PUBLIC courses near Columbus, OH

[Andy Troeger]

I'm going to be in the Columbus, Ohio area visiting family over the Fourth of July and may be looking for a public course to play with my uncle and my father. I know most of the better courses in that area are private and am not looking for suggestions on those. Anything near the airport would be appreciated as well.

[Dub_ONeill]

I would suggest three possibilities which are all reasonably close to the airport and reasonably priced to boot.  One is Clover Valley which is just west of Johnstown, Ohio.  It would be the farthest from the airport of these three.  It was designed by a local developer who is a good player.  It is a nice piece of property out in the country with no houses visible from the course.  The second would be Champion's Golf Course.  It is a former private club which has become a Columbus Muni course.  It is an RTJ course.  It is a wonderful routing over a great piece of property.  Because it is a muni there are some conditioning issues from time to time, but it is well worth a play.  It is the closest to the airport of the three. The third course I would suggest is Tartan East.  It is also reasonably near the airport.  It is a former private course designed by Arthur Hills that just recently went public and is also quite good.  My own first choice would  probably be Champions.

[Criss Titschinger]

I'd second Tartan East if you're looking to stay by the airport.  Course, depending on what road you take, you pass a pretty nice course along the way.

[Andy Troeger]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Criss,
I played said "pretty nice course" a few years ago. I'd have a hard time getting to Tartan East without wanting to make a detour! 

I don't have to stay by the airport necessarily, I just wouldn't be able to go too far out of the way starting from Powell near the Columbus Zoo.

[PThomas]

i thought Cooks Creek was pretty good

[Chris_Blakely]

I would suggest three possibilities which are all reasonably close to the airport and reasonably priced to boot.  One is Clover Valley which is just west of Johnstown, Ohio.  It would be the farthest from the airport of these three.  It was designed by a local developer who is a good player.  It is a nice piece of property out in the country with no houses visible from the course.  The second would be Champion's Golf Course.  It is a former private club which has become a Columbus Muni course.  It is an RTJ course.  It is a wonderful routing over a great piece of property.  Because it is a muni there are some conditioning issues from time to time, but it is well worth a play.  It is the closest to the airport of the three. The third course I would suggest is Tartan East.  It is also reasonably near the airport.  It is a former private course designed by Arthur Hills that just recently went public and is also quite good.  My own first choice would  probably be Champions.

Champions is a very good course.  A little note on the course history, orginal 9 holes were built by Herbert Strong around 1927.  Second 9 was done by Robert Trent Jones in 1948.  I believe the front 9 (one with the smaller greens) is Strong.

Others in Columbus area that are not bad:

Phoenix Golf Links
Cooks Creek

[Jim Colton]

Andy,

  I did a public golf weekend in Columbus w/ Jeff a few years ago.  It turns out we ended up driving far outside the city to find the quality courses (ex: Shaker Run).  We did play Cook's Creek which I would recommend.  It's no Blackwolf Run.

Jim

[Brent Hutto]

I like Clover Valley, the couple times I've been there it has played firm-and-faster than most.

But in my opinion Champions is one fine layout. I'd gladly play there any time although being a municipal course with a reasonable green fee it is probably quite crowded on a summer weekend morning. But really a lot of golf course for the money and the two times I've played there it was in fine condition overall.

[Brian Laurent]

Andy-
Starting in Powell, you'll want to stay on the North - Northwest side of the city.  A few more suggestions:

Mill Creek (home of Ben Curtis, his mom is usually running the register)
Darby Creek
Bent Tree
Golf Club of Dublin
Glenross

They're all fun courses and usually in great shape.

[Cabell Ackerly]

It's a 30 minute or so drive, but Granville Golf Course is very strong. With the exception of only a few holes, there's a lot of original Donald Ross still there.

Granville's a nice little all-american town too. Stop at Brew's and have a beer after the round.

[JLahrman]

Champions is probably the best place to play within the 270 loop.  If you're willing to drive a little further (30 minutes or so) I would recommend Granville or Darby Creek which have already been mentioned.  Cumberland Hills also isn't too bad, it is east a bit.  Cooks Creek is good but from the airport you're talking probably an hour drive.

[Chris_Blakely]

Andy-
Starting in Powell, you'll want to stay on the North - Northwest side of the city.  A few more suggestions:

Mill Creek (home of Ben Curtis, his mom is usually running the register)
Darby Creek
Bent Tree
Golf Club of Dublin
Glenross

They're all fun courses and usually in great shape.

I was hoping no one was going to mention the Golf Club of Dubliln.  It is on completly flat land - houses surround every hole except 1 and 10 (I believe) and the cost is way to high for the product.  There are much better courses to play in the area than Dublin.

[Andy Troeger]

I don't believe either are public, but for general curiosity anyone have any thoughts on Pinnacle GC (Lanny Wadkins) or Northstar Golf Resort (John Cook)?

[Doug Ralston]

Foxfire, the Players Club course, was a nice surprise. After five so-so holes, it suddenly picked up quite well. I recommend it above Cook's Creek or Cumberland Trail. And Tartan East is excellent.

If you want surprise treat, though, drive an hour and a half into Amish Country and play a gem called Black Diamond, near Millersburg. Tough and great fun.

Doug

[Brian Laurent]

I don't believe either are public, but for general curiosity anyone have any thoughts on Pinnacle GC (Lanny Wadkins) or Northstar Golf Resort (John Cook)?

Pinnacle is a nice track.  It is private, but the owner has gotten used to daily fee play and will often times allow unaccompanied guests. 

NorthStar is still open for public play.  I have not played it and have only heard mixed reviews.