Golf at “Westbrook” in Mansfield predated Ross. The Westbrook Outing Club laid out links at the turn of the twentieth century, with a new clubhouse opened July 4, 1902; the club later moved its social and golf life to a hilltop site where local architect Vernon Redding designed a substantial clubhouse (the original building burned in 1940 and was replaced in 1942). These sources firmly anchor Westbrook as an established golf venue before Ross’s involvement, but they do not identify a named golf architect for the early layouts.
Ross’s involvement is clearly attested: an Ohio Memory entry records that “in 1922 the Westbrook Country Club was redesigned by the highly regarded architect Donald Ross.” Several local histories likewise place Ross’s design activity at Westbrook in the early 1920s, with one account implying a 1921 design date and Ross photographed at the club in 1923. The documentary language (especially “redesigned”) suggests he re-routed and rebuilt the course on the present hilltop grounds rather than merely tweaking an existing nine. Given typical seasonal building windows in Ohio, it is reasonable—but not yet documentable—to infer earthmoving in 1922 and opening play on new greens extending into 1923.
The club today states that the course “has been faithfully restored to the original Donald Ross design,” but does not, on its public pages, credit a restoration architect or date. A 2023–2025 executive search profile repeats the same claim. Until a master plan or architect-of-record document is produced, the timing and authorship of any modern restoration should be labeled uncertain in the scholarly record. (Notably, the club’s capital projects since 2020—pool complex, façade and event-space expansions—concern facilities rather than the course.)
Unique Design Characteristics
The club’s hole-by-hole descriptions, combined with on-site photography, allow a precise mapping of Ross traits as they present today. The par-3 sixth occupies a downslope with a crowned putting surface encircled by three bunkers; a deceptive “front” bunker sits about 40 yards short of the green, a classic Ross depth-perception ploy that influences club selection rather than directly guarding the target. The club notes that the surface itself “slopes from front to back” despite the downhill tee, producing a common three-putt. The eighth, an uphill par five, features a front that “will roll back down the hill” unless the approach carries the false front, a Ross hallmark seen across his portfolio and conspicuous here.
The fourteenth is a mid-length par four where the approach is framed by two “pot bunkers up by the green,” a specific bunker form Ross used sparingly in Ohio; the club cautions that recovery from these pits is not trivial, underscoring their strategic—and psychological—weight. The finishing eighteenth, a 399-yard par four climbing hard to the clubhouse, bears no bunkers, yet demands a long, uphill approach to a “tricky two-tiered green,” with the club asserting it “plays more like 475” into prevailing slope. The restraint (no sand) paired with a severe target is very much in keeping with Ross’s habit of letting topography and green contour do the defending, especially on final holes in hilltop settings.
Other touchpoints include the third—a 513-yard par four at the far end of the property—with a large lake left of the green; while water hazards at Ross courses vary in provenance, here the hazard governs the preferred miss and turn-angle into a deep target. Holes 13–15, by the club’s own synopsis and outside summaries, place bunkers both at landing and approach zones, sustaining diagonal angles into aggressively sloped greens. The fifth’s “most treacherous” putting surface (the club’s term) and the second’s diagonal creek crossing roughly 100 yards short of the green further illustrate how the round oscillates between elevation-change demands and angle-of-approach tests. On the evidence of present-day features, holes 6, 8, 14 and 18 are the clearest surviving exemplars of Ross’s approach at Westbrook: crowned/tilting targets (6), false fronts (8), pot-bunker guarding (14), and slope-driven green defense without sand (18).
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Ohio work, Westbrook falls into an early-1920s phase when he was reshaping or newly routing courses for towns of modest size with strong industrial bases—leaving a durable civic imprint even where later courses eclipsed his footprints. Contemporary material places Westbrook’s Ross redesign in 1922, making it a near-peer chronologically to his work at other Midwestern clubs of that period. Local historical writing has emphasized the club’s continuity—burned clubhouse replaced in 1942, course retained—and the course maintained tournament relevance into the twenty-first century. The club and a 2023–25 executive profile both state Westbrook has hosted two Ohio Amateurs, a PGA Junior Series event, and an NCAA Division III final. More recently, Westbrook has been selected repeatedly by the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) as a championship venue (2018, 2021–22), with official yardages reported between 6,820 and 6,910 yards over those events. The club also hosts Ohio Seniors Golf Association championships and junior qualifiers, demonstrating regional competitive relevance.
Current Condition / Integrity
Public descriptions by the club characterize the course as a faithful return to Ross, but, again, without a named modern architect or dated master plan. As a result, an integrity assessment must rely on what can be observed and on the hole-by-hole notes the club publishes. Those descriptions point to targets with pronounced tilts (e.g., 1, 4, 6, 11, 18), strategic bunkers set both in approaches and at green edges (e.g., 4, 6–8, 13–17), and occasional deception elements such as the 40-yard short bunker at 6 and a two-tier green on 18. The routing maintains a balanced par of 36-36 with short and long par-4s, alternating up- and down-hill demands, and only occasional water adjacency (notably at 3). That balance and the evident survival of crowned and false-fronted targets suggest meaningful continuity with Ross’s intent, even if tree growth and selective modern shaping inevitably changed lines of play over a century.
Facilities investments since 2020—new pool, façade, and the 8,000-square-foot pavilion—did not, per reporting, alter the course hardware itself. The NCAC’s 2021 and 2022 set-ups, at 6,820 and 6,910 yards respectively, indicate the club has lengthened tees to keep pace with competitive expectations.
Provenance of the present course: The Ohio Memory historical note explicitly stating “In 1922 the Westbrook Country Club was redesigned by…Donald Ross” is the clearest documentary hook. Local historical essays put Ross at Westbrook in 1921–23, but do not cite plan sets or minutes.
Restoration: The club and a 2023–25 executive search profile both assert the course has been “faithfully restored,” but provide no restoration architect, no dates, and no scope—leaving authorship and timing uncertain.
Sources & Notes
Ohio Memory (Ohio History Connection), “Westbrook Country Club,” noting 1922 redesign by Donald Ross.
Westbrook Country Club (official website), Golf page with hole-by-hole descriptions, practice facilities, and “View Scorecard” link; and home page.
Richland Source, Then & Now: Westbrook Country Club 1909 (clubhouse history; fire in 1940; replacement in 1942).
The Sherman Room (Mansfield/Richland County history blog, Richland County Museum), “Mansfield’s First Golf Course: The Westbrook Outing Club,” detailing 1900–02 activities at the earlier Westbrook links; early clubhouse and move to hilltop site (with separate local sources on Vernon Redding).
NCAC (North Coast Athletic Conference), 2021 and 2022 championship pages and associated host-school releases, confirming yardages (6,820–6,910) and Westbrook as venue.
Ohio Seniors Golf Association pages announcing championships at Westbrook (2022–23). Accessed 2025.
Top100GolfCourses (course profile summary), dating Ross’s course to 1922 and noting event history.
Mansfield News Journal, reporting on 2022 facility expansion (8,000-sq-ft pavilion) and 2020 pool/clubhouse capital project, confirming scope is clubhouse-side. GSI Executive Search (Westbrook President profile, PDF), repeating the club’s claim of “faithful restoration to the original Donald Ross design” and tournament list.