Cliffside Golf Course sits in Gallipolis, a small city along the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio's Gallia County. The course was designed by Jack Kidwell, a regional architect who worked primarily in Ohio and West Virginia during the mid-to-late twentieth century. Kidwell's designs typically emphasized playability for everyday golfers while working within the natural terrain and budget constraints common to municipal and semi-private facilities in smaller communities. The course takes its name from the rolling, elevated terrain characteristic of this part of the Ohio River valley, where the landscape transitions from bottomland to wooded hillsides. Layouts in this region often feature changes in elevation and tree-lined corridors, with routing that moves across ridges and through natural drainage patterns. The setting provides views of the surrounding valley and forested areas typical of southeastern Ohio. Cliffside serves the local golfing community in Gallia County and neighboring areas of Ohio and West Virginia. Courses of this type in smaller river towns often function as accessible public facilities where regional golfers play regular rounds and local tournaments. The layout reflects the practical design philosophy common to Kidwell's work, offering a straightforward test of golf suited to the area's topography and the needs of its membership and daily-fee players.