Where I grew up with the game - Hillcrest Golf and CC Batesville, IN (w/ Pics)

[Matthew Sander]

Hello all,

I recently returned to the town where I grew up (Batesville, IN) to visit family, and on a beautiful morning I ventured out to the course where I learned the game. Hillcrest Golf and CC (not to be confused with Hillcrest CC in Indianapolis) is a private club in a small town in southeastern Indiana. Batesville is a town of approximately 6,000 that grew around the Batesville Casket Company and Hillenbrand Industries. We lived right across the street and my dad had us on the course at a pretty young age. I worked there during high school and played many rounds. The course is by no means flawless, but it was a great place to grow up and learn the game.

The club and early 6 hole golf course were etablished in 1914 to provide social and recreational activities for local executives. I spoke with the current PGA pro, Chad Ayres, and he did not have the name of the original designer. Bill Diddel remodeled the original 6 holes and expanded the course to 9 holes in 1954. For many years the course played as 9 holes with at least 2 holes that utilized multiple greens for a second loop. My dates are only approximations from memory, but I would say beginning in the late 80's Dr. Michael Hurdzan was brought in to expand the course to 12 then 18 holes and is now the architect of record. 3 of his holes were incorporated into the front 9 and 6 of the holes were added to complete the back 9.

Diddel's 9 holes and 3 of Hurdzan's holes occupy a gently rolling piece of land that the town has grown around. Hurdzan's holes on the front 9 are somewhat out of character for the course as they were placed on a smallish open area that creates a visual that contrasts significantly with the other 15 holes. For those of you familiar, think of the holes out in the open that Tim Liddy added to Langford's Harrison Hills in Attica, IN. It can probably be attributed to lack of room, but Hillcest's holes 4-6 (especially 5 and 6) are out of place and a little awkward.  Hurdzan's holes on the back 9 meld a little better although the terrain is more severe and they can be more penal.

The course is not long and driver is not required very often. As a matter of fact, many good players play all 3 par 5s as three shotters with a layup tee shot. I used to employ the same strategy, but decided to rethink my way around the course after not playing there for several years. I used driver on all of the 5s and it worked out quite well. The primary defense has always been the greens. Their surfaces are varied, some with significant rolls (as discussed in a prior thread on Diddel, his greens seemed to be influenced by Maxwell and his rolls), some with tiers and some with more subtle nuances. They are quick and were in excellent shape when I played with the exception of a couple that have had difficulty attributed to shade issues and a rough summer. The Diddel greens are much more rolling, while the Hurdzan greens largely employ more subtle slopes as well as distinct tiers.

There are some downfalls to the course as you may observe in the pictures and I'll probably discuss them more during and after the hole descriptions. The course is 6341 from the back tees and plays to a par of 71 (35 - 36) with 3 par 5s. All of the yardages will be from the back tees...

Hole 1 (Par 4 420) A narrow par 4 with some quirk up around the green. One of the more difficult par 4s on the course due to the narrow drive and the small green targets...

View from the tee.


The approach to an interesting green complex. There are actually three greens in view. The lower green was the 1st hole's green on that day, the upper green on the left is also a green for the first hole, and the upper green on the right is the 8th green.


At some point, the club placed several pot bunkers in the run-up area short of the 1st green to make the approach to the lower green more difficult


Both of the greens for the first hole are small and quite flat.



Hole 2 (Par 3 156) A short par 3 with a wild green. The green slopes signficantly from right to left with small tiers of equal elevation in front and back and a large low trough inbetween that dominates the left side. I wouldn't really call it a biarritz style of green because of the the way it is angled to the tee shot and the movement that is within the trough itself. The trough is also almost non existent on the right side and gets larger as it moves to the left side.

From the tee


Several views of the green




From behind the green


Left is dead


Well, the clock has struck 12 local time, so I'm calling it a night...I'll post more pics tomorrow...

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 3 (Par 4 375)This is a downhill tee shot often played as a lay up to the flat area about 140 yards out. However, a well hit driver can feed down the hill and leave only a flip. The green has a lot of internal contour and is heavily guarded.

From the tee


From approach area, approx. 130 yds.


Another approach view. Notice the grassy bunker front right lined with sleepers


Side view of green


From behind


Hole 4 (Par 3 172)This begins the three hole stretch of Hurdzan holes on the front 9. Again, the look of these holes is different from the rest of the course. This is a par three with a very wide green with a higher left side and a right side that slopes away from the tee. When the pin is far left around the slope, the tee shot can bee semi blind.

From the tee


From left of the green


Hole 5 (Par 4 333) This short par 4 plays around or over (depending on club selection) a large grass hollow. Shots finding the hollow will leave a totally blind approach to the green which is protected in front by a bunker with grass islands. The decision off the tee is to layup left of the hollow and leave about 110 in, or fly the hollow and flirt with the fronting bunker.

From the tee


From atop the lip of the grass hollow. As you see, driving over the hollow brings the front bunker and small grassy bushes into play.


The view from the layup area


The grassy hollow


Hole 6 (Par 4 366) Another short 4 to round out the Hurdzan holes on the front side. This hole has always been controversial among locals. Many feel it is too wide, too blind, and too awkward.

From the tee.


As you see the playing width of the hole is enormous. Your decision from the tee is to use the left fairway, which provides an unobstructed view of the green, or you can take it directly at the green at the fairway in the distance (top of the hill) which cuts off quite a bit of distance. This route flirts with several bunkers and rough. It also leaves an approach over the green's front bunker. Nearly all choose to take the direct route as it leaves a much shorter shot, but the left route takes a lot of the trouble out of play.

Views of the left fairway and the approach it leaves



Views of the direct route and its approach. The front left hole location can be very difficult to find and if you play to the center you'll have a very fast putt down the hill to the hole.




The green slopes hard from back to front and it is difficult to reach a back hole location.

[Sean_A]

Matthew

I don't know, to my eye there is a ton of cool stuff shown in these photos even if all doesn't hang quite right.  Are more pix coming?

Ciao

[Steve Kline]

I like these pics too - although I'm never a fan of ornamental grass and there is a lot of it here.

[Matthew Sander]

Sean,

Yeah, I'll be posting the rest of the pics over the next few days. It's hard to get the time to post them all with adequate descriptions. I'm glad you like what you see, the course does have a lot of quirk, especially the older Diddel holes. I think you'll like the rest of the pics as well. There is a lot here for those of us that like unique features and quirk.

You are right though that some of the features don't "hang right". I think it can be attributed to a lack of continuity between remodels, additions, and certain measures taken by the greens committee.

Steve,

There will be plenty more ornamental grasses to whet your appetite...

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 7 (Par 5 543)We're back to the Bill Diddel routing and what played as the 4th hole of the 9 hole course. This par 5 is a three shotter for most. The bunkering around the green and in the approach area is eye catching.

From the back tees a creek crosses the fairway at about 250. Most players lay up short of the creek which makes it a 3 shot hole. To carry the creek you either need to hit it around or over the tree down the left, or carry it a long way (because the carry over the creek gets longer as you go further right) to the right side of the fairway. I feel that removing the tree down the left would encourage more players to attempt to carry the creek.


The view if you lay up short of the creek.


The view when considering going for the green in two. The shot to the green from here is blind and there is a lot of trouble awaiting near the green.


Laying up short of these bunkers leaves you about 130 to 150. Laying up right of the bunkers to leave a shorter approach is a difficult shot.


Most of the green slopes severely from back to front, however the back left portion slopes to the back.

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 8 (Par 4 420)Hole 8 is one of the more difficult par 4s at Hillcrest. The tee shot needs to be precise to give the player the ideal line to the green. The same creek that crosses 7 crosses 8 at about 270 yards. Most play the tee shot as a lay up short of the creek. The green is very shallow and is part of the shared green complex with #1. It is relatively flat with some subtle back to front slope.

From the tee


If you're down the right side of the fairway, you'll have to cut your approach around the tree to find the green.


Hitting your tee shot down the left leaves an open approach to the slightly raised green.


A couple views from around the green



A photo of the bunkering that is typical of Hillcrest

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 9 (Par 4 413) Number 9 is a very difficult par 4 and an awkward driving hole. The visual flow of the land would lead you to hit your tee ball well left of the hill that sits down the right side. However, the fairway actually moves a little to the right, almost around the hill, and the creek runs parallel to the fairway down the left side. Anything pulled left of center has a chance to find the hazard. The ideal line is just inside or even directly over the hill.

From the tee


A view down to the fairway and green from the top of the hill. Note the bridge over the creek, it is in an unfortunate place and obscures the view of the green somewhat from the approach area. However, the bridge was built in memory of John Moorman, who was the superintendant for many years and died of cancer as a fairly young man. Also, you can see a green at the far right of the picture. This is currently the putting green, but when the course was 9 holes, one green was used for the front 9 and the other for the back 9.


Here is a view of the ideal approach shot. The green and creek are set at an angle to the line of play. This pin (back right) is extremely difficult to get to. You can hit at the center of the green with a cut and use the slope to feed the ball in. If you bail out and play to the middle of the green or to the left side you have a tremendously difficult putt or chip. There are really no easy pin placements except for maybe back middle. The green has a lot of slope and two putts can be a challenge.


Some views of the green.



Hole 10 (Par 3 175)A beautiful par 3, Hole 10 is one of three Diddel holes that resides west of Walnut St. Holes 11 and 18 are the others. The green is large and has bold internal countours and a back to front slope. Putting this green can be very difficult if you are out of position. The back section of the green contains two separate hogs backs that create distinct bowls.

From the tee


Behind the green


I tried to get some of the rolls in the back of the green, but because of the light and shadows the photos aren't really representative.

[Jason Hines]

Hi Matthew,

I wish we had more of these type of write ups, America has hundreds of these types of courses.  Yeah, they are not firm and fast or ultra exclusive, however you can tell from the photos and your descriptions that this course is home to many people, families and tons of memories.

Well done.

[Mike Sweeney]

This course reminds me in a way of the recent pictures of Cork GC in Ireland. Lots of cool stuff with some throw away holes too. Please keep posting.

[Doug Siebert]

That looks like a pretty cool place to grow up with the game!  I think if I'd learned to play on a course like that with all the areas of long run just off greens and fairways I'd probably hit shorter but straighter, or I would have quit because my dad would refuse to buy me any more golf balls

[John Nixon]

Thanks for the writeup, Matthew. I frequently pass by Batesville on trips from Indianapolis to Cincinnati and back, and have always thought the topography of the area should make for a good course, but never have taken the time to stop and look around.

[Scott Sander]

Hi Matt. 

Isn't/Wasn't there a par 3 with sleepers much like those on #3?  I vaguely recall a story of a very (VERY) young golfer trumping his Club Champ pop and making into the HIO club first by banking one in off the wood.   Ever heard that story?

-Scott

[JLahrman]

Matthew,

An old neighbor of mine grew up in Batesville and played there often, it was only a 9-hole course back then.

Questions about the Hurzdan holes...

- You say they look different.  Do they also play differently?  Greens look bigger and the holes look more open than the others
- Do you think with more time to grow in, the holes will look more seamless?
- Is the disjoint a good thing?  Normally we would think no, but if the holes are good holes maybe it makes the course more interesting?  I like tapas despite the lack of continuity from dish to dish
- How does the membership as a whole seem to feel about the new holes?

[Matthew Sander]

Hey all,

Glad to hear that you guys are finding the course pics interesting. The course does have a lot of charm and quirk as I've noted earlier in the thread. I'm not done w/ the tour yet, I'll post 11-18 tonight or this weekend sometime...

Scott (my cousin for those of you who didn't know),  

Oh yes, my good man...I seem to remember a tale of a certain young lad, I believe he was playing in the junior calcutta and proceeded to hit a thin 5 iron off of the railroad ties that line the hazard on #10. The ball then hopped up on the green took several of the surface's pronounced rolls and deposited itself at the bottom of the cup. His team won the grueling event and yes, he did beat his father to the Hole-In-One club...Now, who was that young hooligan??  Glad to see you out here

John Nixon,

You're right, the southern Indiana topography is really quite interesting and beautiful. Many people associate the entire state with the type of land found up north between Indy and Chicago, but the south is totally different. If you're in the area and interested in the course, call ahead some time as they are currently offering limited public access on certain days...

[Matthew Sander]

JLahrman,

Here are some brief responses to your questions as I only have a few minutes at the moment...

- You say they look different.  Do they also play differently?  Greens look bigger and the holes look more open than the others
The Hurdzan holes on the front nine do play differently as they emphasize width more in the decision making. The older holes and the Hurdzan holes on the back nine are a little more target oriented. By enlarge the Hurdzan greens are bigger, but some of the older greens are large as well (2,10, etc...). The older greens have bolder rolls and undulations, where the Hurdzan greens utilize tiers more, but they putt very similar and are difficult in their own right.  As far as the open look to the front nine's Hurdzan holes, they are the only on the course that look similar. As you'll see when I post the rest of the back nine, the other Hurdzan holes are in a more forested property with some severe topography.


- Do you think with more time to grow in, the holes will look more seamless?
Actually, the holes have been around for nearly 20 years and there aren't any features such as trees that need anymore time to grow in. They do play quite differently than the rest of the course, but they are interesting. Whether or not that is a good thing is a matter of opinion I guess. There are members who appreciate the holes and there are those who always thought they didn't fit.

- Is the disjoint a good thing?  Normally we would think no, but if the holes are good holes maybe it makes the course more interesting?  I like tapas despite the lack of continuity from dish to dish
Good point, and I touched on that a little bit in the previous question. I tend to feel that a stand alone good hole can never be a bad thing, but really good holes that seem to be part of a whole may help the experience make more sense. However, some people would even argue whether or not these 3 holes are good holes...

- How does the membership as a whole seem to feel about the new holes?
I was too young to get any real feel for how the membership and greens committee felt about the holes. When I worked there in the bag room I didn't hear any real complaints about the course. To be honest I think that the majority were just happy to have 18 holes instead of 9 or 12.

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 11 (Par 4 355)This hole is a challenging shortish 4 with a very interesting and difficult green. Again this is one of the Diddel holes and was part of the 9 hole course. The tee shot is blind (unless they are using the upper left tee bed which has become less often). There is a swatch of rough and grasses that runs across the fairway at approx. 240. To carry all of the grasses is about 270 or so, however the landing area near the green is pretty narrow with a steep slope off to the right.

From the tee...


The strip of rough and ornamentals that cross the fairway. This seems like an effort to make the hole more difficult than it needs to be. A strip of rough across the fairway is one thing, but to also use the ornamentals is silly in my opinion.


A view of the green from beyond the crossing rough. It is three tiers stair stepped up from the right. If you look closely you can see a ball only a couple of feet from the hole. The route that ball took was astounding. The shot was thinned off the heel of the club and entered the green left of the fronting bunker and took the tiers and slopes all the way to the hole location. I like creative golf, but that shot and result would never cross my mind


Hole 12 (Par 3 150) The first of six consecutive Hurdzan holes on the back nine, 12 is a par three with several teeing areas. Some make the shot slightly downhill while others create a slight uphill shot where the green surface can't bee seen. The green has several ridges and rolls that divide it into sections. There used to be a nasty little bunker cut into the hillside behind the green, but they roughed it in...

A couple of different tee views...



A view of the green and its undulations...


I'll post more later...

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 13 (Par 5 539)A rollicking par 5 that travels over several ridge lines. Many players choose to lay up off the the since it is a 3 shotter for most and missing right or left can be penal. However, the target area for a lay up tee shot is some of the narrowest fairway on the hole. The widest portion is up in the saddle past the bunker where long drives wind up.

From the tee...


The view you are faced with when going for the green in two. The shot is all carry with a fairway wood or long iron...missing right or left presents severe trouble, especially right.
.

If you choose to lay up the options are to play to the top of this ridge which leaves 140-165 yards...


...or play to the valley bottom which leaves you a 50-80 yard pitch up a steep slope...


The green is multi-tiered, but if you find the correct tier you won't find much undulation, just subtle slope.


Hole 14 (Par 4 346)The property that Hurdzan had for these six holes on the back nine is narrow and runs east-west. I feel this hole is squeezed in a little bit before turning back to the east. It is a forced lay up and from the back tees you only can hit the ball about 200 yards before finding the first of a double pond. There is no option for hitting driver or fairway wood, only to lay up. The ideal line is just left of the bunker in the distance.

From the tee...


Here is a view from the approach area. You'll have anywhere from 130-170 yards over the double pond to the green. The green has some internal countour and a general back to front slope. If you miss long, the chip or pitch down the hill toward the front of the green can be very fast.


A view of the green that shows some of its internal contours...

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 15 (Par 4 355)This short par 4 makes the turn back to the east toward the clubhouse. The drive is from an elevated tee and doesn't require a driver. If choosing driver, long hitters must hit a cut to find the fairway. Otherwise a long iron or fairway wood lay up is in order. The lay up needs to favor the left side of the fairway to open up the approach (less so than in the past, because they lost a huge tree that used to stand along the fairway side of the creek at the bend). The creek runs up the right side of the fairway and then circles around the front and left side of the green.

From the tee...As an aside, this part of the course suffered some severe flooding followed by extremely high heat and humidity. Needless to say, the condition of the holes suffered. The greens were OK, but the fairways had several spots that were marked ground under reapair...


A view of the approach.


Another view looking back. The green is large, but one of the flattest on the course. For a short hole, a little more contour in the green may have added some additional interest.


Hole 16 (Par 4 362)This is another short par 4 from a significantly elevated tee where driver is not the club of choice for most, but it is an option. The widest portion of fairway lies 210-220 from the tee. The driver landing area, which is narrow and not exceptionally forgiving, will leave only a flip wedge. The right side is lined with the the ever present creek, and there is a pond down the left side which makes for an exacting drive or lay up. Again, this is one of the holes that has had conditioning issues due to this summer's weather.

From the tee...


Regardless of your club, this can be a difficult approach. The green lies across the creek and is very narrow but deep. It is set at an angle to the line of play so distance control is tested. The green has some sgnificant contours and runs away in the back left...


Views from behind the green...

[Tom Yost]

Looks like the bones of a pretty good golf course there.  I agree with the others that years of various "green committee du jour" additions like some of the trees, bunkers and awful ornamental grass clumps detract from what seems to be an interesting layout.

The placement of the memorial bridge is unfortunate, and I don't suppose you would get a lot of support trying to get that moved.

[John Nixon]

Thanks Matthew. Perhaps your cousin and I can take a road trip down there some time... I'd like to take a test ride in his new Ridgeline.   

[Matthew Sander]

Hole 17 (Par 5 514)This par 5 is the last of Hurdzan's holes. The primary feature of the hole is the creek that runs up the right hand side, then juts into the fairway and splits the lay up are into two separate fairways. The creek then runs up to and around the front and sides of the green. To stay short of where the creek turns into the fairway, most hit a fairway wood lay up from the tee. However, you can take a driver up the left side and still avoid the creek.

From the tee...


You can lay up to the right fairway (most do)...


...or the left fairway. Laying up to the left is a little tighter and doesn't present any real advantage for the approach shot.


The view if going for the green with your second...


Here is the approach to the green from the right hand approach area. The green is relatively large and has three distinct tiers...


A side view of the green...


Hole 18 (Par 4 315)The final hole of the day is a return to the Diddel routing. The hole can make for a disjointed history and sensory overload, there is a lot going on. I think it is a shame as this hole has the bones of an excellent short 4.

This hole has had many iterations. To my memory, the current version of the hole is pretty close to when I was young and first experiencing the course. As you'll see in the view from the tee below, the hole is a wide and very short par four with the green edged on its front and right sides by the creek that runs through the course. One of the drawbacks to the hole is that this fairway doubles as the driving range. The range tee is in the right hand portion of the pic and they hit in the opposite direction that the hole plays. When practicing, you must stop hitting when a group plays #18 or you would hit directly into them.

From the tee with the green on the far left...


It is only 315 yards and plays from an elevated tee, so provided you can carry 280+ you could have a go at the green (Option 1).  You could try to carry the bunker in the center of the picture and leave a short pitch to the green (Option 2). However, just past the bunker down the right, the commitee at some point decided to build a series of pot bunkers to dissuade players from blasting down the right side. Most will take a mid iron and lay up at the right hand bunker leaving an approach of 125-140 (Option 3). An option that has been re-introduced (option 4) is using a fairway wood/long iron or driver for shorter hitters and getting as close as you dare to the creek directly in front of the green. Several years ago, this option was effectively removed by putting a gauntlet of silly hazards in the left rough between the center bunker and the cart path. In this expanse of rough were pot bunkers and small pines intermingled so you could be faced will all manner of nastiness if you ventured there. You could be in a pot bunker surrounded by rough and have a tree between you and the green...by design Another case of modifications done simply to address difficulty without any thought of the architectural (or visual for that matter) integrity. The bunkers and trees have been removed and it now is only manicured rough.

A view of the green from just shy of the creek. This green has some really nice roll within and putting can be deceptive...


Another view of the green from the deck near the halfway house...you can see a portion of the driving range tee bed in the upper left portion of the picture...



As you see in the posted pictures the course suffers from some disjointedness and ad hoc "improvements" that were poorly thought out. However, I relish the time I spent there and feel it was actually an excellent place to grow up with and learn the game.

Mike Sweeney mentioned that some of these pics remind him of Cork GC in that there is a lot going on, some cool stuff, some not so cool. Not being familiar with Cork GC, I would say the statement sounds accurate. There is a lot to consider and study. Some of the features seem forced and feel like "everything but the kitchen sink". Yet others (some blind shots, the sleepers on #3, many green complexes...) have a positive quirky feel to them. The course has character and has been around for a long time as parts of the front nine sit on land that has been used for golf by Hillcrest since 1914. The combination of Bill Diddel holes and Michael Hurdzan holes don't necessarily flow seamlessly, however, both have created some very good stand alone holes that elevate the course beyond its faults. I'm very pround to have a history at this course.

[Billsteele]

Matthew-Thanks so much for posting these photos. I played Hillcrest a number of years ago. I happened to be dating a woman who worked for the Batesville Casket Company and she was a member (as most of the Hillenbrand execs were). She invited me down for some gala (from the dates, it appears it would have been the 75th anniversary of the club). There was golf in the afternooon and dinner and dancing in the evening. Your photo tour helped me remember much of the course. The course was a bit quirky and it seemed that local knowledge would be a big assist on some of the holes due to the lines of play and the creek(s) that sneak across the holes at various points and dictate some strategy. At the time, I thought some of the greens were goofy. Now, I would probably think they are the heart and soul of the course and pretty neat. I do remember some of the features you have highlighted. I recall on number 9 I hit a drive over the knob on the right and assumed that it was in the rough. After cresting that ridge, I was surprised to find that I was in the ideal spot to go at the green. I am thinking that the memorial bridge was not present back then. I also won the longest drive on that hole (anyone who has played with me realizes that this was not a deep field). The prize: a whopping $10 gift certificate in the pro shop! I also recall the narrowness of number 13 and how that section of the course seemed to differ from many of the earlier holes. Alas, the relationship did not last and that was my only trip to Hillcrest. Your posts make me want to go back and see it again. These are the kinds of posts that I really enjoy because there are so many courses that will never make any "best of" lists but have neat features and are a blast to play. Thanks again.

[Matthew Sander]

Bill,

You're observations are pretty astute and you're memory must be sharp to recall a course you've only played once. I've heard many complaints over the years that the greens are "goofy" and too difficult, but your statement is spot on; they are the heart and soul of the course. For a course that is only 6300 or so yards from the tips, it plays pretty difficult. That is primarily due to the greens. When I played recently (first time in many years) I had a reasonably good ball-striking round. However, I forgot how difficult the greens were to figure out. The contours are one thing, but the amount of break on seemingly flat putts had me scrambling to score.

You're right, there are countless courses that don't receive acclaim or find a spot on lists (Hillcrest may make the list of best small town private clubs in SE Indiana ), but many of them have interesting features that have stood the test of time and make for a unique round of golf. In my mind that is a compliment. There are many fantastic courses that look and feel like countless others. Obviously, Hillcrest made a primarily positive impression on you, so there is something to say for its memorability. Now all you have to do is start dating another member so you can have another look-see (if you're married your wife may frown upon that suggestion ). Actually, if you are still relatively close, they are accepting a limited amount of outside play so you could give them a call and set something up.