Champions Golf Course (Columbus, Ohio)

Once again I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to play a course I should've visited a long time ago. Last time it was Yankee Run out near Youngstown, and this time it's Champions Golf Course in Columbus. 

(The masterplan in the clubhouse. Robert Trent Jones Sr 1948.) 

Champions was originally Winding Hollow Country Club. The membership sold the course to the city and moved out to suburbs. Not sure why they choose to move but from the comments I read, the members felt the surrounding neighborhood was deteriorating. The cylinder block clubhouse and the A-frame metal entrance gate gives one the distinct impression of being in the 1960s, and could be off putting at first sight, but when the course is viewed, that feeling is replaced instantly by a zeal to play. 

Champions has two things going for it. The first is the excellent topography, and second is the routing. There's only four straight holes! Six dogleg right while four dogleg to the left. The player is constantly being asked to choose the proper line and hit the appropriate shot. 

(The first green is relatively open, however, sand right and a ridge in the rear will make par a good score.) 

(Only 150 yards, the short par three second possesses a small green. The flag in pic is just a few paces from the back edge.) 

The ability to work the ball both ways is a huge advantage at Champions. 

(The view from the tee on dogleg left third hole.)

This is four green. 

(I was very surprised to see the variety in green sizes. The two previous RTJ Sr courses I played had large putting surfaces separates by ridges. Apparently his earlier work reflects his time spent with Stanley Thompson, one of my favorite architects. I love it!) 

The par three fifth. 

(Just a beautiful hole!! The green is placed perfectly atop the ridge!) 

Champions is a par 70 so only one par five on either side. Neither one is a gimmee birdie. 

(The par five seventh is 530 yards with water and sand guarding the green.) 

The eighth is my favorite hole on the course. 

(The drive is uphill thru a gap in trees. The terrain rises abruptly making this a semi blind tee shot...

....the hole then doglegs right to a green laid across the hill fronted by sand and a valley. The two tier green provides several excellent pin locations. Great hole!!)

The back nine kicks off with a long par three. 

(The tenth is 217 yards! It's slightly downhill but all carry. It could be a better hole if the trees and shrubs left of the green were trimmed back. Still a very good hole!)

The 394 yard twelfth. 

(All the greens at Champions are beautifully placed. It seems like every ridge, hilltop, or knoll was used for a putting surface.)

The thirteenth is probably the best known hole at Champions. 

(A very intimidating tee shot greets the player at the tee. It's downhill with a hazard guarding the entire right side....

.....from the fairway it's all uphill to a bunkerless green. A par is a great score on this long difficult hole.) (407 yards)

Fourteen keeps the pressure on. The 411 yard par four plays downhill with trees on both sides. 

(This is one of the few times we see the creek that runs thru the property. It's well short of the green but impedes progress should you drive it in the trees.) 

Fifteen is a great par five. It double doglegs left and is a three shot hole unless you can dramatically cut the corner. Even then it might not be possible. 

(The green is halfway up the hill. The very top is sixteen tee. The putting surface is small....

....this view from sixteen tee shows the challenges one faces. Note how the hill and green are angled from the fairway. An extra club might be prudent.)

The 189 yard par three seventeenth. 

(This idyllic par three looks benign from the tee but the first third of the green is a steep false front. It's a very demanding tee shot.) 

The last hole is a picturesque par four. 

(Eighteen is 390 yards. It doglegs right at the end and is leveled just above a shallow valley. The bunker and mound beautifully frame the green. It's a great second shot and birdie would be a wonderful finish.) 

I've played many courses in the Columbus area over the years, and it's ironic that my two favorites are ones that I've discovered in the past six months. Champions is hands down my favorite course here! (Delaware CC is the second). I'll definitely put this in my annual visits. I give Champions a 6 (very good)(worth driving 2 hours).