as Pinnacle Country Club. They’re called Pinnacle GOLF Club and amazing golf is precisely what they deliver in Grove City, behind a Wal-mart off Stringtown Rd..

One more thing…I couldn’t figure a way to squeeze this in, but they also have a restaurant for members that its also open to the public and marketed locally just like any other restaurant.  And while I’m no food critic, or can go into detail the same way I can about golf, please allow me to simply describe Cimi’s Bistro this way.  I own a gallery directly across the street from Lindey’s Restaurant in German Village.  I eat there often.  Lindey’s is probably one of the top 3 restaurants in Columbus, along with the Refectory and Hyde Park Grill.  The food at Cimi’s belongs in the same conversation as that from Lindey’s or Hyde Park.  And their prices are INCREDIBLY reasonable.  Do yourself a favor and get to Cimi’s before the patio closes for the fall, and have dinner while watching golfers close out their front nine on number 9.