JACKSON -- Beautiful, tree-lined fairways and rolling hills give Franklin Valley Golf Course its degree of difficulty. But it is the people who give the Jackson course its personality.
Three men who play it on a weekly basis can attest to that. Thomas Dent of Beaver, Tom Payne of Jackson and Ron Adkins of Wellston all said that while the course is always in great condition, it is the people who play there that make the experience worthwhile.
All of the members are very nice
and the people who work are all hospitable and kind Adkins said.
The friendliness makes the experience of playing the 6,104-yard par 71 course all the better. Despite the rain this past Friday, Payne said it is a place where people can hit it around and have a little fun.
Barry Marcum, who has been the general manager at Franklin Valley for three years, said a variety of age ranges makes up the clientele, and this creates more of a community atmosphere. The community, however, is not based only in Jackson. Marcum said players from Athens, Jackson and surrounding areas make the drive to Franklin Valley.
I'd say your middle age is the most but we have several seniors and two high school teams who play here
Vinton County and Jackson
he said. There's a pretty good variety. We host a tournament every year for the (Ohio) football team
and I've got several members from Athens.
Whoever decides to tee it up at Franklin Valley will see a mature course with large trees but relatively straight fairways. The front nine caters to the players who can hit it down the middle, while the back nine is for players who can grip it and rip it.
The course was built in 1962 with just nine holes, and the back nine was not added until 1993, Marcum said. Players and staff alike consider No. 8, a 370-yard par 4, to be the signature hole because it plays as a dogleg right with out-of-bounds on the right and a pond on the left side of the green. The green slopes toward the pond, making any approach shot that lands above the hole a treacherous slider.
The course is open all year, even in the winter, without temporary greens. Brave players can test their best golf shots in the blistering snow and wind or in the hot summer sun. Dave Lewis, the course superintendent, is in charge of keeping the bent grass greens and bluegrass/rye grass hybrid fairways in playable condition year round.
We cut the greens every morning
said Lewis, who has been with the course for 18 years. And if we spray
we start early
at 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning. We stay ahead of golfers so it's dry when they come around.
Secondary to the well-kept course are the reasonable prices. Greens fees range from $11 for nine holes to an all-day rate of $25 for which golfers can play as many holes as they want.
Carts are available at $6 for nine holes and $12 for 18. Franklin Valley is semi-private, meaning memberships are available. Students can play unlimited rounds for $395 per year, and a single adult membership goes for $465. A driving range also is available to all golfers with buckets of balls starting at $3.
To make a tee time at Franklin Valley or for more information, call 740-286-4903.
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