Darby Creek Golf Course (Marysville, OH)

Back in the ‘90s, my friend Joby and I didn’t have a lot of money so we took plenty of golf trips in the spring to either Columbus, Dayton, or Cincinnati. A few courses, like Pipestone, were a mainstay and we would add others each year we went down. Darby Creek just outside Columbus was one of the few at the time that stood out to me. I wanted to see it again after it popped up a few times in conversations about best courses in Ohio. 

(The 194/168/151 yard par three eleventh is not the place to be aggressive. The green is edged against the water and chips coming from long or left can find the hazard. Today’s pin in the back right is particularly dangerous.) 

Darby Creek opened in 1993. At the time, most of the new courses being designed in Ohio were by local architects Michael Hurdzan and Arthur Hills. Darby Creek went in a different direction and hired Geoffrey Cornish and Brian Silva. They put together a routing that focused on players attacking optimum angles to gain an advantage. Several of the doglegs have inside hazards that force the player to determine his ability to carry them. The par five sixth has an upper fairway defended by sand that opens up for the third shot. At the short par five fourteenth, the green has five bunkers guarding the direct line while the fairway wraps around so golfers can attack from a cleaner lie.  It’s these kind of decisions that separate it from many courses in the greater Columbus area. 

(The 423/374/363 yard par four second demands a drive over the inside trap to gain a shorter club to this green. This view shows the uphill shot to the elevated green.) 

(The 520/486/435 yard par five sixth has an upper fairway that is guarded by several diagonal bunkers. If one can access it, then the third shot is just a simple pitch or chip. There is plenty of fairway in the lower part but the green is shallow from that angle. It’s a nicely designed hole.) 

(The 434/418/401 par four eighth doglegs around a pond. Can I make the carry? It’s an honest question and if the answer is no then a bail out off the tee will leave a long approach into the green. A par is a good score.) 

Darby Creek is kept in excellent condition and has no houses on it. These two things make it one of the better experiences in central Ohio. The Columbus Dispatch awarded it one of their top picks. I feel that the wooded back nine is very different from the usual farmland setting and gives the course an extra boost of intrigue that golfers are looking for during their round. 

(The short 335/309/286 yard par four tenth has bunkers in variety of areas to thwart any absent minded drives. The green is well protected and requires a nicely pitched shot to hold the green. A big drive over the right mounds can roll onto the putting surface. It’s a good birdie opportunity.)

(The 426/411/376 yard par four twelth has a green angled against the water. This view from short right does not accurately portray the difficulty of hitting the approach. It is an all carry shot and is not for the timid. Thankfully the right half is surrounded by fairway and gives players a chance to bailout and still make par.) 

(The 502/592/461 yard par five fourteenth has a wraparound fairway for those who choose not to directly take on the bunker filled second shot. It’s a fun risk reward hole that allows players a chance to reach the green in two shots.)

Anyone looking to match or break their handicap at Darby Creek must avoid disaster at the four water holes (8,11,12,18). There’s plenty of birdie opportunities, especially on the par fives, and it’s these four holes that can send one’s score soaring. With the tips topping 7,000 yards, Darby can pretty much host any kind of local tournament. For those looking for a game west of downtown Columbus, this one comes highly recommended. I give it a 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). 

(The 475/452/432 yard par four ending hole will not be reached in regulation by too many people. If it plays into any type of prevailing wind, one should try to find the best angle for the pitch…
…playing short right opens up most of the green except for a pin hard against the water in the back left. Easily one of the hardest eighteenth holes in Columbus.) 

[I played Darby Creek on a beautiful 70 degree day in March. The greens rolled very nice and even had some creep out to them. I can only imagine how fast they play in the summer. My friend Wags and I were paired with a young lady who’s fiancé ran the Columbus Chapter of Golfweek’s Amateur Tour. We played the white tees at 6,176 yards. A couple of the par fives were reachable on those tee boxes. I really should have  scored better but my game was not going that well. I had too many silly mistakes especially on the par fives which are the easiest holes on the course. I played the four water holes in even par which balanced things out.]