The 2009 golf season in Indiana and Illinois is dwindling down, which always saddens me a little bit. I love fall foliage and some of the crisp autumn evenings, perfect for a bonfire and roasting marshmallows, but not so perfect for playing golf! We’ve had so much rain that I’m not getting any roll, and believe me, I need all the help I can get! So even though I haven’t quite put my clubs away for the season, I’m already starting to think about next year.
Each year I like to play one or two courses that I’ve never played before if I can work it in.
This year my highlight was when I got to play Victoria National Golf Course in Evansville. To top that, or even come close to matching that, I’d have to play a very nice course or two next year!
There are many top-ranked golf courses in Indiana, but their ranking depends on the source. Golf Digest had Victoria National as the No. 1 course in the state in their 2007-08 rankings. Sycamore Hills C.C. in Fort Wayne, Wolf Run G.C. in Zionsville, Crooked Stick G.C. in Carmel are the next on the list. The problem with that list is that they are all private clubs.
The next five on their list are open to the public: The Trophy Club in Lebanon round, Otter Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Purgatory G.C. in Noblesville, Prairie View G.C. in Carmel, and The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis. I have played all but The Trophy Club and Otter Creek, so maybe those two should be moved to the top of my “courses I need to play” list.
Another public course in Indiana that I’ve seen in person, by watching my son play there, but not played myself, is Rock Hollow in Peru. That course is ranked 12th on the Golf Digest list.
Of course, someone else’s “best” course might not be one of my favorites, so I like to check other lists for more input. Golflink.com has a list of the best Indiana courses that they view as being more objective than most because it is calculated on a range of factors, including the preferences of the visitors to their site.
Their list has Wolf Run Golf Club as the No. 1 course in Indiana. From what I have heard about Wolf Run, I probably would not be thrilled with it!
For one thing, Wolf Run was built for and was always intended to be a male retreat, a pure golf club and a stern challenge. Since the majority of golfers are male, I can see why that course would be ranked so highly by visitors to a golf web site. However, that doesn’t mean everyone would like it!
Their second-rated course is Elcona Country Club in Bristol — which I had never heard of before — but found out that it is a private club constructed in 1956. Crooked Stick G.C. is third, and the Donald Ross G.C. in Fort Wayne is fourth. The Donald Ross G.C. is a public course, built in 1927, by Donald Ross (of course). Green fees are reasonable, from $28 to $30. Prairie View Golf Course is fifth and the Indiana University Golf Course is sixth.
The description given on IndyGolf.com is “Hilly, woodsy course bulldozed through mature forest. Spectacular setting.” The weekend rate for 18 holes is $27 plus $13 cart fee. I’ll have to move that one up on my “Courses I Need to Play List” too. Victoria National is rated seventh on Golflink.com, and The Fort is eighth. The ninth-ranked course is Belterra Golf Club in Florence, a Tom Fazio design which is part of the Belterra Casino Resort and Spa. That one I definitely have to move up on my list! The Covered Bridge Golf Course in Sellersburg is next. It is a semi-private club, designed by Fuzzy Zoeller. It looks like a beautiful course, in a beautiful area of the state. That wraps up the top 10 from Golflink.com.
The next 10 courses also offer some good ideas for future rounds, I just don’t have room on here to name them all.
I’ll have plenty of time this winter to dream about courses I’d like to play. Fortunately, I don’t have to travel out of the state of Indiana to get to some really nice places!
Quote of the Day: “Golf is a science, the study of a lifetime, in which you can exhaust yourself but never your subject.” — David Forgan.
Upcoming events: The last THWGA event of the season will be a 4-person scramble at Hulman Links on Oct. 24. Teams will be drawn, so a handicap or average score is needed. Tee times begin at 10 a.m. and lunch will be provided. The entry fee is $10. Send entries to Kelly Gosnell at gozinin@aol.com or call (812) 894-2299.
Local Interest
Jennifer Myers: As winter approaches, it’s time to start thinking about great courses to play next golf season
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Injury bug follows girls into postseason
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A day later, Giants basking in win
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METRO ROUNDUP: Evans, West receive track accolades
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MIKE LUNSFORD: Books open our eyes to that which we will never see
I got a letter last week from a friend, Sister Margaret Quinlan, who lives amidst the beauty of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods campus. Besides the email space and the time she invests in describing the flowers and trees and birds that she shares with her roomies out there, as well as her accounts of teaching and traveling, Margaret most often writes about books. She loves them, and she knows I do, too.
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METRO ROUNDUP: North boys, girls bowling team in Jasper Regional
Terre Haute North’s boys and girls bowling teams will be competing in today’s Indiana High School Bowling regional at Jasper.
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Indiana Senate approves right-to-work bill
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Back home again in Indiana
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell has landed a job as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens announced Caldwell’s hiring Monday.
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Sink or swim: South boys chose the latter
Terre Haute South’s boys swimming and diving team is currently enjoying it’s lofty No. 21 ranking in the state of Indiana.
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It’s on: Sycamores, Bulldogs to play at Hinkle on Feb. 18
How badly did Indiana State want to get Butler as its BracketBusters opponent?
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METRO ROUNDUP: Four from Rose receive weekly honors
Four Rose-Hulman athletes earned Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference weekly honors, the HCAC announced Monday.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Warriors rally, but fall short
Newton built a big lead and held on to defeat Casey 72-69 in Illinois high school boys basketball Monday night.
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Eli slowly emerging from Peyton’s shadow
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Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
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PREP ROUNDUP: Marshall plays Casey in LIC semifinals tonight
Semifinal games of the Little Illini Conference basketball tournaments will be played tonight.
At Red Hill, Flora (20-2) meets Hutsonville-Palelstine (16-5) in the first boys game at 6 p.m. CST with Casey (10-5) facing Marshall (14-5) in the second contest.
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Host Honey Creek swept a pair of games over Otter Creek and Sarah Scott and Woodrow Wilson came up with a split at Chauncey Rose on Monday as Vigo County eighth-grade basketball tournaments began.
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TH native made the right call
The Indiana High School Athletic Association is always seeking licensed high school officials in its 20 sanctioned sports, a selling point being “participation in high school athletics doesn’t have to end with high school graduation.”
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PREP ROUNDUP: Smith leads Class 2A No. 8-ranked Arrows to victory
Rhagen Smith had a double-double and host Sullivan took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter of an eventual 52-40 win over North Knox in girls high school basketball Monday night.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Kovach earns AP All-America honors
Rose-Hulman’s Kyle Kovach has become the first Engineer football player since 1958 to earn Associated Press All-America honors, it was announced Monday.
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Coaches with credentials: As a unit, Terre Haute North’s staff 2nd to none
Surrounding yourself with excellence.
Some high school basketball head coaches might be intimidated or insecure having talented assistants on their staff. That is certainly not the case for Terre Haute North’s Todd Woelfle.
Woelfle has the vast resources of four — count ‘em — former NCAA Division I college players on his staff this season.
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Yeargin, Odum fight ailment as a pair
Often overlooked, athletic trainers are as much a part of the fabric of a team as the players and coaches are.
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Evansville will test ISU’s toughness
Indiana State’s fall-from-ahead 69-63 loss to Missouri State on Saturday exposed several problems on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, but the root cause can be traced back to the lack of a important quality.
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PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo girls break 5-game losing streak with 38-32 win
West Vigo’s girls basketball team broke a five-game losing streak as it defeated Cloverdale 38-32 on Monday.
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Right up their alley: Bustling bowling league isn’t just for novices
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
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Thomas ISU’s mainstay
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METRO/PREP ROUNDUP: Pomeroys finish fourth at Taylor
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Colts give the boot to Polian duo
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One day after Irsay’s Colts dropped a 19-13 road decision to Jacksonville, giving Indianapolis a 2-14 record and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft, longtime Colts executive Bill Polian and his son, vice-president/general manager Chris Polian, were both fired.
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Ring the bell: Which ISU player has the greatest Classic legacy?
The Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic begins today at Terre Haute North. One would be hard-pressed to find a local event that is more beloved by a wider cross-section of sports fans and non-sports fans alike.
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