South at Firestone Country Club

This 1969 Robert Trent Jones, Sr. original is a nice middle-ground Firestone’s famous South Course and its more mild-mannered Fazio Course. Like its companions, it provides fairly straightforward meat-and-potatoes parkland golf, with an added bonus of the Firestone Reservoir, which comes into play at the beginning and end of each nine. These holes are flatter and by far the most water-involved of any on property, with all-carry par 3s like the 8th, 11th and 17th adding considerable bite.

The upland section of the course features nice elevation changes; the sidewinding par-4 14th, with a fairway and green perched above forest, serving as one of the property’s most interesting holes. Maintained to an exquisite standard like its companions, the more moderate challenge of the North Course, plus the water holes, makes it the overall favorite of many members and visitors.

When golfers think of traditional championship golf, they are likely to picture Firestone South, which for decades was a pillar of the PGA Tour schedule, as well as a three-time PGA Championship host. Narrow, tree-lined fairways guarded by dense, lush rough and well-bunkered, smallish greens – that’s the South to a T.

Popular tastes among traveling golfers are be shifting away from the rigorous challenge that the South offers, and more toward courses with generous fairways and huge, lumpy greens accented by rustic bunkering. Such courses are indeed more player-friendly, but there will always be a place for the likes of Firestone South, especially among golfers who value competition and want at least an occasional unflinching assessment of their playing abilities. Besides, the rest of the Firestone stay-and-play experience – the dorm-style lodgings in the men’s locker room, the on-site villas, the wonderful sleepaway-camp-for-golfers vibe – provides a blessedly soft landing after a day spent battling a course in perfect condition and could host a PGA Tour on a day’s notice if needed.

Previously known as the West, this layout, which horseshoes around the fearsome and famous South, is emerging as Firestone’s most player-friendly course. It’s still no pushover, as thick rough, undulating greens and plenty of overall length make it plenty challenging. One factor that has been mitigated in recent years, though, is the sand; a mid-pandemic project removed the majority of the bunkering and simplified what remained. The club traded out the pre-Recession scheme – profuse and expensive to maintain – for shallow, smooth-edged, mostly accenting bunkering with bright white sand.

After a parkland start, the long par-5 9th brings golfers onto an open tract that overlooks much of the rest of the club, with holes running parallel to one another and back and forth for a while. The long, downhill par-3 16th is the most scenic hole on the property, overlooking the iconic water tower, clubhouse and large portions of all three courses.

Loved playing Firestone's South course. Great weather, great pace of play, and had a great time. Beverage cart girl was awesome, starter was very, very nice, the pro shop guys were friendly, and our forecaddie (Avery) was tremendous. One of the best forecaddies I've been able to use. It was my first time in Ohio, and it was a treat getting to tee it up at Firestone.

Great experience playing this course for the first. Everything was pristine! Greens are fast

Gotta get to this course to cross it off your list in Akron, OH. Greens were some of the fastest I've played all year and in such great condition. Geese were plentiful so that is the only knock I had on the conditions in the fact that the geese left you alone but their droppings were an issue on about 3 to 5 holes.
Course was so green, it rained for first 3 holes but then turned out to be a great golf day. Should have played the blues but enjoyable round from the white tees and got into trouble not exactly knowing the aiming points but the course is stacked up with plenty of rough in between holes so A-OK for a erratic driver like me. I scored well with some great 100-125 yard shots which greens rolled so true. Great day, go play in this event thru GolfNow if you can.

I've played the North Course at Firestone a few times as part of the ClubCorp program. The course consistently delivers on conditioning, pace of play, and challenge. It doesn't receive the national recognition of the South Course, but it has a much more interesting layout. Surprisingly, the few large ponds out front impact 10 of the 18 holes. It's really great use of the water. There's also a hill that runs through the middle of the course that makes for a handful of interesting holes.

My only complaint is I consistently get started off the 10th tee, which makes for a difficult starting stretch. The 10th hole ends up being an awkward wedge into a water guarded green, the 11th is a mid iron Par 3 completely over water, and the 12th, 13th and 14th are a few brute Par 4s. If given the choice, I would definitely recommend starting on the front 9 to ease your way into the round.

Overall, the staff is always friendly and the golf is on point. Paired with the great facilities at Firestone, it's always an enjoyable afternoon. Highly recommend.

This course is much more playable for the average Joe than the South Course. Layout is great and everything about the experience was awesome.

to play a course of this caliber, you take that and run with it. There is a reason they keep this place private, and that is to preserve the pristine beauty of the tees and greens on this gem of a course. Teeing off on number one, while 49 of the top 50 golfers in the world are on the driving range gearing up for the Bridgestone Invitational about 100yds away is an exhilarating experience in itself. I am very grateful that GolfNow.com had sent me the invitation to play during the limited "member for a day" offer. Championship magic is deeply rooted in the soil of this fine set of buckeye state golf courses.

Well organized, a bit slow at times. Were told we had to play the white T's. Would have been good to know that before paying $125.00.

Course in great shape and ever hole was challenging from tee to green. It was fun thanks!

Great course well organized

I never thought I'd get an opportunity to play Firestone North through Golf Now. Everything turned out wonderfully, resulting in a perfect afternoon of golf in Akron, OH. This course is such a treat to play, the Firestone staff is so cordial and relaxed, the weather was beautiful, and the pace of play exactly to our liking. At the age of 57,one of the most enjoyable rounds of golf I have yet to experience.... and I got to treat my son to his first round at Firestone to boot.

This was my first time at Firestone cc. I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. The staff was very friendly when we arrived. The course was in excellent shape. Fairways and greens were 10/10. Shot selection is key here. The course is a great mix of holes where you need to accurately place your ball, and others that are more forgiving. A little expensive but if I had another opportunity to golf at Firestone there's no way I could pass it up.

The north course at Firestone is more picturesque than its more famous sister course. The holes down around the water are some of the nicest looking I have ever played with 18 having the most discussion as to how much water you want to take on to shorten your next shot and decide to go for it!! Greens have some subtle breaks but were not overly fast a definite to play again.

Been wanting to play this course for a long time. GolfNow promo made it possible. Thank you!

If you have a chance to play Firestone north do not. I repeat. DO NOT, pass it up! A totally enjoyable day from staff treatment to course conditions. Two cuts of rough, fairways that set your ball up, and manicured receptive greens. A memorable experience in only positive ways, even without any birdies!

Folks, don't believe the hype. Firestone Country Club is a joke. The Driving range is a goat patch. The range balls looked like they were 5 years old. The tees were beat up, the greens were slow, the bunkers looked like they hadn't been raked in a week. The clubhouse looked remodeled but the locker room looks outdated and smelled. The food is over priced and the service was slow and the food served cold. Seriously, this was a really bad experience. I don't know how they host a PGA event. Save your money and go play a course that worth it because this one isn't. The greens were slower than most muni courses! Pathetic! I will never play there again and I recommend you don't either. This place is not worth the hype or the money.