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.)
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