Oller: Autumn golf is time to fall into these five underappreciated Columbus-area courses
Leaf season is fast approaching, which can be frustrating when trying to find your golf ball, but otherwise rates as my favorite time of year to play.
Mid-September through late October is perfect golf weather in central Ohio. Temperatures dip, but remain warm enough to wear shorts. Fall foliage begins to peak into reds, oranges and yellows, while the golf courses greens up. You lose distance but gain beauty. A fair trade-off.
Fall golf also means visiting courses you may have heard of but never played. On that score, I have selected five courses within 45 miles of the downtown Ohio Statehouse that qualify as some combination of underappreciated, underrated and/or hidden gem.
Three of the five courses I categorize as “mom and pop” operations, meaning they are not corporately owned or managed. That does not make them any better than larger operations, but the “smaller” places, which tend to be located farther from Columbus, often get overlooked. Consider this tipping my cap to them.
Golf: Best public courses in Ohio, according to Golfweek
Golf: Best private courses in Ohio, according to Golfweek
The other two courses, Champions and Blacklick Woods, likely are more familiar to golfers who typically play layouts either inside or within a couple of miles outside of the I-270 outerbelt. They make the list not as mom and pops – Champions is run by Columbus Park and Rec; Blacklick is part of the Metroparks system – but as beautiful and challenging courses that get taken for granted.
In deciding on the five, I further took cost into consideration. Golf gets expensive. These courses are cheap to play, but their greens fees are reasonable by comparison.
Finally, there are the aesthetics. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I still consider these five to be “objectively striking.” That doesn’t mean they are on par with Augusta National or Pebble Beach. Many public courses these days cut costs by skimping on sand in bunkers and allowing cart paths to fall into disrepair.
But each of these five has elements that fit my eye nicely. Note that two of the courses were designed by Jack Kidwell, and nine holes of another were designed by a golf architect on the Kidwell design tree. I have no vested interest in or specific fondness for Kidwell courses, besides most being solid layouts. Initially, I did not realize one of the courses – Pine Hill – was a Kidwell course when I chose it.
It was not easy narrowing the field to five. Central Ohio has dozens of wonderful courses in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. I could have included a handful of others, such as The Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown, Reid Park in Springfield, Thorn Apple in Galloway and Mill Creek in Ostrander. Do yourself a favor and get out and play them all, but this fall make sure to tee it up at the following five:
National Golf Links
Location: South Charleston (41 miles)
Designer (back nine only): Jodie Kinney. The designer worked with noted architect Mike Hurdzan, who worked with Kidwell. Other Kinney-designed courses include Rattlesnake Ridge Golf Club in Sunbury.
Scorecard: par-72; yardage: 7,200 (black); 6,618 (blue); 6,016 (white); 5,319 (gold).
Course condition: Excellent tees, greens and fairways; average rough; tall grasses off some fairways; bunkers spotty.
History: What began as a nine-hole course in 1995 blossomed into an 18-hole track (Kinney designed the second nine) in 2000. Course owner Merry Krempasky took over from her father, Bob Whitmer, in 2012, and runs the place with TLC.
Selling points: The links-style design offers a variety of interesting holes, each a separate entity on a course that avoids the “shooting gallery” problem of fairways running parallel to one another. Nothing too tricky here, just enough water to keep you honest; price and speedy pace of play (usually) are pluses.
Cost: Weekday with cart: $35 (open to 1 p.m.); $32 (1 to 4 p.m.); Weekends with cart $46 (before 1 p.m.); $36 (1 to 4 p.m.); Senior (60+) rate available.
Chapel Hill
Location: Mount Vernon (43 miles)
Designer: Barry Sarafin. Other Sarafin courses include The Links at Echo Springs and New Albany Links.
Scorecard: par-72; yardage: 6,856 (black); 6,351 (blue); 6,034 (white); 5,221 (gold).
Course condition: Excellent all around. Challenging and scenic elevation changes.
History: Nelson Smith and Terry Wells converted 200-plus acres of what used to be the Mount Vernon Bible College into a hilly golf course in 1996. The clubhouse used to be the Bible college’s chapel.
Selling points: Who knew central Ohio had mountains? OK, so they’re just hills, but Chapel Hill can feel like playing golf in the Rockies, or the Himalayas if your game is not up to snuff. There also is water on seven holes, so bring your climbing gear and a bathing suit. The carts have GPS and the price is not a deal-breaker, especially when considering the views. One gripe: it can get overcrowded/slow.
Cost: Weekday with cart: $39 (before 2 p.m.); $30 (after 2 p.m.) Weekends with cart: $47 (open to noon); $39 (after noon). Senior (60+) rates available; Prices drop mid-October through end of November.
Pine Hill
Location: Carroll (22 miles)
Designer: Jack Kidwell. Other Kidwell courses include Hickory Hills, Mentel Memorial and the Players Club at Foxfire.
Scorecard: par-72. Yardage: 6,691 (blue); 6,225 (white), 5,460 (gold).
Course condition: Very good overall. Greens are excellent. Gorgeous landscaping. Bunkers spotty.
History: Opened in 1964, Pine Hill caters to the community, hosting high school teams from Liberty Union, Bloom-Carroll and Pickerington North. Co-owned by Ila Miller-Sloan and Trent Sheridan, who also serves as superintendent.
Selling points: Well, first off there are the hundreds of pine trees that give the course a northern vibe. We’re not talking dinky conifers, either. Many of these needle-heavy babies must be nearly 60 years old. But more than the old-school feel, what sets Pine Hill apart is the friendly staff, led by co-owner Ila Miller-Sloan, who spends hours each week working the flower beds that rank among the best in the area – public or private course.
Pine Hill’s layout is basic without being boring, and the elevation changes can fool you on club selection. The price is fair, though maybe a few dollars too high during the week. But where else can you play a 610-yard hole (No. 17) that once was a private airstrip? One drawback? No driving range (though you can chip and hit short irons while shagging your own golf balls in a space next to No. 17)
Cost: Weekday with cart: $40; Weekend with cart: $46. Senior (60+) rates available.
Champions
Location: Columbus (8 miles)
Designer: Robert Trent Jones Sr. Other Jones courses include Raymond Memorial, Spyglass Hill (Pebble Beach) and Hazeltine (Minnesota).
Scorecard: Par-70; yardage: 6,536 (black); 6,222 (blue); 5,886 (white); 5,014 (gold, par-72)
Course condition: Fantastic for a city course. Fall coloring provides an added bonus, but good luck finding your ball among the dropped leaves.
History: Architect Herbert Strong (Canterbury, near Cleveland) designed the original nine holes in 1922 before Jones redesigned it in 1948 to the 18 holes you see today. The course was Winding Hollow Country Club until 1991, when the city renamed it Champions after paying $2 million for the property in 1988.
Selling points: It’s tough, which some may see as a negative, but the city deserves a public course that provides a stern test, and Champions delivers. Its undulating greens, tricky doglegs and mature trees make it the most interesting of the city’s six courses.
Cost: Monday to Thursday with cart: $46; Friday with cart: $50; Weekends with cart: $59 (before 2 p.m.); $53 (after 2 p.m.); Senior rates available.
Blacklick Woods
Location: Reynoldsburg (13 miles)
Designer: Jack Kidwell. Other Kidwell courses include Pine Hill, Deer Creek and Mentel Memorial.
Scorecard: Par-72. Yardage: 6,832 (blue); 6,316 (white); 5,745 (gold).
Course condition: Above average. Greens in great shape (except a few of the par-3s; maybe it’s from deer running across them? Lots of wildlife around).
History: Blacklick Woods joined the Metro Parks system in 1973 after the park’s board purchased the nearby Stoney Creek Country Club to save it from development.
Selling points: Blacklick Woods is rugged in a good and natural way. It remains true to its Metro Parks name by fitting quietly into its surroundings – no houses in sight! – making it feel like a nature hike as much as a round of golf. No complaints there. If your game is in bad form, as mine often is, simply enjoy the views. Even the bunkers are beautiful. I should know. I have lived in them far too often. The practice area is first-rate and includes a learning course . Local bonus: Franklin County residents receive a discount.
Cost (Franklin County resident/non-resident): Monday to Thursday with cart: $33/37; Friday to Sunday with cart $39/$43 (before 1 p.m); $36/$40 (after 1 p.m.); Senior rates available.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Underrated Columbus golf courses bring beauty, value to fall play
