Twelve-strong: a founder’s bet
Twelve founding members each staked $11,000 to build Sharon—a bold private-club experiment for Akron’s business elite. That leap of faith shapes the club’s tradition of personal pride even today.
Golf Course Review & Scouting Report
The Sharon Golf Club
Sharon Center, Ohio
Established
1966
Architect
George Cobb / David Zinkand (2023 renovation)
Access
Private
Par
Par 72
Length
6,012 – 7,153 yds
The verdict
Private club craft — now with edge
The Sharon Golf Club merges midcentury pedigree with thoughtful modern renovation, now feeling more natural and open than ever. Generous length, reshaped greens, and prairie touches now define the challenge—private-club polish, reinvented for serious golf.
Course DNA
Difficulty
81
Scenery75
Conditioning85
Shot Variety79
Walkability75
Green Complexity80
Wow Factor72
Design Quality84
At a glance
Quick facts
Major Renovation
2023 by David Zinkand
Course Style
Parkland with native prairie plantings
Clubhouse Story
Vision of General Tire president M.G. O’Neil
Signature Greens
Notably large, recontoured post-renovation
Innovative Irrigation
First regional double-row system (1966)
Club Lore
Started with 12 founders, $11,000 each
Superintendent Legacy
Frank Dobie, over 50 years at the helm
Bunker Style
Modernized, repositioned 2023
The design
The architecture
The Sharon Golf Club stands as a sophisticated blend of classic parkland design and modern naturalism. George Cobb’s original vision emphasized strong routing, big targets, and wide playing corridors—yet today’s Sharon, after the 2023 Zinkand renovation, is even more distinctive. Tight artificial tree screens have given way to native prairie expanses and artfully placed fescue, making wind, angles, and the ground game meaningful again. Two new greens, recontoured putting surfaces, and creative, low-mown surrounds inject the course with strategic verve and cleaner lines. Bunkers have been reshaped for visual pop and tactical bite, all while retaining member appeal and private-club polish.
Zinkand’s touch honors Cobb’s member-first traditions while transforming Sharon into a wind-swept, strategic, and natural-feeling course that rewards creativity.
Defining features
- Removal of dense, non-native tree walls
- Expansive low-mown bentgrass chipping areas
- Two new and multiple recontoured greens
- Modern bunker reconfiguration for strategy and visibility
- Native prairie and fescue plantings redefine fairways
- Classic, straightforward routing—now with more open vistas
Hole by hole
Signature holes
Hole 1
Opening Gambit
PAR
5
YARDAGE
518
A gettable but honest par 5 to start, demanding a confident tee shot and strategic placement for a good look at birdie. The wide opening corridor reveals the course’s newfound prairie openness. It sets the tone: settle your nerves, find a fairway, and choose your adventure.
Play it smart
Favor the safe play left to set up a second shot in position; rewards thoughtful layups or bold aggression for bigger hitters.
Where it bites
Overcooking a drive near fescue or pushing into rough brings three-shot lay-up into play.
Course management
Shots to think about
Long par 5 lay-ups
Play to your ideal approach yardage; greed can bring prairie or bunkers into play.
Approach to recontoured greens
Favor short or safe side—new runoffs penalize misses more than ever.
Driving in the wind
Embrace the wider corridors but pick your preferred angle rather than max-out distance.
High prairie fescue edges
If you find native rough, take your medicine—advance, don't hero-ball.
220-yard par 3 tee shot
Don't chase back pins; center-green and two-putt is a good result.
Finishing stretch decisions
Know the risk/reward on 17 and 18—play for the number you need, not just the shot you want.
On the day
What to expect
Conditions
Private-club standards throughout; greens and fairways superb, greens regrassed and surrounds expanded after 2023 renovation.
Pace
Member pace—efficient but unrushed; expect a steady rhythm.
Vibe
Traditional club setting with a now more open, welcoming landscape; understated but proud.
Dress code
Standard private-club attire; collared shirts and proper slacks/shorts. No explicit published code—confirm with club.
Before you tee off
Your game plan
01
Bring your long irons (and wind game)
Several par 3s stretch over 185, and prevailing breeze can make the long ones demanding.
02
Master delicate chips
With expanded bentgrass areas and open surrounds, recovery shots require touch and imagination.
03
Course knowledge = advantage
Old members say knowing the new green slopes and runoffs saves shots every round; lean on a veteran caddie if available.
The lore
How it came to be
- 1964
Club organized by M.G. O’Neil and Akron-area businessmen
- 1966
Official course opening, George Cobb design
- 1967
Introduced bunker-liner innovation
- 2023
Reopens as a naturalized, reimagined test by Zinkand
Stories & legends
What makes it special
Dobie’s Domain: The Superintendent’s Oz
Frank Dobie’s legendary tenure (over 50 years) turned Sharon into a living laboratory for course maintenance, irrigation, and innovation—earning renown far beyond Ohio.
Prairie returns, walls fall
In 2023, Sharon said goodbye to dense non-native trees and welcomed native prairie vistas, letting ground-game shots and wind take hold—transforming play and the soul of the course.
A member’s mixer: classic meets modern
With strategic bunkers, recut surrounds, and two wholly new greens, Zinkand’s renovation brought George Cobb’s original lines into a new era, thrilling a membership steeped in Sharon’s lore.
For the group chat
Fun facts
1
The course pioneered double-row irrigation, a rarity in 1966.
2
Superintendent Frank Dobie led the club for more than half a century.
3
The club’s original prairie setting is now being restored, bringing wind and ground game strategy back into play.
4
Twelve founders bankrolled the project with $11,000 each—a bold midcentury gamble.
5
Bunker liners developed here were later copied nationwide.
Build the trip
If you're making an Akron-area golf trip out of it
CourseAccessWhy it's on the listTrip
Firestone Country Club
Private
Historic PGA Tour pedigree; classic design lore
Brunswick Hills Golf Club
Public
Affordable, quality public-access play convenient to Sharon
Westfield Country Club
Private
Highly regarded, strong member culture
Fowlers Mill Golf Course
Public
Premium resort-style public option nearby
Fairlawn, Medina, or Akron for short drives and dining
Course DNA
If You Like The Sharon Golf Club
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Strong DNA Match8.8
Harbour Town Golf Links
Hilton Head Island, South CarolinaWhy it matches: Harbour Town Golf Links is a natural next stop after The Sharon Golf Club: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Strong DNA Match6.8
Alpharetta Athletic Club
Milton, GeorgiaWhy it matches: There is real overlap here. Alpharetta Athletic Club a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character, making it a compelling counterpart to The Sharon Golf Club.
Strong DNA Match8.2
Gulf Stream Golf Club
Delray Beach, FloridaWhy it matches: Gulf Stream Golf Club is a natural next stop after The Sharon Golf Club: it a comparable balance of challenge, variety, and character.
Community Sentiment
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