How beer is helping Cleveland fund its golf courses

Pin-high Pilsner.

It’s got a nice ring to it, no?

Cleveland’s Metroparks Organization — which works to preserve land for conservation, education and recreation — has taken a simple step to make golf at its courses more accessible. They’re doing it through the brewing of a new beer. 

The Metroparks department has worked with Market Garden Brewery to produce the Czech-inspired Pin-high Pilsner. A portion of sales will be donated to support Cleveland Metroparks’ Education Fund, with some funding redirected to buy personal protective equipment needs for course staff. Cleveland.com reports that the eight Metroparks courses have remained open throughout the coronavirus.

Let’s take a quick peek at the eight courses under the Metroparks umbrella.

Sleepy Hollow Golf Course

No, not that Sleepy Hollow. Still, this is probably the top-ranked course of the bunch. Stanley Thompson, the designer of some of Canada’s top tracks (including a bunch in national parks, which we at Muni Mondays are particularly fond of), designed this one too. It was a private country club when it opened in 1924 but saw the light in 1963, when it opened to the good people of Cleveland. Public golf! It’s where it’s at.

Big Met Golf Course

Stanley Thompson’s back for more! Big Met opened in 1926 and has been publicly accessible for its entire lifespan. According to Cleveland’s parks department, a “pay-as-you-play” course was deemed a smart investment.

Little Met Golf Course

Remember Big Met, from last paragraph? While Cleveland’s golfers were waiting for the big course to open, Little Met was built as sort of a teaser trailer course to excite the public. The nine-holer, which opened in 1924, is still around today. 

Manakiki Golf Course

Donald Ross! There’s a name Muni Mondays followers have heard on their airwaves before. (We’ll bring Dr. Ross back again soon, too.) He turned this former summer estate — which was sold to Cleveland Metroparks for $1 in 1944 — into a Tour-worthy golf course. Seriously! Cary Middlecoff and Julius Boros won the 1953 and 1954 Carling World Opens at Manakiki.

Mastick Woods Golf Course

Constructed in 1964 to deal with overcrowding at Big Met and Little Met, Mastick Woods is where you go for a leisurely nine holes — for just $11.50. Walkable, playable, accessible.

Seneca Golf Course

Whenever you can use a quote from Arnold Palmer in describing your golf course, that’s a win. “It’s a good testing course,” Palmer said about Seneca. This sprawling Broadview Heights property is home to 27 holes.

Shawnee Hills Golf Course

Cleveland Metroparks describes this one as the “most versatile” in its arsenal. That’s because Shawnee Hills boasts a fantastic driving range, a playable par-3 course and a full-sized 18 originally designed in 1957 but fully revamped in the late 80s.

Washington Golf Course

Just 10 minutes from the downtown, Washington Golf Course opened in 2006 through a partnership between the city, the school district and the Washington Park Horticulture Center. As a result, the course succeeds on a number of levels — it’s a highly accessible course financed by the First Tee of Cleveland and was also the first nine-hole course to earn the Audobon’s Certified Golf Signature Sanctuary designation. Whoa!

Anyway, back to the beer: The Czech-inspired Pin-high Pilsner is brewed with European pale malts and spicy Saaz hops. It is 4.8% alcohol and available in cans. You can find it at any of Cleveland’s Metroparks courses, Market Garden’s location in Ohio City or in retail distribution elsewhere.