Firestone Country Club’s South Course in Akron, Ohio, is a private, par-70 course stretching up to 7,400 yards, and most non-members get on through a Stay & Play package that runs roughly $1,000 to $1,900 per person.
Keep reading for a closer look at how to book, what the course plays like, and what’s next for the club after its long run of pro events.
What Firestone South Is and Why It Matters
Quick overview
Firestone South is a private, members-only course at 452 E. Warner Road in south Akron. The club describes access as for members and their guests, so you can’t book a public tee time. The course plays as a par 70 at up to 7,400 yards, and golfers have long called it “The Monster.”
The South is one of three championship courses at the club. The other two are the North and the Fazio, which together make up a 54-hole facility. There’s also a public nine-hole course, the Raymond C. Firestone, which opened in 1995.
How the course came to be
Harvey Firestone commissioned the club in 1929 as a park for employees of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
Bert Way’s original design opened on August 10, 1929, and Firestone hit the first ball himself. A few sources give 1927 as the founding year, but the 1929 opening date holds up across the board.
Ownership changed in 1981, when ClubCorp bought the club from the Firestone family. Today it operates under the Invited Clubs brand.
You may associate the name Bridgestone with the property, and that makes sense, but the company’s role was tournament title sponsorship rather than ownership.
How the design changed over time
The course you’d play today looks quite different from Way’s original. Before 1960, it measured 6,620 yards at par 71. Robert Trent Jones Sr. remodeled it to toughen it up for the 1960 PGA Championship, adding new tees, more than 50 bunkers, and two ponds.
The changes stretched the course to 7,165 yards and dropped it to par 70. His most talked-about move was on the par-5 16th, which he lengthened and fronted with a pond.
Later work focused on the greens and bunkers:
- Greens: Jack Nicklaus reworked them in the early-to-mid 1980s. Accounts differ on the exact year.
- 2007 renovation: Some sources credit Golforce and others credit Tom Fazio, and the records don’t settle it.
- Bunkers: The last full renovation took place in 2008. A new one is described as “on the horizon,” though no timeline has been confirmed.
The nickname has its own story. During the 1960 PGA Championship, Arnold Palmer made a triple bogey on the 16th and called the hole a “monster.” The label stuck to the hole first and eventually to the whole course.
How to Get on the Course as a Non-Member
Your realistic options
Firestone South has no public tee times and no online tee sheet, so every route in goes through the club or someone connected to it.
For most visitors, a Stay & Play package is the most reliable way in. Other paths exist, though, and one of them may fit your situation better:
- Member’s guest: Standard guest fees apply, but the club doesn’t publish them.
- Corporate or charity outings: These events can use all three courses, so they’re worth a look if your company or a cause you support is planning one.
- Reciprocal access: Members of other Invited clubs may get in through travel privileges. Check the terms with your home club first.
If you’d rather join, the club offers Corporate, Individual, National, and Social memberships. National Membership is meant for people whose primary residence is outside Ohio or more than 100 miles from the club. Initiation fees and dues aren’t published, so you’ll need to ask the club directly.
Official Stay & Play packages
The club offers three Stay & Play packages, and their structure tells you a lot about how it wants visitors to experience the property:
- Buddies: Two nights and three rounds, one on each course. You stay in a single-occupancy Premium Club Room, and groups can have up to 8 players.
- Ultimate Buddies: Three nights and four rounds, with dinner at the 1929 Grille. You can choose a Premium Club Room or a Villa, and groups can also have up to 8 players.
- Champions: The same golf as Ultimate Buddies, with Premium Villa rooms, a private villa dinner, and custom bag tags and cart signs. It’s built for groups of 8 to 12.
One catch applies to the two four-round packages: the replay round can’t be played on the South. If the South is the main draw, keep that in mind when you compare options. The club doesn’t publish official prices for any of these, so you’ll need to request a quote.
What the packages cost
Third-party reseller listings give the best picture of pricing. These run through 12/31/26 and show “starting at” rates per person, before tax:
| Package | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional | $1,000 | 1 night in a men’s-only standard club room, South and North rounds |
| South “Bucket List” Experience | $1,220 | 1 night in a Deluxe Villa King, two South rounds |
| Legacy | $1,700 | 2 nights in a premium club room, one round per course |
| Monster | $1,900 | 2 nights in a Premium Villa King, one round per course |
These four packages don’t appear on the club’s own page and may be older listings, so confirm details and pricing with the club before you book.
Keep in mind that the headline price isn’t the final cost. A 2021 reviewer on a one-night, two-round stay reported that golf, cart, caddie fees, and gratuity alone came to $900 per person. That figure is dated, but it shows how quickly extras add up.
You may also come across guest-fee numbers online. One anonymous 2016 forum post listed $240++ accompanied and $320++ unaccompanied. It’s outdated and can’t be verified, so don’t use it to budget.
Booking and caddie rules
You can reach the club’s main line at 330-644-8441, and the Tee Time Office at 330-245-3200. For Stay & Play, use the “Plan your Stay” form on the club’s website, or contact the reservations team by phone, email, or text.
The club’s accommodations page links to 330-245-3275, which is probably the lodging line, though no official page confirms that. If you’re unsure, use the main line.
Stay & Play groups and unaccompanied groups must take a GPS cart and a forecaddie, and the target pace is four hours. Here’s how the caddie costs work:
- Rates: A forecaddie costs $25 per player, and a walking caddie costs $70 per player.
- Forecaddie gratuity (recommended minimum): $100 for a single, $50 each for two players, $40 each for three, and $35 each for four.
- Walking caddie gratuity (recommended minimum): $100 for a single bag and $80 for a double bag.
Same-day caddie requests are taken until 2 p.m., and you can book in advance any day of the week. If you cancel within 24 hours, you pay the full fee. Also worth knowing: the caddies work for 4C Limited rather than the club.
Course Layout, Ratings, and Tee Choices
Layout and character
The South is a par 70 made up of two par-35 nines. The front runs 4-5-4-4-3-4-3-4-4, and the back runs 4-4-3-4-4-3-5-4-4. Only two holes are par 5s, the 2nd and the 16th, so the real test comes from the ten par 4s, which measure 440 to 494 yards from the tips.
The setting is narrow, heavily treed, and mostly straight, with thick rough waiting on either side. Tees, fairways, and greens are all bentgrass and Poa annua.
The club says water rarely comes into play, and that recovery chances are plentiful. Critics take a different view and describe the routing as repetitive and “back and forth.”
Golf Digest, on the other hand, still ranks the 16th among America’s best par 5s, so the course gets credit for its standout moments even from those who find the overall design plain.
Ratings and yardages (and the conflicts)
Published numbers for the South don’t agree, which matters if you plan to post a score. Here’s what each source lists:
- Club’s South page: 7,400 yards, rating 76.1, slope 132
- Club overview and USGA-based listing: 7,389 or 7,400 yards, rating 77.0, slope 148
- Golf.com: rating 76.4, slope 134
The 77.0/148 figure is probably the current championship-tee rating, and 76.1/132 looks like an older number that’s still on the club’s page. Confirm with the pro shop or the USGA Course Rating database before you post anything.
For planning your tee choice, here’s the breakdown by tee:
| Tee | Yardage | Rating/Slope |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 7,400 | 76.1/132 |
| Hybrid | 6,875 | 73.9/129 |
| White | 6,454 | 71.6/124 |
| Green | 5,876 | 69.0/118 |
| Red | 5,155 | 70.4/123 |
The club’s hole-by-hole page uses a slightly different set of tee decks, adding up to 7,400, 6,907, 6,454 (the member tee), and 5,138 for the forward tee. Because the two lists don’t line up exactly, ask which tees you’ll be playing when you book.
For context, the 2026 tournament setup measured 7,248 yards, while the WGC events played the full 7,400. Most amateurs will find the White or Hybrid tees a better match than the tips, given how many long par 4s the course has.
Conditions
The maintenance team aims to keep the South in near-tournament condition from April through October, and sometimes into November.
Visitors usually rate the conditioning as excellent. Keep your expectations realistic, though. During member and resort play, you’ll find less rough and slower greens than you’d see in tournament week.
Hole-by-Hole Notes and Playing Strategy
Front nine highlights
The front nine starts with accuracy over distance. Yardages below are listed from the tips and then the member tee.
- No. 1 (par 4, 399/372): Trees line the fairway, and four fairway bunkers add to the pressure. The elevated green has a severe false front, so a short approach rolls back down.
- No. 2 (par 5, 526/478): This is the front nine’s only par 5. It plays uphill to a three-tier green, and the club advises treating it as a three-shot hole.
- No. 3 (par 4, 442/369): A large pond, deep bunkers, and overhanging trees guard the hole. Aim for the right side of the fairway for the best angle in.
- No. 5 (par 3, 200/182): Bunkers sit front and left, and the green slopes hard from right to left. Until 1987, it played 234 yards from the championship tee.
- No. 6 (par 4, 469/413): This is the No. 1 handicap hole on the card. Leave your approach below the hole.
Holes 4, 7, 8, and 9 each ask for something different. The 4th has a sharply sloping fairway, and the 7th has a large green with bunkers down the full left side. On the 8th, five deep bunkers surround the green. The 9th is a long, straight par 4 (494/442) that climbs to the clubhouse.
Back nine highlights
The back nine opens with two par 4s that ask for different things. The 10th (410/387) plays uphill, so favor the right edge of the left fairway bunker and stay below the hole on the tiered green. The 11th (418/345) comes with a blind tee shot, where accuracy matters more than distance.
Holes 12 through 15 mix a few types of challenge:
- No. 12 (par 3, 180/165): It plays uphill, and the green slopes from back to front.
- No. 13 (par 4, 471/439): A left-to-right dogleg with an elevated, false-front green. Drive down the left-center, since an overhanging tree blocks the shortcut on the right.
- No. 14 (par 4, 467/371): Straight, with a narrow green that’s one of the flattest on the course.
- No. 15 (par 3, 221/159): A hidden bunker sits front left, and the green slopes from back to front.
The 16th is the one everyone remembers. At 667 yards from the tips (590 from the member tee), and up to 675 from the very back, it’s a par 5 that rewards patience.
Keep your drive inside the tree line. Long hitters can use the downslope on the right side to shorten the second shot. Most players should lay up short of the pond and wedge onto the turtle-shell green. Arnold Palmer’s plaque sits on the stone bridge near the pond.
The closing stretch is shorter but still demanding. The 17th (par 4, 400/374) plays uphill with five fairway bunkers and a deep pot bunker in front of the green. From that tee, check the pin on 18, because the position can change the hole’s length by about 25 yards.
The 18th (par 4, 464/435) bends slightly left, so drive down the right side. Pace matters more than line on the green. Look for the “Shot in the Dark” plaque down the right side, which marks Tiger Woods’s famous 2000 finish.
Strategy that applies round the course
A few habits will help on almost every hole:
- Put fairways first. Narrow, tree-lined corridors and thick rough make missed drives costly. A 3-wood or hybrid is often the right play on tight par 4s such as 1, 11, and 14.
- Pick your tees honestly. Most amateurs will fit the member tee or the hybrid set better than the tips.
- Stay below the hole. The club’s own tips repeat this on 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15, and 17, where downhill putts are hard to stop.
- Respect the edges of the greens. False fronts punish short approaches on 1, 9, and 13, and long or off-line shots run off the green on 2, 4, and 8.
- Lean on your forecaddie. You’ll have one anyway, so use them for lines on blind and dogleg tee shots and for reading the greens.
Tournament History, Records, and What Comes Next
Major and tour history
Firestone’s pro golf story starts with the Rubber City Open, which ran from 1954 to 1959 and was the club’s first tour event. Tommy Bolt won the inaugural edition in 1954, and Arnold Palmer took the title in 1957.
The South then hosted three PGA Championships, and the winners and scores tell you how tough the course played:
- 1960: Jay Hebert won at 281.
- 1966: Al Geiberger won at 280.
- 1975: Jack Nicklaus won at 276 for his fourth PGA title.
At the time, no other course had hosted the PGA Championship three times.
Other long-running events filled the calendar. The American Golf Classic ran from 1961 to 1976, and Raymond Floyd set its scoring record of 268 in 1969.
The World Series of Golf ran from 1962 to 1998, and it produced one of the course’s best-known rounds when José María Olazábal opened with a 61 in 1990.
You may see claims online that other big events came through Akron. The South did not host PGA Championships in 1976, 1979, 1990, or 2003, and no evidence shows it hosting a U.S. Women’s Open, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Senior PGA Championship.
The Tiger Woods era and records
The WGC event, played from 1999 to 2018 (except 2002), is where Firestone became Tiger Woods’s course. He won a record eight times there, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2013.
His 2000 win stands out. He won by 11 shots and set a 72-hole record of 259 (−21), then finished in near-darkness by hitting an 8-iron on the 18th. That shot is why the plaque on the right side of the fairway is called “Shot in the Dark.”
Other winners during the run included Stewart Cink, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, and Justin Thomas. The event moved to Memphis in 2019.
The course record for 18 holes is 61, shared by four rounds:
- Olazábal in 1990
- Woods in 2000 and again in 2013
- Sergio García in 2014, when he also shot a back-nine 27
No record-breaking round has been reported since 2014.
Senior Players Championship and the end of an era
From 2019 to 2026, the South hosted the Senior Players Championship, a PGA Tour Champions major. Retief Goosen won in 2019, followed by Jerry Kelly, Steve Stricker, Kelly again, Stricker again, Ernie Els, and Miguel Ángel Jiménez.
In 2026, Zach Johnson won at 265 (−15), six shots clear of Boo Weekley, and his rounds included a bogey-free 63 on Saturday. Goosen’s 62 in 2019 remains the single-round low of the Champions era.
Kaulig Companies sponsored the event through a four-year title deal that ran from 2023 to 2026. When Johnson won in July 2026, it closed out a 72-year run of PGA Tour-affiliated events at Firestone.
Those events also did real good off the course. Firestone’s pro tournaments have generated more than $35 million in charitable giving for Northeast Ohio since 1984, including $2,193,145 in 2025 alone.
What’s next
Pro golf isn’t gone from Firestone, but it will look different. The Senior Players Championship moves to Newport Beach Country Club in California in March 2027, with a $3.5 million purse.
In its place, the South will host the LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational on July 6 and 7, 2027. It’s a two-day developmental and celebrity event rather than a full PGA Tour stop, so expect smaller crowds and different logistics than past tournaments.
Spectator, ticketing, and parking details hadn’t been announced as of October 15, 2026, so hold off on travel plans until they are.
The club also expects to host collegiate championships. Keep in mind that the 2026 MAC Women’s Championship was played on the Fazio Course, not the South.
Planning Your Visit
Dress code and etiquette
The club keeps a traditional dress code. Wear a collared golf shirt and tuck it in. Cargo shorts or pants, jeans, t-shirts, and non-golf athletic wear are all off the list, though golf-appropriate mock necks are fine. A few other rules apply:
- Hats face forward on the course, and they come off for dinner in the Grille.
- Soft spikes only.
- No smoking in the clubhouse or the villas.
- In the Grille Room, phones are for texting only.
Lodging, dining, and amenities
Where you sleep depends on the package, and the two room types are quite different. Club Rooms are dormitory-style and set around the men’s locker room.
Several packages use them on a men’s-only basis, and the standard rooms have no TV or private bath. Premium Club Rooms have been renovated with half baths.
Villas front the course and have private-bath king rooms with shared common areas, which makes them the better fit for mixed groups.
For meals, the club has the 1929 Grille and the Legacy Pavilion. Other amenities include:
- Fitness: A fitness center on site.
- Golf shop: Carries Titleist, Callaway, FootJoy, and Peter Millar.
- Instruction and gear: Lessons, clinics, TrackMan club fitting, and rental sets for men and women.
- Practice: A driving range with turf and grass hitting areas, a large putting green, and a putting course next to the clubhouse. Reviewers disagree on whether that course has 9 or 18 holes. One 2024 reviewer also found the range small and short on balls, so don’t count on a long warm-up there.
The club also runs an airport van to and from Akron-Canton and Cleveland Hopkins. Confirm availability when you book.
Getting there and nearby hotels
The club sits at 452 E. Warner Road in Akron. Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) is the closest major airport at about 7 to 9 miles, and Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) is more than 40 miles away. If your package doesn’t include lodging, these hotels are nearby:
| Hotel | Approximate distance |
|---|---|
| Hampton Inn Akron-South | 2 miles |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Akron Regional Airport Area | 2 to 3 miles |
| Cambria Hotel Akron-Canton Airport | 4 to 5 miles |
| Hilton Garden Inn Akron-Canton Airport | 8 to 9 miles |
| Embassy Suites Akron-Canton Airport | 9 to 10 miles |
Timing and recommendations
The South plays in its best condition from April through October. A mid-October trip falls late in that window, so ask about aeration, frost delays, and fall rates when you book.
How you plan from there depends on who’s going:
- One visit to the South: Ask the club for a Bucket List-style package, one night with two South rounds. Budget roughly $1,200 to $1,500 per person once you add forecaddie gratuity, tax, and extras.
- Buddies trip of 4 to 8 players: The official Buddies package is the most efficient way to see all three courses.
- Mixed-gender groups: Request villa lodging, since club rooms are men’s-only on several packages.
- Spectators: Wait for official details on the July 2027 event before you book travel.
Caveats
A few details in this guide come with limits. Prices come from third-party resellers and older reviews, so they may vary by season, day, and room type, and the club publishes no green fees, guest fees, or package prices.
Ratings, yardages, and renovation history also conflict across sources, so confirm anything that affects your round or your budget with the club directly. One last correction: Kaulig Companies’ sponsorship began in 2023, even though some outlets place it earlier.
Conclusion
Firestone South is hard to get onto, but a Stay & Play package gives you a real shot at one of golf’s best-known tests, from the narrow, tree-lined fairways to the 667-yard 16th.
Plan for a total cost well above the advertised starting price, pick tees that match your game, and lean on your forecaddie.
With pro golf shifting to a smaller two-day event in July 2027, a round here is still one of the best ways to see the course up close.
