Scenic Boulder Creek
Greater Cleveland Golf News October, 2002
By Barry Goodrich
The true sign of a great golf course is that you
can’t wait to play it again even after it has
humbled you.
A great golf course rewards shotmaking.
A great golf course offers breathtaking scenery.
And, perhaps most importantly, a great golf
course is able to gain a favorable reputation
thanks to the people who play it.
Just ask Joe Salemi, the owner and architect of
the new Boulder Creek layout in Streetsboro.
Over three years ago, Salemi broke ground at
the 325-acre parcel of land. Today, even he is
amazed at how he course has turned out.
“I know this was the place for a course the first
time I saw it,” said Salemi, a developer from
Sagamore Hills. “I was lucky to have some great
guys who worked for me. It was a monumental
job.”
Golfers who see Boulder Creek for the first time
might be surprised to learn that it is Salemi’s
first try at course design.
“It has exceeded every hope I had.” He said. “It
keeps getting accolades from people in the golf
business and the people who play here. It’s
been amazing.”
Despite the lateness of the season, Boulder
Creek is booked solid weeks ahead of time. The
word of mouth among area golfers has made
“the” destination for a round of golf in
Northeast Ohio.
“This is an upscale public course that is better
than 95 percent of private clubs in the area,”
said Salemi. “You can fool people with fancy
advertising one time but we’ve got the real
product here. We’re getting all sorts of players
from country clubs out here…it’s been an
overwhelming success.”
Boulder Creek’s head pro John Elser who
apprenticed at Oakwood, let’s customers do the
talking.
“I just tell people what the golfers tell me,” said
the 36-year old Elser. “A member from Pine
Valley was out here one day and he came back
and said the course was a combination of
Ballybunion and Cypress Point.
“And I can tell a hundred more stories like
that,” he said. “I feel pretty lucky to have gotten
in one the ground floor of a facility like this.”
Boulder Creek has all the elements of a superb
golf course. The topography and course design
is second to none. The bent greens are in
virtually flawless condition even though they
are still in their infancy.
Shotmaking is required on every hole. The par-3
17th hole features an elevated tee with an island
green. The course will challenge even the best
golfer but it rewards play as well.
“It’s a lot like a marriage,” said Elser. “People
love the challenge of it. The course isn’t tricked
up. It is what it is.”
Boulder Creek will get some national
recognition next year when Golf Digest comes
out with a rating on the course. But many local
golfers already know about it and the word is
spreading quickly.
What makes it so special?
“First and foremost is the property itself,” said
Salemi. “You can have an average course on a
gear property but you’re never going to have a
great course without a great property.”
“We’ve got guys coming out here who have
played some of the best courses in the country
and they just rave about it. You really do have
to see it to believe it.”
A state-of-the-art irrigation system keeps
Boulder Creek in lush condition. The rough is
severe enough to penalize a wayward shot but
is not impossibly long.
And while many players are already enamored
with Boulder Creek’s greens, they will get even
better next season.
Even though the course is receiving
compliments from area pros and amateurs
alike, there is room for improvement.
“We’re going to make some modifications,” said
Salemi, “A few things to make the course
better. We’ll be extending the fairway on the
10th hole and adding extra tees at 16 and 11.
This course will only get better as it matures.”