Mound GC 1935 9 holes course Alex "Nipper Campbell" Miamisburg, OH Pictures

[Richard Hetzel]

Alex "Nipper" Campbell is most well known for designing the excellent Moraine CC (see Mayhugh's recent thread) in Dayton, Ohio, but he also designed a few other courses in the Dayton Area as well. Mound Golf Course is not well known and only has 9 holes so many probably avoid playing here. Mound has a few interesting, and architectually solid golf holes and it was worth playing 9 holes there on a Sunday afternoon. Although they do not list the blue tees on the score card, it is most likely just under, or at 3000 yards for 9 holes. The course is fairly flat, which the exception of #1, #2 and #9. The course played somewhat dry, which was nice. It was in excellent condition. Short distances between tee boxes and greens. Right next to the #8 green and the #9 tee is a HUGE conical Indian burial mound, which is supposedly the largest of it's kind in the United States. This is an excerpt from Mound's website:

Situated atop Mound hill, the course boasts small greens, tight fairways, and blind approaches. Designed by Alex "Nipper" Campbell in 1935, recent improvements include a new clubhouse, irrigation system, and cart paths. The course is adjacent to the historic Indian Mound Park, which features one of the largest conical mounds in North America. Golfers of all skill levels will appreciate both the playability and the eye-catching views of the Mound Golf Course.

Here are the pictures:

#1 is a short, but fairly tight uphill par 4 to a small green that is flanked by a chainlink fence and an elementary school. There is a small creek to be negotiated that does not really come into play off the tee. Hardly any difference between white and blue tees. The blue tee box is off to the right and creates a straighter angle of attack off the tee.



View of #1 green flanked by an elementary school's chain link fence. Remnants of mounding surround the green. I wonder if the school's parking lot "stole" anything from the hole?



#2 Uphill, blind tee shot, par 4 no more than 235 yards from the tips. Hit whatever you like here. Long is even OK.



View looking back to the tee. Next picture depicts a  hidden walker's bridge that is positioned neatly within the trees to the left off the tee box. Unsure as to if that was an original feature; most likely not.




#2 green flanked by 2 small bunkers, green is rather small as to be expected on this 75 year old course.



#3, par 5, reachable with a decent left to right drive.






#3 Looking back towards the fairway.


#4, par 3 approximately 140 from the tips. Nasty netting along right hand side detracts from view as does home behind the green/#5 tee box.






#5, Par 4, slightly curves to the right. Lots of room either way off the tee, although it does not appear that way from the tee box.



View of #5 green. A bunker restoration would make this very nice indeed.



# 6 tee box, long par 4, 400 plus yards, cannot see green from tee or from second shot. Green sits several feet below the fairway.





#6 green from #7 fairway. #7 tee box is tucked and curved behind the #6 green. Blue tees not visible from here.



#7 is a 200 yard par 3 from the tips, and IMO, the star hole of the course. Anything right is a tough second shot. You'll have to walk down stairs to get down there too!



View of green with grass bunker. Always wonder if this was always a grass bunker or was it recently filled in?



Green has modest slope from left to right. Office building certainly mars the nice view.



Nice plateau built into the side of a steep hill. Perfect.



#7 green side view from #8 tee box. Notice proximity of teeing areas and adjacent greens.



View from #9 fairway of the back of #7 green. Notice how the #6 green almost matches the #7 shape from this view.



View of Indian burial mound on hole #8. I must have forgotten to snap a picture of the #8 tee shot view.



#8 Green side view.



#9 tee box view, short downhill par 5. Rip it off the tee here. Notice HUGE Indian burial mound visible behind the tee box.




A poor second shot may leave you with a downhill lie to the 9th green.



Ring the bell as you walk off the 9th green.



View looking back up the hill from behind the 9th green.

[Mike Cirba]

Richard,

Have I mentioned that I love the pictorial essays of the very obscure courses you seem to find on your travels, as they are the heart and soul of golf?   

Nice job.   Nipper did a course for the Baltimore Park system called Forest Park that has some very neat holes.

[Richard Hetzel]

Mike,

I love these Golden era nine hole courses, and I agree, they have a certain mystique to them that many other courses just can't match.

[Billsteele]

Rich-I know that "Nipper" is credited with designing the two eighteens at Community in Dayton. Have you played there? What can you tell us about them?

[Richard Hetzel]

Bill,

He designed Madden GC, a Dayton Muni, as well as Hills and Dales courses which are shorter in length I believe. I plan on playing all three before the summer is over...I thought that I read somewhere he designed the Hills and Dales courses, but now I can't find where I thought I read that...

Another new Dayton course was the city-owned Fairmount, built in 1929 on 196 acres in southwest Dayton purchased as part of a sewage disposal development. Zone regulations required open land around the disposal plant, so the land was used for a golf course. It was designed by Campbell and renamed Madden GC in honor of William E. Madden, the superintendent of parks who supervised its construction.

Community Golf Course

Established: 1919

Course designer: Alex Campbell, maybe?

Many Daytonians are probably unaware that Hills and Dales Park, the site of Community Golf Course, was the original NCR Country Club. John H.

Patterson, founder of NCR, gave the 320 acres, now located in the City of Kettering, to the City of Dayton in 1918.

A nine-hole golf course was built in 1919, and golf was so popular that an additional nine holes was built in 1920. By 1925, when Dayton hosted the U.S. Public Links Championship, a second 18-hole course had been built.

Dayton has operated the Hills (known as the Outside course) and the Dales (known as the Inside) ever since. A large clubhouse was dedicated in 1954 and an irrigation system was installed on the two courses in 1983. Asphalt cart paths were added in 1991.

After the courses suffered major turf loss during the hot and humid summer of 1995, the courses were closed in1999 for a $2.5 million overhaul during which the greens were enlarged and rebuilt according to United Golf Association specifications. Architect Barry Serafin made many changes to the courses, including installing six ponds. The Community courses had never had water hazards prior to that time. A cart storage facility was built and the clubhouse was remodeled.

Community Golf Course has had few head golf professionals. Harry Schwab had the post for almost 40 years and his successor, Kevin Must , was on the job from 1972 until his death in 2001. Jim Awsumb was hired to replace Must on July 30, 2001.

[Phil McDade]

Rich:

Thanks for a fun thread -- love some of the built-up greensites.

We need more 9-hole golf course picture threads on this site.

[Tom Yost]

I grew up in nearby Middletown and while I know I have visited the Miamisburg Mound, the golf course never registered in my mind. Never realized it was there!

[JLahrman]

Rich-I know that "Nipper" is credited with designing the two eighteens at Community in Dayton. Have you played there? What can you tell us about them?

Bill, I have played all 36 at Community.  To me it's a great muni, a little overcrowded, but a fun place to play.  The holes are much in the same spirit as the pictures of Mound.  I have not played Mound and did not know Nipper Campbell designed either of these facilities.  Community has quite a few fun quirky holes.  It also has a large hill running across the property, many of the holes utilize the hill well, although a few just feel jammed in there resulting in a couple of extremely uphill/downhill shots.  This hill also makes Community a kickass place to go sledding in the winter.

The course could definitely use some better conditioning although the staff does as well as they can with what I'm sure is a tight budget and 36 holes.  It's a fun place to play if you like some quirk and aren't going to be bothered too much by some scruffy spots.

Also, you can take a square dance lesson in the barn in the parking lot, if you're there after 6PM they always seem to have that little dance hall fired up.

[Billsteele]

Here is a link to a profile of "Nipper." Interestingly, it credits him with designing Madden and Mound, but not Community. I have seen him credited with Community but I noticed that the Dayton Recreation website only mentions him in connection with Madden. How about some of the other courses mentioned? Has anyone played Meadowbrook in Clayton (just North of Dayton)? Eaton? What are your thoughts?

http://www.miamivalleygolf.org/fw/main/The-Legacy-of-Alex-1338C4016.html

[John Mayhugh]

Thanks for posting the tour.

When I saw the first burial mound photo, I was thinking that was a feature on the course! 

I like the 9th, but sure wouldn't be parked directly behind that green.

[Billsteele]

Do any other states have courses where Indian mounds are present? There are at least two in Ohio (Moundbuilders in Newark, where the mounds are decorative not burial, and Mound in Miamisburg). There is also a mound very close to the Granville Golf Course property in Granville (near the 18th tee). I'd be curious to know and how, if at all, they affect play on those courses.

[Tom Yost]

I like the 9th, but sure wouldn't be parked directly behind that green.

Haha, I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Nor would I park anywhere along W Huntington Dr in Arcadia CA.   

[Phil McDade]

Do any other states have courses where Indian mounds are present? There are at least two in Ohio (Moundbuilders in Newark, where the mounds are decorative not burial, and Mound in Miamisburg). There is also a mound very close to the Granville Golf Course property in Granville (near the 18th tee). I'd be curious to know and how, if at all, they affect play on those courses.

Bill:

I know of two such courses in southern Wisconsin:

-- Baraboo Country Club, about an hour north of Madison, nice little course, nothing great but not bad with some good views; see "Local rules and information" #3.

http://www.baraboocountryclub.com/golf/proto/baraboocountryclub/course/course.htm

Also, here's my write-up of Blackhawk, in Madison, which has a number of distinctive burial mounds:

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41775.0/

I don't know that in either case the mounds at these courses impact play dramatically; both courses urge drops off of them if your shot ends up on them.

[David Lott]

Plus Baraboo has the circus museum--what can top that?

[Phil McDade]

David:

Baraboo is a great little town, with a fine downtown square:

http://www.downtownbaraboo.com/

an old-fashioned theatre:

http://www.alringling.com/

a terrific Tex-Mex restaurant:

http://www.littlevillagecafe.com/

and one of Wisconsin's coolest state parks:

http://www.devilslakewisconsin.com/

and...http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/

[Richard Hetzel]

Here is an old photo of Community. Looks flat and wide open. I'll get out there either tomorrow with my son, or next weekend on my way back from Michigan..



And a picture of an early postcard of the community GC clubhouse...