All Things Ohio Golf

[DatSliceDoe]

Having a hard time finding tee times at my usual spots on Friday afternoon for two. Anyone played Aston Oaks this year? I've never been out there.

[TMadigolf]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

[JDFish]

I've heard good things about Northstar, but for whatever reason we haven't made there yet - I have a regular group that plays at Denison nearly every Saturday morning but we have to travel when they have a tournament or outing.

[CMCSGolf]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

 

Denison is mostly great and partly awful. The Ross holes are fantastic, but the new holes , particularly 15-16 are terrible. Certainly worth a play though.

 

While not in Columbus, you can't have a conversation about best publics from an architecture perspective without noting Sleepy Hollow (Thompson) and Manikiki (Ross). Both are great classic courses that Cleveland is lucky to have. If you make it to the northern part of the state, you might as well see a modern great in Fowler's Mill (Dye). From my perspective, those 3 are the best courses for architecture in NEO.

[vance astro]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

 

Denison is mostly great and partly awful. The Ross holes are fantastic, but the new holes , particularly 15-16 are terrible. Certainly worth a play though.

 

While not in Columbus, you can't have a conversation about best publics from an architecture perspective without noting Sleepy Hollow (Thompson) and Manikiki (Ross). Both are great classic courses that Cleveland is lucky to have. If you make it to the northern part of the state, you might as well see a modern great in Fowler's Mill (Dye). From my perspective, those 3 are the best courses for architecture in NEO.

 

I'll check those out! My girlfriend's family lives up in Bowling Green so I'm around there somewhat regularly - anything worth seeing in that corner of the state?

[vance astro]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

[JDFish]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

 

Denison is mostly great and partly awful. The Ross holes are fantastic, but the new holes , particularly 15-16 are terrible. Certainly worth a play though.

 

While not in Columbus, you can't have a conversation about best publics from an architecture perspective without noting Sleepy Hollow (Thompson) and Manikiki (Ross). Both are great classic courses that Cleveland is lucky to have. If you make it to the northern part of the state, you might as well see a modern great in Fowler's Mill (Dye). From my perspective, those 3 are the best courses for architecture in NEO.

 

15 isn't bad - it's better since some trees have been removed. 16 is not good - we're constantly beating on management with ideas to make it a better hole (like cutting down the pine trees on the left and right, filling in the "valley", adding fairway bunkers, etc.) We've had some suggestions for 17 also :) Since Denison's ownership and hiring of Columbus Hospitality Management, they have been making improvements (removing a lot of trees, working on bunkers, overseeding fairways with bent grass, general mowing). The prior owner was a tree lover and planted pine trees everywhere - they could take out nearly all of them and I think the course could be one of the best courses in the area.

[JDFish]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

[CMCSGolf]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

 

Denison is mostly great and partly awful. The Ross holes are fantastic, but the new holes , particularly 15-16 are terrible. Certainly worth a play though.

 

While not in Columbus, you can't have a conversation about best publics from an architecture perspective without noting Sleepy Hollow (Thompson) and Manikiki (Ross). Both are great classic courses that Cleveland is lucky to have. If you make it to the northern part of the state, you might as well see a modern great in Fowler's Mill (Dye). From my perspective, those 3 are the best courses for architecture in NEO.

 

15 isn't bad - it's better since some trees have been removed. 16 is not good - we're constantly beating on management with ideas to make it a better hole (like cutting down the pine trees on the left and right, filling in the "valley", adding fairway bunkers, etc.) We've had some suggestions for 17 also :) Since Denison's ownership and hiring of Columbus Hospitality Management, they have been making improvements (removing a lot of trees, working on bunkers, overseeding fairways with bent grass, general mowing). The prior owner was a tree lover and planted pine trees everywhere - they could take out nearly all of them and I think the course could be one of the best courses in the area.

 

That's really good to hear. I haven't played there in 6-7 years and I just remember there was no where to hit it off the tee on 15. OB left, Water straight ahead, trees on the right, and it was downhill off the tee so it was hard to get a yardage that was short of the water but far enough to get around the trees on the right. It's a lot to ask because the original holes are 70 years older, but 15-17 don't "feel" like the rest of the course. It would have been great to keep the understated style and creativity of Ross so the course felt more cohesive. Hopefully the improvements trend in that direction.

[vance astro]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I'll check these out, thanks! I've been talking to a few different clubs, but I'm still debating whether it's really worth the money. It'd have to be a club with the right sort of culture, but I feel like I'll have a hard time finding a club where I'm not the youngest person golfing regularly by 10-15 years.

[SilverBullets]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I was a member at Worthington Hills for a year right before I moved to Phoenix. This for the 2016 golf season. They provided a really good value for members under the age of 35. However, their membership was close to full when I joined so I am not sure if they are still offering the same deals. That's a great place to be a member. Fun course, nothing spectacular from a layout perspective but still solid and fun to play. I can't speak highly enough about their greens. They are the best greens outside of Muirfield Village I have played in Columbus. On par with the Scioto and Double Eagles of the area.

 

Wedgewood is kind of my second favorite option. On a annual basis, it is a bit more expensive than WH but not terribly more if I remember. The layout is better than Worthington Hills but I liked the feel of Worthington Hills more. Hills feels more like a smaller, more family oriented club. Wedgewood has more of a bigger, newer, almost corporate vibe to it. Wedgewood is the better overall course, but, I loved the feel at Hills.

 

Other courses in the NW Columbus area are Tartan Fields, Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Heritage and Muirfield CC (I would rank them in that order). Outside of Tartan Fields, I'm not a big fan of the layouts provided by these. I quickly ruled them out as I didn't live close to any of them. If I lived near one of them, I likely would have joined one for the proximity alone. But I think Wedgewood, Hills, and Tartan provide better layouts.

 

All of them offer pretty good junior membership rates (at least they did in the spring of 2016 when I was looking... before I knew I was moving to Phoenix). Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Tartan Fields and Wedgewood were the most expensive on that list while Hills, Heritage and MCC were a step cheaper.

 

I'm sure theres a club or two I am missing on that list but those are the big ones which quickly come to mind.

 

If I were moving back to Columbus, I would be calling Hills and signing back up.

[SilverBullets]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I'll check these out, thanks! I've been talking to a few different clubs, but I'm still debating whether it's really worth the money. It'd have to be a club with the right sort of culture, but I feel like I'll have a hard time finding a club where I'm not the youngest person golfing regularly by 10-15 years.

 

 

Hills was working hard a few years ago to get some younger members in there. They did a pretty good job and I know a bunch of late 20's/early 30's guys who joined. Its still an older membership (as you are going to find at most clubs) but given the proximity to Worthington/Worthington Hills communities, there are a lot of young families there. It has a great pool and grill with a lot of happy hours, Friday night parties and family events. All of which are very well attended (especially by the people who live right there). It kind of became the thing to do a couple of times a month for everyone who lived around there. I only attended once or twice because we lived in Upper Arlington and had pretty busy lives. But it enjoyed it when I attended. My good buddy lives right there in Powell and he goes to every one with his wife (they are 32) and they have made some good friends at the club as a result.

 

What I have found with clubs, is you get out of them what you put in them. If you want to meet golfing buddies and friends you have to actively seek out people. Play in the club events, go to the mixers/happy hours, etc. People are rarely going to seek you out. I never really cared because I enjoy playing alone, bringing my buddies as guests on the weekends and I play golf with my wife. So I was never looking for a regular members to play with at the club (I was a member at Hickory Hills prior to Worthington Hills). And I didn't really want a regular group. I did meet some people through the men's events whom I played with a couple times but I never went out of my way. To meet people at clubs, you have to put the effort in. My buddy who is at Hills attends a lot of the events. He has met a ton of members and as a result always has members to play with.

[vance astro]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I'll check these out, thanks! I've been talking to a few different clubs, but I'm still debating whether it's really worth the money. It'd have to be a club with the right sort of culture, but I feel like I'll have a hard time finding a club where I'm not the youngest person golfing regularly by 10-15 years.

 

 

Hills was working hard a few years ago to get some younger members in there. They did a pretty good job and I know a bunch of late 20's/early 30's guys who joined. Its still an older membership (as you are going to find at most clubs) but given the proximity to Worthington/Worthington Hills communities, there are a lot of young families there. It has a great pool and grill with a lot of happy hours, Friday night parties and family events. All of which are very well attended (especially by the people who live right there). It kind of became the thing to do a couple of times a month for everyone who lived around there. I only attended once or twice because we lived in Upper Arlington and had pretty busy lives. But it enjoyed it when I attended. My good buddy lives right there in Powell and he goes to every one with his wife (they are 32) and they have made some good friends at the club as a result.

 

What I have found with clubs, is you get out of them what you put in them. If you want to meet golfing buddies and friends you have to actively seek out people. Play in the club events, go to the mixers/happy hours, etc. People are rarely going to seek you out. I never really cared because I enjoy playing alone, bringing my buddies as guests on the weekends and I play golf with my wife. So I was never looking for a regular members to play with at the club (I was a member at Hickory Hills prior to Worthington Hills). And I didn't really want a regular group. I did meet some people through the men's events whom I played with a couple times but I never went out of my way. To meet people at clubs, you have to put the effort in. My buddy who is at Hills attends a lot of the events. He has met a ton of members and as a result always has members to play with.

 

Damn, wish I'd given them a look earlier. I made a few inquiries earlier in the spring and they had a deal with no initiation fee and a reduced 'trial' rate, but it looks like that ended. A lot of the courses around here have affordable monthly rates but want $2k+ initiation fees, which is a bit steep for me. Looks like I'm better off just playing public courses.

[JDFish]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I was a member at Worthington Hills for a year right before I moved to Phoenix. This for the 2016 golf season. They provided a really good value for members under the age of 35. However, their membership was close to full when I joined so I am not sure if they are still offering the same deals. That's a great place to be a member. Fun course, nothing spectacular from a layout perspective but still solid and fun to play. I can't speak highly enough about their greens. They are the best greens outside of Muirfield Village I have played in Columbus. On par with the Scioto and Double Eagles of the area.

 

Wedgewood is kind of my second favorite option. On a annual basis, it is a bit more expensive than WH but not terribly more if I remember. The layout is better than Worthington Hills but I liked the feel of Worthington Hills more. Hills feels more like a smaller, more family oriented club. Wedgewood has more of a bigger, newer, almost corporate vibe to it. Wedgewood is the better overall course, but, I loved the feel at Hills.

 

Other courses in the NW Columbus area are Tartan Fields, Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Heritage and Muirfield CC (I would rank them in that order). Outside of Tartan Fields, I'm not a big fan of the layouts provided by these. I quickly ruled them out as I didn't live close to any of them. If I lived near one of them, I likely would have joined one for the proximity alone. But I think Wedgewood, Hills, and Tartan provide better layouts.

 

All of them offer pretty good junior membership rates (at least they did in the spring of 2016 when I was looking... before I knew I was moving to Phoenix). Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Tartan Fields and Wedgewood were the most expensive on that list while Hills, Heritage and MCC were a step cheaper.

 

I'm sure theres a club or two I am missing on that list but those are the big ones which quickly come to mind.

 

If I were moving back to Columbus, I would be calling Hills and signing back up.

 

That's a more comprehensive list - not sure how those didn't come to my mind. I play Worthington Hills a few times a year and will say that another benefit is that you can walk anytime, and it is an older course that is easy to walk. I don't know that to be the case for the other courses. I think Kinsale would be tougher to walk, as would Tartan, but both I found to be enjoyable layouts. I thought WHCC had really good greens, but don't recall them being the caliber of Scioto CC or Double Eagle. I thought Muirfield CC greens were similar, though it's been a few years since I've played there. Another I just remembered is Brookside CC on 161 - it's an older layout that is also easy to walk and they have really good greens as well. I think Heritage is crap (not a fan of PB Dye courses, especially this one) though i see it is part of Clubcorp.

 

To the OP, as I said in the post about joining a club, don't do the math - clubs are never economical. If you can easily afford it, want the social aspect, a place to play in events, etc. then definitely go for it.

[SilverBullets]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I was a member at Worthington Hills for a year right before I moved to Phoenix. This for the 2016 golf season. They provided a really good value for members under the age of 35. However, their membership was close to full when I joined so I am not sure if they are still offering the same deals. That's a great place to be a member. Fun course, nothing spectacular from a layout perspective but still solid and fun to play. I can't speak highly enough about their greens. They are the best greens outside of Muirfield Village I have played in Columbus. On par with the Scioto and Double Eagles of the area.

 

Wedgewood is kind of my second favorite option. On a annual basis, it is a bit more expensive than WH but not terribly more if I remember. The layout is better than Worthington Hills but I liked the feel of Worthington Hills more. Hills feels more like a smaller, more family oriented club. Wedgewood has more of a bigger, newer, almost corporate vibe to it. Wedgewood is the better overall course, but, I loved the feel at Hills.

 

Other courses in the NW Columbus area are Tartan Fields, Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Heritage and Muirfield CC (I would rank them in that order). Outside of Tartan Fields, I'm not a big fan of the layouts provided by these. I quickly ruled them out as I didn't live close to any of them. If I lived near one of them, I likely would have joined one for the proximity alone. But I think Wedgewood, Hills, and Tartan provide better layouts.

 

All of them offer pretty good junior membership rates (at least they did in the spring of 2016 when I was looking... before I knew I was moving to Phoenix). Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Tartan Fields and Wedgewood were the most expensive on that list while Hills, Heritage and MCC were a step cheaper.

 

I'm sure theres a club or two I am missing on that list but those are the big ones which quickly come to mind.

 

If I were moving back to Columbus, I would be calling Hills and signing back up.

 

That's a more comprehensive list - not sure how those didn't come to my mind. I play Worthington Hills a few times a year and will say that another benefit is that you can walk anytime, and it is an older course that is easy to walk. I don't know that to be the case for the other courses. I think Kinsale would be tougher to walk, as would Tartan, but both I found to be enjoyable layouts. I thought WHCC had really good greens, but don't recall them being the caliber of Scioto CC or Double Eagle. I thought Muirfield CC greens were similar, though it's been a few years since I've played there. Another I just remembered is Brookside CC on 161 - it's an older layout that is also easy to walk and they have really good greens as well. I think Heritage is crap (not a fan of PB Dye courses, especially this one) though i see it is part of Clubcorp.

 

To the OP, as I said in the post about joining a club, don't do the math - clubs are never economical. If you can easily afford it, want the social aspect, a place to play in events, etc. then definitely go for it.

 

When I was there in 2016, I played a handful of private tracks... Hickory Hills, Pinnacle, Wedgewood, Double Eagle, Muirfield Village, Jefferson, Kinsale, OSU Scarlet... Worthington Hills had the fastest and most true (i.e. smooth) greens of the bunch... Now Village had been punched 2-3 weeks prior and I have played the course enough to know how ridiculously pure those greens normally are...

 

Either way, let's not argue semantics and opinions here. The fact is, Worthington Hills has really great putting surfaces. Painfully fast at times. That's when I started playing Bridgestone balls as I found they spun a little less for my swing and made wedge play easier there.

 

Back on track... Yeah doing a cost breakdown of a fully private club vs. playing public golf rarely works out. A place like Hickory Hills, or even York, can be cheaper if you play a lot of golf.. but those courses, while very solid, aren't quite on the same level as many other clubs. Hickory is a great course but they struggle with conditioning just because of how lean they run their operations. Youll get really good greens, decent fairways and tees but that's about where it ends. It is a really fun, very challenging layout, at a great price. But with that price you lose out on things like a great range, bunker maintenance, and needed updates to the course. For instance, a few members pooled money together personally for a tree removal project which was much needed.

 

In my research back in 2016, I looked seriously at Pinnacle, Jefferson, Scioto Reserve, Wedgewood and Hills. Hills was the cheapest of the bunch, but it wasn't by a lot. In the end, I kind of found the figure to be around $5000 a year for each of the clubs for a jr. membership. That's give or take $500ish depending on the club. Once you add in the minimums and annual fees for tournaments, etc. in most cases it seemed to net out in that $4500-$5500 range for that range of club. That would take 100 rounds at public courses averaging $50 per round to match. You aren't coming out ahead on that proposition unless you play a ridiculous amount of golf.

 

You join a club for reasons other than money. Some want the comradery, some want the social aspects, the pool, the fitness center. For me, it was always just about the golf. I want a course with great conditions every time I play it. I want my rounds to be played in 4 hours or less. I want to be able to show up unannounced on a week night, and even midday on a weekend, and know I can easily get out and get around the course quickly. I want men's events to be well run but also events which wont take 5-6 hours to play (like I found was the case in the Golf am events). Joining a club to save money rarely works out.

 

Hickory Hills was really the one case where I may have saved money, or at least was close to breaking even. Its cheap. At one point I was paying around $200 a month after tax for a full membership. It may have been even less. I logged around 55-65 rounds a year. That put me around $45 a round. its a great value but unless you live in downtown or south of downtown its hard to get to. I lived in UA and worked downtown so it was only a half hour from either spot for me. Once my office moved to New Albany it was impossible to get there on the week nights

[JDFish]

Are there any private clubs in the northwestern part of Columbus that have good deals for members in their 20s? I've looked into Worthington Hills and York, but there are so many up here that I've probably never heard of.

 

Maybe check out Muirfield CC, Wedgewood or Scioto Reserve, though I don't know what "deals" they may have. I'm sure they offer some type of junior membership.

 

I was a member at Worthington Hills for a year right before I moved to Phoenix. This for the 2016 golf season. They provided a really good value for members under the age of 35. However, their membership was close to full when I joined so I am not sure if they are still offering the same deals. That's a great place to be a member. Fun course, nothing spectacular from a layout perspective but still solid and fun to play. I can't speak highly enough about their greens. They are the best greens outside of Muirfield Village I have played in Columbus. On par with the Scioto and Double Eagles of the area.

 

Wedgewood is kind of my second favorite option. On a annual basis, it is a bit more expensive than WH but not terribly more if I remember. The layout is better than Worthington Hills but I liked the feel of Worthington Hills more. Hills feels more like a smaller, more family oriented club. Wedgewood has more of a bigger, newer, almost corporate vibe to it. Wedgewood is the better overall course, but, I loved the feel at Hills.

 

Other courses in the NW Columbus area are Tartan Fields, Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Heritage and Muirfield CC (I would rank them in that order). Outside of Tartan Fields, I'm not a big fan of the layouts provided by these. I quickly ruled them out as I didn't live close to any of them. If I lived near one of them, I likely would have joined one for the proximity alone. But I think Wedgewood, Hills, and Tartan provide better layouts.

 

All of them offer pretty good junior membership rates (at least they did in the spring of 2016 when I was looking... before I knew I was moving to Phoenix). Scioto Reserve, Kinsale, Tartan Fields and Wedgewood were the most expensive on that list while Hills, Heritage and MCC were a step cheaper.

 

I'm sure theres a club or two I am missing on that list but those are the big ones which quickly come to mind.

 

If I were moving back to Columbus, I would be calling Hills and signing back up.

 

That's a more comprehensive list - not sure how those didn't come to my mind. I play Worthington Hills a few times a year and will say that another benefit is that you can walk anytime, and it is an older course that is easy to walk. I don't know that to be the case for the other courses. I think Kinsale would be tougher to walk, as would Tartan, but both I found to be enjoyable layouts. I thought WHCC had really good greens, but don't recall them being the caliber of Scioto CC or Double Eagle. I thought Muirfield CC greens were similar, though it's been a few years since I've played there. Another I just remembered is Brookside CC on 161 - it's an older layout that is also easy to walk and they have really good greens as well. I think Heritage is crap (not a fan of PB Dye courses, especially this one) though i see it is part of Clubcorp.

 

To the OP, as I said in the post about joining a club, don't do the math - clubs are never economical. If you can easily afford it, want the social aspect, a place to play in events, etc. then definitely go for it.

 

When I was there in 2016, I played a handful of private tracks... Hickory Hills, Pinnacle, Wedgewood, Double Eagle, Muirfield Village, Jefferson, Kinsale, OSU Scarlet... Worthington Hills had the fastest and most true (i.e. smooth) greens of the bunch... Now Village had been punched 2-3 weeks prior and I have played the course enough to know how ridiculously pure those greens normally are...

 

Either way, let's not argue semantics and opinions here. The fact is, Worthington Hills has really great putting surfaces. Painfully fast at times. That's when I started playing Bridgestone balls as I found they spun a little less for my swing and made wedge play easier there.

 

Back on track... Yeah doing a cost breakdown of a fully private club vs. playing public golf rarely works out. A place like Hickory Hills, or even York, can be cheaper if you play a lot of golf.. but those courses, while very solid, aren't quite on the same level as many other clubs. Hickory is a great course but they struggle with conditioning just because of how lean they run their operations. Youll get really good greens, decent fairways and tees but that's about where it ends. It is a really fun, very challenging layout, at a great price. But with that price you lose out on things like a great range, bunker maintenance, and needed updates to the course. For instance, a few members pooled money together personally for a tree removal project which was much needed.

 

In my research back in 2016, I looked seriously at Pinnacle, Jefferson, Scioto Reserve, Wedgewood and Hills. Hills was the cheapest of the bunch, but it wasn't by a lot. In the end, I kind of found the figure to be around $5000 a year for each of the clubs for a jr. membership. That's give or take $500ish depending on the club. Once you add in the minimums and annual fees for tournaments, etc. in most cases it seemed to net out in that $4500-$5500 range for that range of club. That would take 100 rounds at public courses averaging $50 per round to match. You aren't coming out ahead on that proposition unless you play a ridiculous amount of golf.

 

You join a club for reasons other than money. Some want the comradery, some want the social aspects, the pool, the fitness center. For me, it was always just about the golf. I want a course with great conditions every time I play it. I want my rounds to be played in 4 hours or less. I want to be able to show up unannounced on a week night, and even midday on a weekend, and know I can easily get out and get around the course quickly. I want men's events to be well run but also events which wont take 5-6 hours to play (like I found was the case in the Golf am events). Joining a club to save money rarely works out.

 

Hickory Hills was really the one case where I may have saved money, or at least was close to breaking even. Its cheap. At one point I was paying around $200 a month after tax for a full membership. It may have been even less. I logged around 55-65 rounds a year. That put me around $45 a round. its a great value but unless you live in downtown or south of downtown its hard to get to. I lived in UA and worked downtown so it was only a half hour from either spot for me. Once my office moved to New Albany it was impossible to get there on the week nights

 

I hope to be able to play Worthington Hills sometime when the greens are running like that - I do like the course. There are a lot of really good golfers at Hickory and it's one of the more difficult courses - but it's in the middle of nowhere, you can't get there from here Southwestern Franklin County. I wonder how their membership is doing - I recall getting offers to join fairly recently with little to no initiation fee. But I live on the southeast side of Columbus and it's a minimum of 45 minutes from me. Pinnacle is growing on me each time I play there, but still would be too far. Jefferson CC and Columbus CC are the two closest options for me - but I'm not a "junior" and the average at JCC (according to my friends) is at least $1k/month. If my daughter would commit to playing regularly (she only likes the game and is playing on her high school team solely to avoid taking PE), it would make some sense. But she won't and my wife has no interest in any of the facilities, despite friends she has that are members there also. For now, the $700/year membership at Denison for unlimited weekend play will have to suffice.

[smeech8000]

Got out to Valley View GC this evening - farther than I thought it was, but fun course.

 

What're the best (public) courses in the state in terms of interesting architecture? Bonus points for being in the Columbus area. I've played both OSU courses (no more access, sadly), Valley View, Raymond Memorial, and the front nine of Cook's Creek so far this year. They were all pretty fun, for the most part, but I'm starting to want courses that challenge you to hit something other than driver off the tee.

 

A few suggestions off the top of my head: Denison Golf Club in Granville, The Virtues in Nashport, Champions in Columbus, Lancaster CC in Lancaster (you can most likely get on there with a phone call, not sure about condition but it's a Donald Ross course), Eagle Sticks in Zanesville, New Albany Links in New Albany, Links at Echo Springs in Johnstown (not sure about condition), Apple Valley in Mt. Vernon, Blacklick in Reynoldsburg, Westchester in Canal Winchester, Cumberland Trail in Pataskala.

Agree on Denison, old school Donald Ross, and Virtues. Virtues is on a great piece of property.Champions is good as well. Not a fan of New Albany Links at all. I'd also throw Northstar in the mix, some pretty good holes and can play really tough

 

Denison is mostly great and partly awful. The Ross holes are fantastic, but the new holes , particularly 15-16 are terrible. Certainly worth a play though.

 

While not in Columbus, you can't have a conversation about best publics from an architecture perspective without noting Sleepy Hollow (Thompson) and Manikiki (Ross). Both are great classic courses that Cleveland is lucky to have. If you make it to the northern part of the state, you might as well see a modern great in Fowler's Mill (Dye). From my perspective, those 3 are the best courses for architecture in NEO.

 

I'll check those out! My girlfriend's family lives up in Bowling Green so I'm around there somewhat regularly - anything worth seeing in that corner of the state?

 

You're somewhat close to Maumee Bay State Park, which is an links-style Arthur Hills design. Despite being under the auspices of Ohio DNR, it is typically kept in pretty good shape - I recall they used to host a local U.S. Open qualifier years ago.

 

Typically quite windy, it's worth a play IMO.

[SilverBullets]

 

 

I hope to be able to play Worthington Hills sometime when the greens are running like that - I do like the course. There are a lot of really good golfers at Hickory and it's one of the more difficult courses - but it's in the middle of nowhere, you can't get there from here Southwestern Franklin County. I wonder how their membership is doing - I recall getting offers to join fairly recently with little to no initiation fee. But I live on the southeast side of Columbus and it's a minimum of 45 minutes from me. Pinnacle is growing on me each time I play there, but still would be too far. Jefferson CC and Columbus CC are the two closest options for me - but I'm not a "junior" and the average at JCC (according to my friends) is at least $1k/month. If my daughter would commit to playing regularly (she only likes the game and is playing on her high school team solely to avoid taking PE), it would make some sense. But she won't and my wife has no interest in any of the facilities, despite friends she has that are members there also. For now, the $700/year membership at Denison for unlimited weekend play will have to suffice.

 

Yeah Jefferson seemed to have a ton of fees if I remember right. Like the monthly dues didn't look bad but once you factored in everything it became a lot... even for a jr member. It's a pretty good course though.

 

I just don't like Columbus CC. Really nothing about that place appealed to me. The feel of the club, the course itself, the conditioning. It just didn't reasonate with me. I know a couple of members and they absolutely love it. I walked away thinking 'meh'. The course is also pretty easy. I shot around par that day (73?), I think I was -1 on the back and felt like I hit the ball 'ok'. I remember reaching one of the par 5's by hitting 3w-7i lol.

[KeithM38]

Having a hard time finding tee times at my usual spots on Friday afternoon for two. Anyone played Aston Oaks this year? I've never been out there.

If you get out there on Friday let me know how it is,my brother set us up a time out there for father's day.

[vance astro]

Thanks for all the feedback on private courses. Probably just doesn't make sense for me, it looks like. I don't mind playing with older golfers but I've always had a hard time really getting into a group where everyone is just at a different point in life than me, so the social scene wouldn't do much for me I think. Good thing we have lots of good public courses!

 

Continuing my spree of golfing this week (my girlfriend is working second shift all week so I've had nothing to do in the evenings except golf), I went out to Clover Valley today. I think I liked Royal American slightly more, but the greens at CV were in massively better condition, although neither of them were particularly stellar. Unfortunately I had to skip two of the last three holes, since I didn't feel like waiting behind a league 6-some, but considering I probably paid more in gas to get out there than I did for the round, I'm not complaining. I wish I could get teeoff.com deals on some of the courses on the northwest side of the city, but all the ones that commonly show up for weekday evenings seem to be in Galena.

[UCBananaboy]

Just curious, how hard is it to get on Muirfield (Championship Course)? Do they offer reciprocity to other private clubs liberally? Or are they pretty picky...

[SilverBullets]

You need a member to get on Muirfield Village. I think they do reciprocals for members of equal stature clubs but that’s pretty much it. I’m not even positive they do reciprocals.

 

It’s pretty much impossible to get on without a member

[UCBananaboy]

Ok thanks.

 

 

It always seemed like an impossible task, but it seems like I've met or spoken with so many people who have played it, so it had me wondering if it was actually easier than I thought.

[lov2golf4]

Has anyone played Cooks Creek recently? Was thinking about playing on Fathers Day and wanted an update on course conditions.

[JDFish]

Has anyone played Cooks Creek recently? Was thinking about playing on Fathers Day and wanted an update on course conditions.

 

Some recent reviews here https://www.golfnow.com/courses/1045742-cooks-creek-golf-club-details#reviews I didn't realize the Cook family was back in charge. I wonder if they bought it back or are just managing it since they still live there. It's a great track built in the a bad area (prone to flooding every year). I play there once every year or so and have never played it when it is completely dry. I would expect soft areas - just hope there isn't much rain between now and next weekend. Enjoy!

[SilverBullets]

Ok thanks.

 

 

It always seemed like an impossible task, but it seems like I've met or spoken with so many people who have played it, so it had me wondering if it was actually easier than I thought.

 

I think part of why a lot of people get on Village is because they get a lot of corporate play. A lot of businesses/business people have memberships and use it for entertainment purposes. I know when I caddied out there, it felt like it was always member entertaining clients. The first few times I played it was because a member was entertaining my father and they needed a 4th (lucky me). There are regular members who play in regular groups but that doesn't seem to be the norm... especially on week days. Pretty much everyday there were a few groups out first thing in the morning which were regular members. By about 10am every group, or at least many groups, seemed to be some form of entertainment.

 

Double Eagle and The Golf Club are significantly harder invites to pull. Less members, I believe no real reciprocal play unless you are 'someone' (for instance when I was at Double Eagle last, the only other group on the course was Marcus Allen). Their membership is smaller and made up by many people whom are not local. So the pool of guys available to make invites is much smaller. Scioto, to an extent, seems to be a little harder to pull than Muirfield too. I think that's a function of less corporate memberships and more local family members. Scioto isn't nearly as hard to get on as The Golf Club or Double Eagle but it seems to be a littler harder or a draw than MVGC... at least in my experience.

 

Neither MVGC nor Scioto is overly difficult to get on but they certainly aren't as easy as just making a phone call.

[SilverBullets]

Has anyone played Cooks Creek recently? Was thinking about playing on Fathers Day and wanted an update on course conditions.

 

Some recent reviews here https://www.golfnow....ails#reviews I didn't realize the Cook family was back in charge. I wonder if they bought it back or are just managing it since they still live there. It's a great track built in the a bad area (prone to flooding every year). I play there once every year or so and have never played it when it is completely dry. I would expect soft areas - just hope there isn't much rain between now and next weekend. Enjoy!

 

They bought the course back. Believe it happened at the end of 2016. I love that layout but man Raintree really trashed the place.

[JDFish]

One of my father-in law's best friends worked for a company and a primary component of his job was to regularly entertain guests at Muirfield Village GC. I always joked with him about what a tough gig he had.

 

Double Eagle and The Golf Club are second clubs for a lot of local members. Though Double Eagle hosts several high end charity events, which gives people a chance to play there. I am fortunate to have friends, or friends of friends, who are members at these clubs, or asked me to join the "team" for a charity event and have invited me to play. I have good friends that are members at Scioto and have played a lot of golf there over the years - it is in fabulous shape now since the removal of seemingly thousands of trees. Otherwise, I don't know how else I would have been able to play these courses.

[DatSliceDoe]

Having a hard time finding tee times at my usual spots on Friday afternoon for two. Anyone played Aston Oaks this year? I've never been out there.

If you get out there on Friday let me know how it is,my brother set us up a time out there for father's day.

 

Having never played the course, let alone from the blacks, it was a hard task. Especially the back 9. I played decent on the front, but the back wrecked me. The last 3 holes are strange to finish on, that's for sure.

 

Course was in decent condition, difficult greens. Last few holes had some fairway issues that could easily be remedied with the rain we're finally getting this next week.

 

7.5/10 overall. I'll be back, can't say when as it's just a trek to get out there.

[Frohlich]

Having a hard time finding tee times at my usual spots on Friday afternoon for two. Anyone played Aston Oaks this year? I've never been out there.

If you get out there on Friday let me know how it is,my brother set us up a time out there for father's day.

 

Having never played the course, let alone from the blacks, it was a hard task. Especially the back 9. I played decent on the front, but the back wrecked me. The last 3 holes are strange to finish on, that's for sure.

 

Course was in decent condition, difficult greens. Last few holes had some fairway issues that could easily be remedied with the rain we're finally getting this next week.

 

7.5/10 overall. I'll be back, can't say when as it's just a trek to get out there.

 

 

Not a huge fan of Aston Oaks. Used to play it a few times a year several years ago but one summer they had some kind of disease on fairways that made some of the holes unplayable as they were all mud and black fungus looking something. Some decent enough holes but as you mentioned, the closing three holes are so weak. That par 5 is a total joke (I think its 16). The par 3 17th is as generic as it comes and it feels like they were running out of real estate and just jammed a few closing holes in. I would play it if a buddy asked but not going to go out of my way to make a tee time there.