NCR COUNTRY CLUB (SOUTH)

Course Architect: Dick Wilson
Year Opened: 1954
Location: Kettering, Ohio
Slope: 139. Rating: 74.5
Par: 71
Yardage: 7,055
Hole-by-Hole: 1 - Par 4 452 Yds    10 - Par 5 548 Yds
                       2 - Par 3 174 Yds    11 - Par 4 383 Yds
                       3 - Par 4 432 Yds    12 - Par 4 460 Yds
                       4 - Par 4 390 Yds    13 - Par 3 204 Yds
                       5 - Par 5 558 Yds    14 - Par 4 401 Yds
                       6 - Par 5 552 Yds    15 - Par 3 234 Yds
                      7 - Par 4 428 Yds    16 - Par 4 453 Yds
                       8 - Par 3 172 Yds    17 - Par 4 352 Yds
                      9 - Par 4 441 Yds    18 - Par 4 421 Yds
                       Par 36  3,599 Yds      Par 35  3,456 Yds

Key Events Held: PGA Championship (1969),
                 U.S. Women's Open (1986),
                 U.S. Mid-Amateur (1998), USGA Women’s State Team (2013),
                 U.S. Senior Open (2005), U.S. Senior Women’s Open (2022).

Awards Won: Ranked #65 by Golfweek - America's Top 100 Classic Courses (2004),
            Ranked #15 by Golf Digest - Best in State (Ohio) (2005),
            Ranked #93 by Golf Digest - America's 100 Greatest Courses (2004).

Website: ncrcountryclub.com

HISTORY:  It  didn't take  long for  NCR Country Club  to become a world-class golfing  facility  when it opened  in 1954. The  idea of Stanley "S.C." Allyn, president of National Cash Register Corporation, Allyn wanted a top notch club and  recreational  facilities for the  employees of NCR.  He got just that, as Allyn  enlisted  Florida-based architect Dick Wilson  to carve out 36 holes on
350  acres  owned by the NCR  Employees Benefit Association.

Wilson, who later designed  such  memorable courses like  Laurel Valley Golf Club, Doral Resorts
"Blue Monster" and Bay Hill, crafted a pair of distinctively different venues. One,  a links  style course (North) and the South with its tree-lined, rolling fairways, deep rough, doglegs and bunkers.

Just 15 seasons after the first tee shot  was hit,  NCR hosted its first  major event, the PGA Championship on the South  Course. Tied  for the lead after  round one with eight other players at
69,  Ray  Floyd took control  of the event  with rounds of  66-67 to open up a five-shot advantage with one round to play. South African Gary Player, Floyd's closest  pursuer, staged a  remarkable rally, as he got within one of the lead as Floyd bogeyed 13 and 15.

Player dropped back with a bogey on 16 and despite a  birdie  at 17, the  "International Ambassador of  Golf," could do no better than  70 and  finished one back. Floyd's  final round of 74 still ranks as the highest  final-round  score by a  winner. The win was  the first of four major championships  for Floyd  and one of his  22 career PGA Tour titles.

NCR South proved  to be the  big winner, however, as the stroke average for the week was 73.62  with  the halfway cut  at eight-over par. Next  up was the U.S. Women's Open of 1986, as Jane Geddes outlasted Sally Little in a playoff for her first career  victory.  Geddes, an 11-time  winner on  the LPGA Tour, trailed third-round  leader Betsy  King by five shots  with only 18 holes remaining. With 11 consecutive  pars and birdies  on 12 and 14, Geddes moved to within two of the lead,  tying  Little for second. Following  a Little birdie and a King double-bogey,  Geddes  trailed by one, as  Little claimed the top spot. Geddes capped off  her  bogey-free round of 69  with a birdie on  17 to move into a tie with Little  and force  a playoff. 

After four  holes, the  duo were  tied, however Little  birdied  the next  three holes to  take a 3-up  advantage with just 11 holes  remaining.  The lead was short-lived  however, as Geddes made birdie on eight  while  Little made bogey and  then on nine Little made double-bogey and the lead was by one for Geddes. Little fought back however with a birdie on 10 to  draw even,  however Geddes took the lead  for good with a birdie on 14, as she went on to pocket $50,000. Geddes, who opened with rounds of 74-74, closed with  three  sub-par rounds of 70-69-71.  Her five-stroke reversal is tied for
the  best comeback by  a winner in a final round in U.S. Women's Open history. Geddes  and  Little were  the only  players in the  field to finish regulation under  par  (one-under).

The next  United States  Golf Association event to be held  at NCR  was  the 1998  U.S. Mid-Amateur  Championship.  With over  4,000 entries,  it came down to John "Spider" Miller and Chip Holcombe for the title of  this event which allows amateur players 25 and older with a handicap index of  3.4 or  lower to compete.

A  beer distributor and the winner of this event two  years  prior, Miller  birdied holes six  through eight to  take a lead he would  never  relinquish, as he  defeated Holcombe,  1-up. At the time, Miller became  the oldest winner of this championship at 48 years young.

The club has not  rested on its laurels, as a 40,000 square-foot clubhouse was built in the '90s,  a 4,000  square-foot pool and fitness complex was completed in 2001 and the  golf shop was renovated in 2004. Let's not forget the two driving ranges, putting  greens and  chipping areas along with an indoor practice facility for the off season.

The USGA returned in 2005 for the U.S. Senior Open, as Allen Doyle defeated Loren Roberts and D.A. Weibring by one shot for his third Champions Tour major title. Doyle, who started the final round nine shots behind Roberts, carded a 8-under-par 63 to set a new record for largest final-round comeback in Senior Open history. Weibring held a one-shot lead with two holes remaining, but made bogey on 17 and 18 to tie Roberts for second. Greg Norman, in only his second event on the Champions Tour, finished alone in fourth place.

The fourth staging of the U.S. Women’s Senior Open was held at NCR South in 2022. Jill McGill edged Leta Lindley by one shot, finishing at 3 under par. How good was NCR, no one broke par in the final round!

COURSE REVIEW: Many courses are designed with gentle first holes to get the player in the swing of things, so to speak, not NCR South. The opening four holes, three of which rank in the top-five as toughest on the course, will set the tone for the  remainder  of  your round.  The  opening  hole  is  the No.  1  handicap, stretching  452  yards from the  black tees. The  fairway slopes left to right
with  trees covering  the entire left side  to the green. Even after a big tee shot,  a mid  to long iron will  be required to reach the putting surface. The green  is guarded, front-left  by sand and with a pair of bunkers in the rear. Just 35 yards in depth, the green slopes from front to back and left to right, so  making par here might be a tall order right out of the box.

Your iron play will  certainly  be tested  on the  second hole, a  par three  of 174 yards in length.  The putting  surface is quite narrow, 35 yards deep, multi-tiered and is  slightly uphill. Throw in bunkers, left, right and in front and you have a hole  that  requires perfect club  selection if you're  to make par.

The third hole  typifies NCR  South,  with  its elevated  tee  box,  majestic trees  and contoured  fairways. Your  tee shot plays downhill to the fairway, as the hole doglegs  to the  right, so the best play  is a fade or bomb over the corner of the trees. Although the distance will be roughly 150 yards, your approach will play  severely uphill to  the green, adding one to two clubs to your shot. The
putting  surface  is quite slick, as  it slopes from  back to front, so at all costs,  miss below the hole. Par or even bogey is a good score.

Three-metal is all that is needed to attack the par-four fourth. Another dogleg to the right, the hole is protected at the corner by a pair of deep bunkers and woods, while the  left side features additional lumber. Success off the tee will leave only a  short iron or  wedge to one of the longest greens on the course at 47 yards in  length. The surface  slopes from front to back and is guarded in the front by  sand, as well  as a deep trap on the left.

Holes five and six are back-to-back par fives of 558 and 552 yards, respectively. The key on the fifth is the slightly  uphill  tee shot,  which must  navigate through a  chute of trees to reach the fairway. Three-metal will be the club of choice to reach in two, but be  wary of  the bunkers  left and  right  of the  surface, which  make for  a difficult  up  and down. The green  is quite thin  with a ridge in the middle. Anything  worse  than par  is unacceptable. 

The sixth  is a great risk-reward hole.  A  drive down  the right  side of the  tree-lined fairway  can set up a chance  to reach the green in two. The problem here is that if you cut off too much,  you'll be left with an awkward lie on a steeply sloped bank. The second obstacle  is  the second shot  if you dare go  for the green. Numerous bunkers protect  the putting  surface, including the front trap which is 15 feet below the  green. Long is  no bargain either, as the green slopes severely from back
to  front. With  that in mind, the hole  can be had with a front pin, so layup short, hit your third deep with a wedge and let the slope carry it to the flag as  you make  birdie.

The seventh is  yet another testy dogleg right par four. First  off, your  tee shot must cut the  corner to set up the best approach to the  green. Easier  said then  done, as  trees and  more trees  are your  main obstacle.  The more you cut, the narrower the fairway becomes. A mid to short-iron  remains to  the smallest green on  the course at just 27 yards deep. For good  measure, the surface slopes from back-to-front and is surrounded by four deep  bunkers. If you're  not careful, you might be writing five or six on the scorecard. 

The shortest  hole  on the  course, the  eighth,  is probably  the easiest.  Despite  three deep  bunkers that surround  the putting surface, the green is fairly wide and it slopes from back-to-front. Just a mid-iron can set up  a possible birdie try, as long as you're below the hole.

The final hole on the  outward nine is another pesky dogleg, this time to the left. The elevated tee  box shows how  you must shape your shot to avoid left-side fairway bunker and  carve it  inside the right tree  line. A mid to long-iron, depending upon the  pin placement  (green is 42 yards  deep), will be needed to hit pay dirt. The  putting surface  slopes  severely  from back  to  front  and the  bunkers surrounding  the green are quite deep. Miss long with a front flag and you run the risk of putting right off the green.

The  back nine opens with the final par five on the course, a beautiful dogleg right  gem. Your tee shot plays uphill with sand protecting the corner, so you must challenge for position to make birdie. From the top of the hill, the 10th now slopes downhill towards the green, with an uphill rise 60 yards before the surface.  Bunkers  galore blanket this green,  that slopes from back to front. Playing  below the hole on the second smallest green on the course will set up a  birdie  try, or better yet...eagle. 

Another hole that requires a strategic drive  is  the 11th.  Although just 383  yards in length,  this par four, that turns  to the left and plays uphill, demands a draw over the fairway bunker to set  up a  short iron. The hard  part now becomes club selection and accuracy, as  the  putting surface  is quite  narrow and  deep (40  yards). The green is tiered  and  guarded tightly  by bunkers.  Even though the  11th is the second shortest par four on the course, it ranks as the sixth handicap hole, so don't
be  disappointed with  bogey.

The  most  difficult hole  on the  back nine  is without  question, the  par-four 12th. Standing on the elevated tee box, don't be  caught  off guard, as  you look  out upon the  beauty of NCR. A demanding, accurate  and long  tee shot is needed  on this 460-yard monster that bends to the  left. The  further your  opening  shot is  hit, the  tighter the  fairway becomes.  From  the rolling  fairway, an  uphill approach  remains, to a deep, narrow  green  that falls away  to the left and  front. Sand awaits the errant second,  both left  and right, making this  one bear of a hole.

It doesn't get any  easier  at the  par-three 13th.  This could  be the  hardest green on the course,  as it slopes  from left to right and front to back. With the firmness of  the green  along with the slope,  a long iron will be almost impossible to hold  the  surface.

The  so-called easiest hole  on the course,  the 14th is a downhill, dogleg left with two dozen-plus bunkers covering the fairway and the green.  Three-metal is  the best play off  the tee, setting up a short iron to the  well-guarded putting  surface. Par for certain, birdie a possibility.

The final one-shotter on the course, the 15th is also the longest par three at 234 yards  from the tips.  Trees flank the right side while the left falls sharply downhill  with two deep  bunkers. The putting surface is one of the longest on the  course  at  46 yards  and  is  also  quite  narrow. Missing  this  green, especially  right, could  result in  double-bogey or  worse.

Another  imposing hole,  the  16th, is a splendid  par four that  doglegs to the right and plays
downhill.  Trees guard  both sides of the  fairway, as this par four is one of just  two holes devoid of landing-area bunkers. A wide, deep green awaits your uphill  approach that  will require a mid to long-iron. The putting surface is slick and slopes from back to front with a pair of traps fronting the green. A classic  par four if  there ever was one.

In contrast, the 17th is the easiest on  the  course. The  straightaway  par  four is  only  352  yards in  length, requiring  only a  long iron or fairway  metal off the tee. A manageable pitch remains to a wide-open green that should set up birdie. Sand and slope are the only  defense to this putting surface. Par should be the worst score you leave with. 

The 18th is a perfect end to an outstanding golf course. The tree-lined fairway  necessitates a  long drive  from the  elevated tee  box to  reach the corner  of the  dogleg left.  Missing left  will result  in sand,  trees or  a difficult  sidehill lie in the rough with no chance of getting home. The right side  is  no bargain either with  a pair of  traps and deep rough. The putting surface  is just  as  difficult, stretching  49 yards  in  length and  sloping severely  from  back to front  and left to right.  Making par on this treasure will erase all of the sorrow you suffered in your round.

FINAL  WORD: To  hold the 2005 U.S.  Senior Open, changes needed to be made to the  existing layout.  NCR's no-nonsense  approach  was just  what the  doctor ordered,  as  trees were removed for  agronomy and gallery control, as well as every  teeing  ground being  rebuilt.  "Every  time I  come  here  I get  more impressed,"  commented Tom  Meeks, the  USGA's  former senior director  of rules  and competitions. 

Despite  dropping out of the  top-100 in Golf Digest's list for 2005,  NCR South  will most certainly climb  back into the ranks, as it has to much  to  offer. This course has  everything a classic venue requires; length, deep  rough,  sloping greens,  tree-lined  fairways  and plenty  of  greenside
bunkers.  It just  goes to  show you,  water is  not needed  to make  a course difficult  or demanding.

"It's a legendary golf course," mentioned 2004 Senior Open  champion  Peter Jacobsen. "This  is not a  golf course you overpower, as a  lot of  strategy comes into play." Great practice facilities, scenic views, perfect  conditions,  great hospitality and by  the way, one heck of a layout.

NCR  is  private and you must  be a guest  of a member  to play, so get on the phone  and call  in some favors, you won't be disappointed. I certainly wasn't and I can't wait to come back.