Royal American Links (Galena, OH)

Royal American is ten minutes down the road from Bent Tree. It’s one of five courses on the New Era Golf Pass in Columbus. 

(The 352/324 yard second tests the golfer right away with a challenging second shot over the creek.) 

Michael Hurdzan designed Royal American in 1991. The holes wrap around seven lakes with a creek cutting through the property. The course exhibits many of Hurdzan’s traits, such as wide fairways, greens fronted by bunkers, and putting surfaces that slope away in the rear. 

(The 552/501 yard par five ninth plays along one of the seven lakes at Royal American.) 

(The 336/323 yard third forces golfers to carry the water off the tee. It’s a good chance for birdie if one hits a confident drive.)

The water holes are easily the best holes on the course, and Hurdzan does a nice job challenging different shots with it. Two of the par threes in particular stand out. 

(The 183/163 yard fourth allows a bailout to the front right...

...and the 191/161 yard twelfth does the same. Both holes require a controlled draw to attack most pin positions.) 

It’s the meadow holes that lack imagination and Hurdzan’s reliance on fronting bunkers tends to get stale. Birdies are still hard to come by, but the players who leave front pin positions alone will have plenty of birdie chances. 

(The 364/333 yard fifteenth has hidden water behind the green. Attacking rear pin positions is a gamble.)

(The 449/410 yard eighteenth is backdropped by the beautiful clubhouse. A hazard thirty yards short of the green places a large premium on hitting a good drive.) 

Hurdzan is based in Columbus, so many of the  Ohio courses built in the 90’s were designed by him. It’s a popular course in the area but unknown to outsiders. The fact I wasn’t aware how close it was to Bent Tree reinforces that! I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour). 

(The first and tenth holes are very similar par fives separated by a creek. Both are excellent opportunities to make a birdie.) 

I must comment on the clubhouse! The inside is bout relaxing as any private course you’ll come across. Not only a great bar and fireplace, but spacious enough to have a pool table! Skins game, a little Texas Hold Em, and then pool! There’s many options to gamble your money away at Royal American! My kinda place. 

Bent Tree Golf Club (Sunbury, OH)

Bent Tree ushered in the golf boom of the 1990s. It was one of the first new courses to be built in Ohio, and almost instantly, golfers came from all over to play it. 

(The 385 yard ninth requires an accurate drive, leaving a mid to short iron approach. The green is elevated with bunkers fronting, so a high shot is a must.) 

Denis Griffith designed the course in 1989. It was one of his first solo courses after being in a partnership with Kirby and Player. Several ponds and a creek are the main features on the property, but in the open field, Griffith’s bunkering and mounding are the main challenges. 

(The 379 yard fourth is a well conceived par four where a drive by the fairway bunker leaves the best angle to the small green.) 

(The 422 yard fifth is considered by many as the best hole at Bent Tree. The creek crosses the fairway 260 yards off the tee, forcing players to hit long iron into the large two tiered green.) 

I noticed the bunkers are set in the mounding and are several yards off from the greens. Misclubbing short is the biggest concern golfers have playing here. In fact, most of the trouble is found short. 

(It’s not easy to the green on the 383 yard twelfth. The bunker front left covers more than half the green.) 

In a surprising twist, I would say the par threes are relatively simple at Bent Tree while the par fives have a tendency to cost a few strokes. Griffith bunkered the fairways hard on these four holes, and an errant tee shot can make reaching the green in regulation a hardship. Water hazards on the 550 yard sixth and 521 yard fifteenth can bite real fast. 

(The 521 yard fifteenth is reachable in two shots but it’s all over water.) 

If there’s any criticism aimed at Bent Tree, then it’s how cramped it becomes at the finish. 14-17 are short par four, short par five, short par four, and short par three. It’s almost as if Griffith was running out of room. On the bright side, the golfer has a good chance at stealing a few strokes and shooting a good round. 

(The 390 yard eighteenth has water guarding the right side of the green. No round is complete until one’s approach finds the putting surface.) 

 Columbus has several solid public courses to choose, and Bent Tree is high on that list. The course is always in good shape and is a good test of golf. While Cleveland golfers may not flock down here, it’s a very popular course for the locals. On the plus side, it’s north of Columbus so less than two hour drive from home. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour). 

(The 360 yard fourteenth has water down the left before crossing short of the green.)