Mill Creek MetroParks identifies both Ross courses—North and South—as opening to the public in 1928. That date also appears on recent park literature and tourism copy.
A secondary source reproducing a Ross plan labeled “1928” supports that the design work for the complex was completed by that year; however, the image is a forum reproduction rather than a primary archival scan, and it depicts a single 18 (the North), not the South. The plan’s existence is consistent with a 36-hole Ross commission for Mill Creek Park, but verifying documents (original plan sheets, correspondence, or the Park Commission’s contracting records) were not available to consult here.
While some contemporary course directories list the South’s opening as 1930, the park’s own historical statements and tourism partners present 1928 as the public opening for both courses. At present there is no publicly posted documentary reconciliation of those dates.
Ross’s specific on-site involvement after the initial build has not been documented in the MetroParks’ web publications, and no letters or visit reports have surfaced online.
Unique Design Characteristics
The South Course expresses Ross’s work here through routing economy and green-to-tee proximity within a broad, level glade, while the small creeks that thread the property provide natural hazards at selective moments. Park literature notes that “natural areas and streams come into play on five holes,” a claim borne out by the park’s official hole diagrams. On the opener (#1), the graphic shows a creek skirting the lower right of the corridor before the approach to an angled green—introducing lateral water and a preferred left-center tee shot to open the round. Mid-round, #12 (a long par 4) depicts the creek hard left near the approach into a front-to-back green, rewarding a tee ball that favors the right half for a safer angle.
Bunkering on the South frequently works on the diagonal rather than perpendicular to play. The par-5 fourth shows staggered fairway bunkers that influence the lay-up choice and set up a preferred third from the high side; the green complex itself is guarded with flanking bunkers that narrow the usable entrance. The short-to-mid par-3 seventh displays a characteristic fronting bunker short/center with flanking sand—an arrangement that visually protects a green receptive to a running shot if distance is judged precisely. Later, the par-5 fourteenth reprises diagonal fairway bunkering that challenges the aggressive second while leaving width for a measured three-shot route. The official hole graphics also highlight how many Ross greens here are sited just beyond slight rises, with fairway cut falling away in front (#5, #13, #17), which keeps the ground option viable while punishing over-bold carries. These hole-specific observations come directly from the park’s published diagrams and yardages rather than from generalizations.
The clearest surviving examples of the Ross intent on the South are those holes where the creek and diagonal bunkering combine to dictate line: #4 (par 5) for its stepped decisions tee-through-green; #12 (par 4) for its water-pinched approach; and #17 (par 3) for its simple but exacting green-front defenses that demand height or touch rather than brute force.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s public-course portfolio, Mill Creek’s significance derives from being a municipally owned 36-hole Ross complex—a rarity. In 2021 the Youngstown Vindicator reported the Donald Ross Society’s view that Mill Creek’s two 18s constitute the only municipally owned pair of Ross-designed courses in the United States, a distinction that reinforces its importance as an intact public expression of his work. The same article confirmed the park’s 1928 opening date.
In reputational terms, park and regional tourism materials have repeatedly cited the South Course’s selection by Golfweek among “America’s 30 Best Municipal Courses,” a recognition that, while period-specific and subject to list turnover, underscores the South’s standing among raters and traveling golfers.
As a modern competitive venue, the South Course annually hosts AJGA events (including the Mahoning Valley Junior All-Star and the TaylorMade Preview), placing junior championship play onto a Ross canvas and reinforcing the course’s maintained challenge at contemporary speeds and lengths.
Current Condition / Integrity
Mill Creek MetroParks has pursued a structured capital program over the past decade to sustain original features while modernizing infrastructure. For the South Course specifically, a full bunker restoration of 36 bunkers was completed in late 2017 by Golf Preservations, Inc., including excavation, new drainage conduit and gravel, and new sand and sod. The park’s notices and local media coverage document the scope and contractor.
Subsequent system-wide work addressed bunkers across both courses (85 bunkers enhanced with new drainage/sand to “recapture the course’s original design”), irrigation improvements over more than 325 acres, and cart-path rehabilitation. A 2018 media brief outlined a schedule to replace drainage beneath all 36 greens; the MetroParks’ 2019 Annual Report later recorded a “greens drainage restoration project for the North and South courses,” suggesting at least partial implementation of that plan. These items speak to infrastructure renewal rather than redesign, aiming to preserve green surfaces and bunker placements recognizable from longstanding play.
Recent capital items have focused on peripheral but relevant elements: the South Course parking lot was rebuilt with new basins and entry landscaping in 2024, and a 2025 plan (leveraging Ohio EPA funding) targets tributary channel restoration and stormwater improvements on the golf property—work that can materially improve the playability of water-adjacent holes without altering historic corridors.
As to architectural integrity, the park’s own hole-by-hole graphics—reflecting current conditions—show corridors, bunker placements, and green sites that comport with long-standing local understanding of the South Course. The 2017–21 work programs were framed by the park as restorations or enhancements to original designs rather than redesigns, and no contrary evidence has surfaced in public materials.
Sources & Notes
Mill Creek MetroParks, “Mill Creek Golf Course” (facility overview with opening year, par, yardage range).
Mill Creek MetroParks, “Course Layout & Scorecard” (official hole diagrams and yardages for South Course).
Mill Creek MetroParks, Mill Creek Golf Course Rack Card (rev. Oct. 2024; yardage range, par, terrain notes).
Explore Mahoning Valley, “Mill Creek Golf Course (South)” (terrain and “streams on five holes” description; recognition summaries).
Mill Creek MetroParks news release, “Completion of Capital Improvement Projects at Mill Creek Golf Course” (Dec. 1, 2017; contractor and scope for South bunker restoration).
Mill Creek MetroParks news post, “Over $250K in upgrades complete at Mill Creek Golf Course” (Dec. 2017; South bunker details and cost).
WFMJ, “Mill Creek Golf Course bunker restoration project to begin” (2017; award to Golf Preservations, Inc.).
Mill Creek MetroParks, “Mill Creek Golf Makes Progress on Improvements” (Apr. 5, 2021; irrigation/bunker enhancements to “recapture the course’s original design”).
Mill Creek MetroParks (media coverage reprint), “Mill Creek Tees Up Golf Course Upgrades” (May 24, 2018; schedule for greens-drainage replacement; cart-path program).
Mill Creek MetroParks, 2019 Annual Report (notes “greens drainage restoration project for the North and South courses”).
The Vindicator, “Preserving Mill Creek’s Donald Ross-designed courses” (Dec. 19, 2021; municipally owned 36-hole Ross claim; 1928 opening reiterated).
AJGA, tournament pages noting South Course host site (2025 Mahoning Valley Junior All-Star; TaylorMade Preview).
Ohio.org destination listing (state tourism; Ross authorship; 1928 opening; par/yardage).