I only needed to play the front-9 of the South Course at Firestone Country Club to learn this is a course that's as testing as it is beautiful. Trees help mark the true lines of play, fairways have right sides and wrong sides, and undulating greens are heavily defended with bunkers - particularly on the front and sides of the putting surfaces. I'd reflect more on my experience once the entire round was over, but I couldn't help but think about a few more things as I made the turn to the back-9.
The South Course won't ever be mistaken for a C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor, or A.W. Tillinghast design. But the South Course's charm is laying it all out right in front of you. South shows you what shots you have to hit, and then rewards you or punishes you depending on your execution. Wide fairways give players more options off the tee yes, but it's just as much a test of skill to hit straight drives on South's narrow fairways as it is to work the ball more on wider ones.
