Circle City Chili Dipper- Indy Golf Thread

[HoosierHacker89]

Some of the members and I have been talking about the idea of starting a thread or blog to help grow the Indianapolis area golf scene. I think the goal is to give some course reviews, general discussion of the golf in the area, and meet new members from Indianapolis area. We have already established a group of us that play frequently, and my hope is that this thread allows this thing to keep growing. I aspire to meet many more of you guys next year because this season was a blast. I think we tackled 25 or so courses in the greater Naptown area this summer and next season is going be even better.

 

Quick information about myself: My name is Rob, 28, and I am a Registered Nurse. I live on the north side of town. I have been playing for close to 15 years and am an a certified club HO. The love of equipment trumps playing in my world. I am an avid bass fisherman and it is my first love.

[DrOldSchool]

I'm Sean, and I am a member of the afore-mentioned group, and I echo the sentiments of Rob above. I've played 72 rounds this calendar year by my count (plus 3 9-holers), most of which were around the area with various members of the group. We have a good time and goof around when we play, and I always have had a good time (even when my game disappears as it has recently). We play a wide variety of the public courses and have traveled a lot around the area to play.

 

About me: I'm 37 and I am an Assistant Professor at Ball State, though I live in Noblesville. I've been in the area for about 2.5 years now, and I've lived/played in several states over the years. I'm also the "Indy Advisor" on golfadvisor. No idea how that happened (beer was likely involved), or if/when I'll receive the care package compensation I was offered for my reviews on the site. So I'll bring some of my course insights here as we play in the future.

 

Looking forward to growing this thread, and the discussion about golf around Indy!

[HoosierHacker89]

There are some amazing courses in the Indy area, but Id have to say the fort was my favorite we played this year. I love the rustic feel of it and the fact that it belongs to a state park. the course is tough but fair which is admirable in a golf course.

[DrOldSchool]

I put a little thought into this, and I consider this to be my top 10 of courses I've played since moving to the area. I've only played public courses so far around Indy, so I'm obviously missing Crooked Stick, etc.

 

I'm being generous with my distance to Indy as part of the definition, so there can be roughly a 60-75 minute drive on some of these from the city. By my count, I've played 40 courses in Indiana, so If some of you reading this can suggest others to hit, please do! Especially on the south side of town, where I've only played a couple courses.

 

10) Plum Creek - Not Dye's best design given space limitations, but always in good shape. I like the updates on holes 4 & 7.

 

9) Coyote Crossing - Well worth the drive to Lafayette. Fun natural layout. Hope to hit it again when playing the Purdue courses next season (haven't played those yet).

 

8) Rock Hollow - Would be higher on my list if in better shape. Absolutely love the layout and even rough around the edges it's well worth the drive to Peru.

 

7) Royal Hylands - Love this layout too, especially the greens. Great, friendly staff as well. Always in great shape, well worth the drive. Feel like I'm robbing them when we book a hot deal of golfnow.

 

6) Fort - Unique in the area for the reasons Rob mentioned, plus elevation changes. Tough but fair design. Didn't like it much at first but it's growing on me.

 

5) Purgatory - Always love getting around here. Took me a few rounds to figure out where to miss on those greens, but once I have it became very fun to play. Apparently, the bloody marys are good too - not my drink of choice.

 

4) Prairie View - I always liked RTJ courses, and this is no exception. Always in great shape, would love to play it more though the price point hurts that a little on a professor's salary. Groupon deal is a great deal though.

 

3) Trophy Club - Course eats me for lunch every damn time. And every time I want to go in the clubhouse and pay for another 18. The only complaint I've ever had with the conditions is the sand, which is usually firm. Finding 250 balls in 1 round, most of which on 1 hole (12) is a nice bonus. But I love driving over there to play it.

 

2) Bear Slide - Love the layout and the challenge of the course. Wish they had a white/blue hybrid tee as it does jump between the two quite a bit. One of these days they'll figure out 16 green's condition. Always jump at the chance to play there.

 

1) Brickyard Crossing - The novelty of playing in/around the track coupled with great conditions and a challenging layout has to put it at the top of the list. Price point keeps it from regular play, but I get why they charge what they charge.

[exgolfpro]

Hope you guys don't mind an out-of-towner jumping in here. I live south of St Louis, but made the trip over to Indy in 2016 to see the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. While there, my buddy and I played 4 very good courses. Here are the 4 we played, and where I would rank them.

 

4. Prairie View-ranked 4th only because it is so much like my home course

3. The Fort-Solid golf course

2. Brickyard Crossing-such a fun course and would love to play this course every day. The only weakness was that so many holes ran in the same direction.

1. Trophy Club-We played in an all day downpour, but could tell the design was fantastic. Amazed to see such a varied design for what seemed like a relatively flat property.

 

I'm writing to give you guys a pat on the back and think the golf in Indy was so much fun. We are planning a trip back next summer.

[54putts]

I'm relatively new to Indy and new to golf but I'm confident in saying greater Indy is one of the best areas in the country for public golf courses. There are so many daily fee courses that even the snobbiest golfer would appreciate and none of them are outrageously priced (maybe Brickyard?) Here's my list. I haven't played everywhere and this is based on my experience and personal layout/aesthetic preferences. The margin of difference is very thin for 1-6. Shuffle them up and I can't disagree with you.

1. Bear Slide

2. Brickyard

3. Prairie View

4. Trophy Club

5. The Fort

6. Purgatory

7. Royal Hylands

8. Plum Creek

9. Golf Club of Indiana

10. Eagle Creek - Sycamore

 

[DrOldSchool]

https://www.groupgolfer.com has $39 rounds at Prairie View available through the holiday weekend. Looks like they include cart and range balls, and are good for a round through June. Heck of a deal in season!

[HoosierHacker89]

So I know it’s super early, but I am thinking of hosting a tourney next spring. Who would be interested in playing in one?

[marmooskapaul]

Sure....like a wrx get together type thing? Played the one get together at Trophy Club...it was fun. As long as I can't lose too much money...lol.

[marmooskapaul]

Me and cousin Mike ran into Droldschool and his buddy Rob, at Royal Hylands ....proceeded to lose 6$ to them...lol..Lots of fun. May try to play again tomorrow if anyone interested...unless wife shuts me down.

[DrOldSchool]

Me and cousin Mike ran into Droldschool and his buddy Rob, at Royal Hylands ....proceeded to lose 6$ to them...lol..Lots of fun. May try to play again tomorrow if anyone interested...unless wife shuts me down.

 

Rob is the guy with the Gadsden flag up thread there. He and I played 27 today and finished all square. Luckily I pressed the last 9 to break even money wise with him. Paul appeared out of nowhere on the back, and then he and his cousin handed me $3 each after the round. And I didn't drive the cart into the tree this time. Win, Win, Win in my book!

 

I may be able to play Saturday. Let me know when/where and I'll see what the ball and chain says.

 

54putts and I are looking for someone to join us at Bear Slide at 1 PM Tuesday if anyone is interested. Forecast says it'll be near 60 degrees!

[HoosierHacker89]

I had a good time yesterday. i ended up playing the fort, bear slide and hylands this week. pretty solid for the end of november.

[Ed Settle]

I think on spring outing would be great. I use to live in Southport but in Columbus now. I played a lot of the courses on the southside of Indianapolis, but I play in Columbus at Otter Creek most weeks now. But would love to see some of the courses on the north side.

[DrOldSchool]

How is Otter Creek? I've heard good things but have not made it there as of yet. Work takes me to Spring Mill State Park once a month, and it was on my list of places to play next season en route.

[Ed Settle]

How is Otter Creek? I've heard good things but have not made it there as of yet. Work takes me to Spring Mill State Park once a month, and it was on my list of places to play next season en route.

 

Last summer was not good for the course. Lots of rain followed by hot sunny days cause damage. Re-seeding in the fall and better weather this summer really helped. This fall the course was in beautiful shape. Best I’ve seen in 3-4 years.

[DrOldSchool]

Forecast keeps looking better for Tuesday if anyone wants to join us at Bear Slide - 1 PM

[DrOldSchool]

Bear slide is still in good shape. My game? Not so much.

[54putts]

A few of us were talking today about the toughest holes in town. I'd be interested to hear everyone's opinion on which come to mind. I'll throw a few in to get it started. Keep in mind my descriptions of the holes are the exaggerative account of a crappy golfer. If I hit the ball where I intended even half of the time my experience would be completely different.

 

# 18 Bear Slide - Tight tee shot. If you're short, par is out of the question. If you're right, par is out of the question and triple becomes very possible. Tree on the right blocks your approach. Creek running through the middle makes laying up tricky. Elevated and tilted green makes up and down a real miracle. Right side miss rolls down to the putting surface if you're lucky or stays up for an extreme downhill pitch if you're not.

# 4 The Fort - Another really tight tee shot. The fairway runs downhill towards the woods on both sides, so if you aren't right down the middle with driver or FW wood you're in trouble. If you are right down the middle you might have a downhill lie. The smart play is a layup with a long iron or hybrid which will leave you an approach into a skinny green with a long iron or hybrid.

#9 Prairie View - A decent drive leaves you a mid iron forced water carry. The left side is bunker and shrubs. Maybe it's not that bad but this hole always intimidates me.

# 4 Gray Eagle - Average length par 5. Very narrow fairway, really thick trees. It gets even tighter on the second shot and your third is into an uphill green that is insanely tough to 2 putt.

#15 Brickyard - Par 5. Narrow landing zone in the fairway for average driving distance. Aim left, out of bounds on the service road. Aim right, the rough is punishing and you're in or near the trees. 2nd shot: there's a creek that runs across the fairway and then curves to the left of the green, it's very much in play for the rest of the hole. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should've laid up short of the creek but I didn't; I caught the downhill lie on the right side and then sailed the next shot into the creek.

#5 GCI - Long par 4. To avoid being obstructed by the mature trees on the right or the bunkers, go left, where there's a pond and thick rough. Your shot from the left with a long iron needs to carry the front left bunkers. If you are past pin high you have a downhill three put in store for you.

 

[DrOldSchool]

#16 Purgatory. Longish par 4, usually into the prevailing wind with sand lining the fairway the entire way, as well protecting a slightly elevated green. I luckboxed a birdie once on it but don't think I've ever parred it.

 

#5 Bear Slide. Another longish par 4 uphill into the prevailing wind. Aside from traps on the left side of the fairway and mounds right there's not much on the hole, but it always plays very hard. Another one I've only parred a few times.

 

#2 Fox Prairie East (usually plays as 11 if playing 18 there). Long narrow par 4 with woods on the left and a tree line on the right. The green is very narrow and sloped and protected by a bunker left and it falls off hard to trees on the right. Thought about mentioning 8 on the same side but that hole is more gimmicky than hard with the giant tree in the fairway.

 

#16 Trophy Club. Short par 5 with water left the whole way and trees right. Gets narrower as you move towards the green, and a solid drive can get you home in 2, but you have nowhere to miss. Even laying up to wedge distance will require a precise 3rd shot since the front of the green has like a giant false front and the right side is protected by a deep trap. #6 also could be mentioned with the large green with a gully in the middle of it.

 

#15 Royal Hylands. Mid-length par 4 with a pretty open tee shot unless you blow it way right. But the green is protected by a lake and stream in front and a trap right. And even if you hit the green, if it's in the wrong place it's 3-putt city. They have some tricky greens there, but that's the hardest.

 

#13 Stony Creek. Par 4 that is super tight off the tee unless you lay way, way back. Right is blocked out, left is trees and there's a lake there if you really hit it bad. The green is elevated from the fairway and is huge, sloping hard back to front. I've tried hitting Driver, 3w, 3h, 4h, and 4i off the tee there and cannot ever seem to put it where I need to in order to hit the green in 2. Even then from the fairway you think you hit a good approach and get up to the green to find it 30'+ under the hole since you never saw it land short.

[Cwing]

In to follow and read reviews. Ive never played in the Indy area bout I’m only a little over an hour a way in NKy.

[mckennwa]

I agree with a lot of the above, but the clear winner for me is #6 on the Lakes 9 at Ironwood. Back two tees are on an island in Lake Stonebridge. Hole is a dogleg left Par 4. Entire left side of the hole is lined by Lake Stonebridge. Right side of the hole is lined by Mud Creek. Most of the tee shot plays across the lake. Anything without a draw can bounce through into the creek/woods when the fairway is firm in the summer. There is a bunker you also have to carry (~ 265 yds) to get to the ideal landing zone. To compound it all, short and left of the green is in the lake, long is lost in the weeds and right is likely in the trees if you get hole high. The hole plays 430 or so, and requires a well placed draw to hold the fairway. Approach is equally tough requiring precise line and distance control. A par on this hole requires two high quality shots.

[54putts]

Solid addition, mckennwa. That hole is a lot of fun while also a nightmare.

[mckennwa]

#9 on the Lakes is no cupcake either. I actually hate it. That little crowned green is designed for a 165 yard shot, not a 225 yard shot with OB right and water left.

[mckennwa]

Also, to introduce myself I’m a 37 year old lawyer with two younger sons. Play all around the north side, usually about 40 rounds a year, most on the weekends and in the early evenings.

[54putts]

Agreed. It's fair to say Ironwood -Lakes is easily one of the toughest sides in town. #2 is also cruel.

[HoosierHacker89]

That one at ironwood is a monster. I played that 9 maybe 10 years ago and still remember it. I have a hard time remembering holes I played last week, and I remember that which says something.

 

I don’t know why but #2 at hylands has always given my fits even in high school. It’s not that tough of a hole, but it’s one that gets my lunch. I remember playing a match and being maybe 1 or 2 over (it would have a personal best at the time) and 5 putting that green. I was so mad I broke my putter.

 

 

 

 

[HoosierHacker89]

How about another good one. What is your favorite hole in town? Mine is trophy club. Can’t remember the number but thought it was awesome.

[DrOldSchool]

That's #14 at trophy club. Tough par 3, especially if the pin is deep in the large green.

[mckennwa]

I like #17 at Plum Creek. A great risk/reward Par 5.

[bnp144]

Does anyone ever venture up a little further north (SouthBend)? Been looking for new people to play with as most of the few I play with here have terrible schedules. Looking for people to play with on a regular basis.