Belterra Golf Club (Florence, IN)

Belterra is located between four major metropolitan areas, Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, and Indianapolis. Attached to the casino, this Tom Fazio design is perfect for weekend getaways and corporate outings. It’s also a great place for a game when traveling up and down I71.

Belterra opened in 2001 to wide acclaim. It was selected as one of the top new courses to open that year and finds itself on many best casino courses list. True to Fazio’s style, Belterra shows off his artistic flair and visually appealing architecture. There’s is no shortage of beautiful holes as each one stands out as delectable as the one before it. 

(The 478/454 yard par four fifth is an incredibly difficult golf hole. There’s not much room for error so playing it as a three shotter might be the optimum strategy.) 

(The 464/437 yard par four ninth is best played down the left side to obtain a preferred angle, otherwise one is coming over the fall off on the right.) 

Belterra is a continuous eighteen hole course with 1-3 & 18 on the casino side of the road, and 4-17 playing across the street. The playing corridors are very wide with generous fairways inviting players to free will it off the tee. Usually one side of the hole contains all the trouble, but there’s plenty of room on the other side plus the containment slope to kick balls back into play. The real challenge is attacking the greens which are often angled with bunkers fronting specific lines from the fairway. The huge greens have multiple pinning locations that are sufficient to withstand the large amount of play Belterra gets. 

(The 193/174 yard par three twelfth is a beautiful hole with nice sight lines to the green. The player can envision any shot and has the room to execute it. The water hazard extends down the left and will catch any ball that drifts too far in that direction.)

(The 392/368 yard par four thirteenth doglegs left around a massive fairway bunker that consumes the entire hillside. Note how most of the visible fairway angles with the lower area on the right. One must carry it to the upper half to have a view of the green...
...it’s best to avoid this insidious hazard although hitting driver to carry it to the flat brings it into play.) 

(The 155/130 yard par three fourteenth is a good birdie opportunity. The only frightening pin position is the back right corner.)

The par fours are the headliner at Belterra. From the 6,465 tees, seven of the eleven are 393 yards or longer, and four of those play uphill. The shots required to reach these holes in regulation are stout. A few you can chase the ball on, and on others you can err long, but there’s two or three where laying back and trying to up n down is the best option. 

(The 465/435 uphill par four fifteenth is another beast of a hole. This pic shows the view from 100 yards short right. Most approaches will be coming over that left trap. Plenty of room is given to play this short and rely on your wedge game to save par.) 

(The uphill 423/396 yard par four seventeenth is a cracker of a hole. The approach must be very precise to avoid the sand...
...the rear pin positions are challenging to reach.  A par here is a terrific score.) 

Belterra was designed to accommodate gamblers golfing at the casino. Obviously not all of them are going to be single digit players.

To shorten the par fours, all one has to do is move up a tee box where it plays just under 6,000 yards. Regardless of which tees are chosen, the one constant is Fazio’s ability to wow the player with great views. Each hole is separated by long grass and trees, and the effect makes you feel isolated like you’re the ones on the course. 

(The tee boxes at Belterra are surrounded by trees and vegetation to give the golfer a sense of nature...
....some are even highlighted by a stonewall to add to the ambiance.) 

Belterra is located in what my friends call the Goldilocks Zone. In the winter, Cincinnati is regularly 7-15 degrees warmer than northeast Ohio and Belterra is almost an hour south of that, so it is the perfect place for an affordable spring golf trip. It’s also one of the best courses in the greater Cincinnati area too. By the way, it barely qualifies as Indiana since the entire drive is in Kentucky until you get off the freeway and the last half mile goes over a bridge that welcomes you to the Hoosier State. I give Belterra a solid 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play). If you like to gamble then you won’t mind the extra drive time. 

(The 522/501 yard par five eighteenth is a classic do or die finisher. It has all the elements needed to provide for a dramatic ending. With eagle to double bogey in play, anything is possible.) 

 

Harrison Hills Golf Club (Attica, IN)

For golfers in the Midwest looking for interesting architecture, I highly recommend searching out Langford and Moreau’s work. It’s engaging, fun, and flat out cool. 

(25 foot deep bunkers?! Harrison Hills has them!) 

I was pretty excited to see Harrison Hills. After playing Lawsonia a few years ago, I’ve been itching to see more Langford and Moreau courses. The rub with Harrison Hills is it’s only 8 holes. For seventy years, this was only a nine hole course. In fact, it was regarded as one of the best nine holers in the country, however, the pressure to expand to eighteen holes was too great. The club brought in Tim Liddy, and in order to have returning nines, Liddy had to get rid of the original third hole. So now there’s eight L/M (1-2 13-18) and ten Liddy (3-12). 

(The 195/188 yard par three second is all carry over a marsh basin. Only the top of the flagstick is visible from the tee...
...playing short and letting the slope pitch the ball onto the green is the correct shot. Note how the sides fall away into the rough. Unpredictable is the best way to describe this unique par three.) 

Whether or not the club needed to expand is a matter of conjecture, but the Liddy holes are a mixed bag. The ninth and twelfth are the best while the fourth through the seventh are forgettable. 3, 8, 10, and 11 are all above average. Truthfully , Liddy was in a difficult spot. Most of the new terrain he was given was never going to produce anything great. It was literally an old cornfield. (4-7)

(The 435/402 yard ninth doglegs left before playing to a green that slopes front right to back left.  The pin in the pic requires a deft touch to get close. It’s Liddy’s best hole.) 

(Eleven plays alongside the water opposite of ten. It’s a hundred yards shorter at 306/294 yards....

...it’s driveable from the tee and there’s enough room to give it a go. It’s a great opportunity to get a shot or two back. The author pitched in for an eagle two.) 

(The 195/182 yard par three twelfth is a beautiful hole. The bunker works well with the opening on the left. It’s a Liddy design but looks very similar to L/M style.)

Tom Doak stated in his book that the original nine holes was everything golf was intended to be- wild, fun, and full of challenge. The final six holes showcase the exciting work Langford and Moreau did and they are a blast to play! 

(The 523/495 yard thirteenth begins a six hole stretch of Langford Moreau holes. Note how the fairway climbs up the hill before turning left...
...the green sits atop the landform with rounded sides dropping 12-15 feet below the putting surface. The bunkers are particularly in play for long hitters going for it in two. I personally would like to see the green extend to the drop off.) 

(The all-world 356/336 yard uphill par four plays to a volcano green. The putting surface sits on an isthmus bracketed by steep fall offs on both sides...
...not only is the green narrow but it’s two tiered. A par is not a guaranteed even if one reaches it in regulation. Note how the sides are rounded so balls that land on the edge kick down into the bunker. One of the best holes on the planet!) 

(The 411/402 yard par four sixteenth plays over a shallow valley to a semi blind fairway that slopes left to right...
...the bunker to the left is very much in play as the line from the tee starts at it...
...the hole finishes at a very cool green complex. The chocolate drop mounds obscure the direct line to the pin while making depth perception hard to judge. The putting surface is crowned on the sides. Par is a terrific score.) 

(The uphill 151/143 yard par three is all carry with a fortress green demanding you pick the correct club to attack. There is no relief if you miss the putting surface. Every recovery is challenging. Little slopes throughout the green make even two putting an accomplishment.) 

(The 557/543 yard par five eighteenth rollercoasters up and down all the way to the putting surface. A speed slot on the drive and into the green begs the golfer to give it two mighty whacks.)

I recall Mohawk in Tiffin Ohio had an exceptional Donald Ross nine hole course that was expanded to eighteen but they had enough room to add a another nine without interfering with the Ross holes. That’s what crossed my mind when I was finalizing my thoughts on Harrison Hills. Tim Liddy is a pretty darn good architect, and cornfield holes aside, did a quality job integrating the new with the old. The eight original holes are excellent and will whet your appetite to see more of Langford and Moreau’s work.  I give Harrison Hills a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(The opening hole sets the mood at Harrison Hills with a rolling fairway that climbs up the terrain. Open your shoulders and swing away!) 

Lawsonia 
http://golfingwithshawn.blogspot.com/2018/06/lawsonia-links-green-lake-wi.html?m=1

Otter Creek Golf Club (Columbus, IN)

Golf is in a Renaissance of sorts as the minimalist school of architecture has designed some incredible courses. There’s no denying the beauty this movement has created, but there’s something about a good old fashioned championship caliber course that I find enthralling.  Otter Creek is Robert Trent Jones sr  design whose quality and merit make it one of top tournament courses in Indiana. 

Otter Creek has hosted 26 Indiana Amateur Championships, numerous qualifiers for the US Open, and the 1991 US Amateur Public Links Championship won by David Berganio. The back tees measure 7,258 yards. It is quite simply a big time golf course. 

(The 416/396 yard par four fourth doglegs left around trees and sand. Note the curve of the fairway and how skinny it is as it turns around the bunkers...

...the approach shot is slightly uphill to the green. The high side is on the right and there’s three distinct pinning areas as it slopes to the left.) 

RTJ has been designing courses for over 70 years, but his early works are the ones that I find most compelling. His holes are not linear. They either dogleg or they move around his fairway bunkers. His bunkers are really visible because he places them into the mounding so they’re above the putting surface and the fairways. They stand out and frame the shot well. His greens have internal contouring that make specific pinning locations possible for a tournaments. They also can be moved around in everyday play to easier locations. Otter Creek showcases all these wonderful features. 

(The 616/569 yard par five fifth gently doglegs right as three well struck shots are needed to reach this in regulation. The creek meanders inside the treeline on the right making a miss from the sidehill lie more problematic.) 

Golf aficionados have pushed RTJ courses down a peg or two citing the lack of creativity and playability. But I challenge this notion. As a 5 handicap, I’m constantly engaged to control my ball and my expectations as I’m working through the sequence of holes. Par is a good score and I try to zero in on the birdie opportunities. Jones runway tee boxes give the course a lot of flexibility. I played it just over 6500 yards but the next tee up is 5700. 

(The 472/440 yard par four tenth is fantastic. The terrain drops and ripples all the way to a slightly elevated green. It’s a beautiful hole!) 

(The eleventh is a short par four that doglegs left around the creek. At 341/307 yards, it is short enough one doesn’t have to challenge the  corner...

...I’m not sure how driveable the green is but one can cut off a lot of yardage. The hazard almost completely covers the front. It’s a good birdie opportunity, and a welcome respite after the long tenth.)

Otter Creek sits on 300 acres of crumpling land that has two creeks flowing through it. The original course was designed in 1959 and is designated as the North and West nines. Rees Jones added a third nine in 1995 which is named the East. Tournament play is usually held on the North/West. These are the two nines I played. 

(The 576/505 yard par five eighteenth doglegs left before ending at this well bunkered green. For those who believe these should be three shot holes, Otter Creek obliges. Three good shots will give you a chance to grabbed one last birdie.) 

Otter Creek was on Golf Digest “Greatest Public Courses” list at #31 in 2003, and was considered by many to be one the best courses in the Midwest. While the influx of new courses and golf architecture opinion has changed, I feel Otter Creek still deserves serious recognition. I give it a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play).    

(This is view of one green from the fourth. Look how it slopes from high right to low left.) 

[This is my 300th blog. It’s quite a milestone and when I first started doing this in the summer of 2013, I didn’t think I’d blog this many as quickly as I have. I absolutely love it! I’ve been to a lot of really cool places and each year my list gets bigger and bigger. In tribute to my original hashtag: Enjoy the Experience.]

(My girlfriend and I both commented on the height of the arching bridge. She joked that it was so boats can go underneath.) 

(The view from the tee at the 419/370 yard seventeenth. There’s several different shots that can be shaped into the fairway.) 

(The view of the 458/396 yard seventh green with the clubhouse and short game practice green in the background.) 

Glenmoor Country Club (Canton, OH)

Glenmoor is the third Jack Nicklaus design I’ve played this year. Like Barrington in Aurora, it’s a very playable and enjoyable course. Both were built in the early 1990s and I wonder if his style was more member friendly back in those days. 

(Glenmoor’s beautiful clubhouse backdrops the eighteenth green. Originally the Brunnerdale Seminary High School, it’s now the Beltram Inn which serves both the membership and guests.) 

Glenmoor is a gated community and upon arrival, I had to give my name and tee time to be allowed in. Driving through the neighborhood up to the clubhouse, I got the distinct impression that the course was merely one of the amenities used to sell homes. Obviously there’s nothing wrong with that, but it might explain the 50-80 yard wide fairways found on every hole. Besides being a buffer to avoid homes getting bombarded by balls, it gives members a reasonable chance to start each hole in good position. 

(The 530/490 yard par five fourth is protected by a pond short of the green. While reachable for the longer player, most would do well getting a favorite yardage for the third shot.) 

The challenge at Glenmoor are the approach shots. There are six holes where water fronts the green. The other twelve have bunkers guarding the front. The aerial approach is usually the only method of attack. The good to above average player will enjoy Glenmoor. 

(The 190/128 yard par three seventh is a beautiful hole over water. There’s a couple extra tee boxes to vary the length the hole can play.) 

(The 315/290 yard par four eighth is a pitch and putt hole over a pond. Long hitters could give it a go but it’s not advisable. Several good pin positions give it bite.)  

Everything is man made at Glenmoor with several lakes and ponds dug out around the property. It’s a lackadaisical design with greens fronted by water, and it gets a bit redundant hitting essentially the same shot. People call this difficult and exciting but I’m not one of them. In fact the holes I like the best have no water at all. And the best is the uphill eighteenth with a blind approach to a green sunken below a kick plate. Getting close to a front pin means hitting short and letting the ball trundle onto the putting surface. 

(The 403/380 yard ninth plays uphill off the tee before turning left to a green below the tree line. Multiple sand traps guard every angle demanding a precise approach shot.) 

(The 195/142 yard par three fourteenth is over water to a slender green angled left to right. The carry yardage to a left pin is shorter than the yardage to a right pin. Miss your line and you can come up short in the water or long in the back bunker.) 

Glenmoor has an assortment of greens that are long and slender. They’re angled too which places a lot of pressure on getting the correct yardage. It’s the first time I’ve seen Nicklaus use this feature. It should come as no surprise that all of them are over water. 

(The 376/351 yard sixteenth doglegs left to another well guarded green. The right side of the fairway is steeply sloped so hit down that side and let it come back to middle.) 

Glenmoor is a private course that I was fortunate to play thanks to the president of my golf association.  After playing Barrington for the mixed couple stableford tournament, I was curious how they both compared. I felt Barrington was more low keyed and blended with the property better. Glenmoor was more like a residential community course. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The view from nine green looking back.)