Columbus, OH Favorites

[Brian Finn]

I recently moved to Columbus, OH from Carlsbad, CA.  Although my first winter here was rough, I am excited to spend the summer exploring the courses in the area.  I'd love input on what courses I should prioritize - both public and private.  What are your favorites?  Any hidden gems I should target?  There seems to be so much really good golf in the area - not sure where to start.  Thanks.

[Mac Plumart]

Public...I really liked Cooks Creek and Longaberger.

Private...The Golf Club is really something special.

[Andy Troeger]

On the private side, The Golf Club and Muirfield Village are both amazing, but very private.  I also enjoy Wedgewood quite a bit and have played it a few times. Scioto and Double Eagle are a touch overrated by the magazines in my estimation, but still very good and well worth playing if given the opportunity. Tartan Fields too really--quite a bit of water but a fun course overall, probably more so for the better player. OSU Scarlet is long and hard.

On the public side, I did like Longaberger although I think its a good hour out of town to the east. Best Art Hills course I've played...for what that's worth! Northstar is also public now and a pretty good track north of town. Its not spectacular, but has some pretty good architecture--John Cook design.

If you head toward Dayton, I was really impressed with NCR South. Its private, but I got the impression might be more willing to work with outsiders than some of the ones in Columbus. Not sure on that by any means.

[Tim Rooney]

The (3) Best Private are Muirfield Village,Scioto and The Golf Club.The Best Private Value would be Pinnacle Golf Club(L.Wadkins), utilizing the best land parcel since MV.All the Private are quite good,whether York Temple or New Albany CC.The Best Public are Winding Hollow(A.Hills),Champions Golf Club(RTJ,Sr.),Kinsale(A.Hills)?, and Granville Golf Club(D.Ross/14h).The Best Public values are Raymond Memorial(RTJ,Sr.) and Phoenix Golf Club(Nugent&assoc.).Obviously, the above are subjective but will provide a reasonable start.

[Tom MacWood]

I think everyone knows the famous courses in Columbus, so I'll touch on a few that fly under the radar. Of the public courses I really like Champions. Darby Creek is good too. A couple of totally unique courses are Urbana and Moundbuilders. Moundbuilders in Newark and was designed by Bendelow and built upon an ancient Indian mound installation. Urbana's old nine was designed by Pete Dye's father, and the second nine was designed by Pete's son - a fascinating golf course for those interested in the evolution of golf architecture. There is a lot of very good Donald Ross in the area, and several courses designed by a local woman that are really good IMO. Hickory Hills, Jack Kidwell's masterpiece, is one of my favorites too.

[JLahrman]

Champions is the best public course within the 270 loop.

[Steve Kline]

No one mentioned Brookside yet. I haven't played it but have heard it is a good Ross course. It's for sectional US Open qualifying every year.

[Billsteele]

Steve-Wrong Brookside but a good course nonetheless. The Ross Brookside is in Canton. The Columbus Brookside is very good (nice piece of property, good set of greens, very solid design).

I really can't add much to what has already been said but I will mention that I think Columbus Country Club (Ross) is a good second tier track that flies a bit below the radar.

Brian-I live on the Northeast side. If you want to get together for a round, send me a PM.

[JLahrman]

Both Brooksides are worth a play - Canton and Columbus.

[Doug Sobieski]

On the public side, in addition to all of those mentioned you might consider Indian Springs, about 25 minutes west of Dublin. If I'm playing something public, it's my favorite because it actually requires some strategy off the tee. I actually played there with my daughter this morning for the first time in a couple years, and was pleasantly surprised that it was in pretty good shape despite the unavoidable issues due to recent heavy rains.

What part of town are you living, Brian?

[Brian Finn]

I live in Powell, but have been driving all over central OH to play, depending on recommendations and course availability.  I'd love to get a game with any other Columbus area residents or visitors.  Please PM me if interested.  Thanks.

[Buck Wolter]

Looking to play in Columbus Saturday -- looks like some early tee times available at Longaberger if anyone wants to join me.

Buck

[Brian Finn]

Looking to play in Columbus Saturday -- looks like some early tee times available at Longaberger if anyone wants to join me.

Buck

Buck,
I would normally love to meet up, but will be in Omaha this coming weekend.  If you are ever looking for a game in Columbus again, let me know. I would be happy to have you at Brookside (Columbus).  I have met quite a few great guys in the area through gca, and there always seem to be a few up for a game.  Have fun. 

[BHoover]

Looking to play in Columbus Saturday -- looks like some early tee times available at Longaberger if anyone wants to join me.

Buck

Unfortunately, I will be out of town on Saturday. My wife and I are going back home to Akron to visit our families and to see the PGA Tour at Firestone.

Like Brian Finn, I would be happy to host you the next time you are in town. I play at Columbus CC on the east side. Fall is a great time to play in central Ohio, especially during OSU games because the courses are virtually abandoned.

[JLahrman]

Tee times available at Longaberger? Fifteen years ago they'd book the whole season on opening day.

[BHoover]

Tee times available at Longaberger? Fifteen years ago they'd book the whole season on opening day.

Not the case these days. Longaberger is a fun course, but best played in the fall. The scenery out there is great in October.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

Interesting to see that we have a little mini contingent of GCAers from Columbus on here.  I guess I just never saw much from everyone on here about Columbus.  Good move starting this thread Brian.

I used to get to Columbus as I have some friends there I try to stop in and see when I am on the way to OH for a business trip.  Guess next time I will have to shoot a preemptive post to see who's up for a game.  I have played a lot of great golf in Columbus over the years.  I have often told people that I think it may have the most great golf per capita in the country.

Columbus CC is one I have never done and always wanted to do.

[Brian Finn]

I just did a quick count, and since originally posting roughly a year ago, I have played 35 courses in/around Columbus.  I have fun playing almost anywhere, especially with good folks, but gca-wise, my favorites so far include:  Brookside, Granville, Hickory Hills, Pinnacle, and Columbus CC.  Champions, Longaberger, Clover Valley, Cook's Creek, and Darby Creek are also fun ones (and all public).  I have walked Muirfield (memorial), Scioto (US Open qualifier), and recently caddied 38 holes at Double Eagle (as part of gca member Brian Laurent's Hundred Hole Hike) and found each one impressive in different ways.  Looking forward to actually playing Scioto in a few weeks, to see if I enjoy it as much as a player.  I still have not seen The Golf Club, but my informal (but extensive) poll of local golfers tells me it is the best of the bunch, which is perhaps no surprise to many on this site. 

To the extent that there is interest, I would be happy to help organize a get together this fall in Columbus.  There are certainly plenty of courses from which to choose.  If nothing else, it should be on the short list for a future Midwest Mashie. 

[Jason Thurman]

Brian, I'm in Mason and the wife went to Ohio State and still has plenty of friends in Columbus. It's a very easy trip for me. I'll definitely be down for a gathering anytime.

[BHoover]

Jason and Daryl,

If you're in town this fall, let me know and I'd be happy to bring you out to Columbus CC.  The fall is definitely the best time of year to play, in my opinion.  The course plays firm(er) once the cool weather arrives and the greens crew stops putting water on the course.  Let me know when you're in town and I'd be happy to have you out there. 

As Brian Finn mentioned, there are lots of great/good courses in the area.  My personal favorites are Scioto, The Golf Club (although it's been 8 years since I played it), Brookside, Double Eagle, Granville (except for the new holes), Pinnacle and OSU (as a member of Columbus, I guess it goes without saying that it's on my list too).  Longaberger is also a lot of fun, especially in the fall.  The other great thing about Columbus is that it's close enough to Dayton (NCR and Moraine), Cleveland and Cincinnati for frequent trips.

We definitely should organize a local GCA get-together.  And I also agree that Columbus would be a great place for a future Midwest Mashie (hint, hint).

[Niall Hay]

The Golf Club
Muirfield Village
Scioto
Double Eagle
OSU - Scarlet

[Tom Allen]

I'd be happy to join a Midwest Mashie in Columbus.  Farther north was a little too much of a trek for me. 

I'm about an and a half south of Columbus, in Middletown.  If anyone finds themselves down this way, let me know and I will be happy to host at my club, Brown's Run.

[JLahrman]

I'd be happy to join a Midwest Mashie in Columbus.  Farther north was a little too much of a trek for me. 

I'm about an and a half south of Columbus, in Middletown.  If anyone finds themselves down this way, let me know and I will be happy to host at my club, Brown's Run.

Brown's Run would be a great spot. I've only played it once, but it was a real treat.

You could tie that in with a round or two over at Weatherwax, which is a pretty solid 36-hole muni. Early Arthur Hills, and much better than the other Hills courses I've played.

Too bad I live in California now, this would be fun. There are quite a few good spots around Ohio.

[Buck Wolter]

I ended up playing Dayton CC which I don't think has been discussed much ( didn't make most guys top 5 in Dayton on the thread I found). I thought it was a nice routing around some hilly terrain, interesting green complexes and some cool sporty holes. For a club (and course?) dating back to the 1800's it was less over-treed than I expected. There were some areas of  rough that I thought would be better cut short but I thought it held its own with the better 'urban' golf courses I've experienced. Looks like a great place to be a member.

Buck

[Billsteele]

Buck-I played Dayton for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Other than the fact that it is a bit squeezed, it was a surprisingly fun course to play. Much hillier than I expected and with great use of the creek that runs through the course. I particularly liked the punch bowl like greens on #2 (with the creek behind it) and #11 (a very good dogleg left with the creek running down the right side of the hole following the bend). There were some severe greens (#'s 8 and 17 come to mind) but overall a sporty and interesting design. In my experience, it is rarely mentioned in the discussion of Ross courses in Ohio but is well worth a play.