Granville Golf Course

[Brian Laurent]

I had the opportunity to play Granville Golf Course for the second time yesterday and once again had a blast!  It has been discussed on this forum on several occasions, but I have not seen any photos posted...unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to snap as many as I would have liked to, or from the angles I would have preferred...but anyway, here are a few to wet your appetite:

#1
Short opener of about 350 yards to a nice push up green surrouned by bunkers. 


#2
hardest hole on the course according to the scorecard...a two-tiered green which slopes severely from back to front (like most of the holes on this course).  Photo is from the front left of the green.


#7
Down hill par 3, about 150...again, severe slope from back to front and from left to right.  There's about 10 yards in between the front left bunker and the green.  In my opinion, it's the best par 3 on the course.


#9
Front nine ends with a great par 4...down hill tee shot with a cross bunker on the left side of the fairway.  A drive down the middle leaves you with this shot back up the hill...about 30 yards between the bunker short right and the green...


#13
Another fun, short par 4 of about 310.  The tee shot is once again down hill sloping right to left with your approach going back up the hill.  This photo is taken from the right rough after a lay-up of about 200 yards...


Holes 14-17 are the new ones and for the most part lack the character and interest of the rest of the course.

#18
Granville's "signature hole."  350 yards, 145 feet down the hill. 


As mentioned in several other posts...Granville is worth the trip if you're in Columbus! 

[Richard Hetzel]

I played there a few years ago in the spring. I was saddened when I had to play those 3 NON-Ross holes! They were terrible! The 18th hole is one that you could play over and over..very fun indeed.

[Ronald Montesano]

I'm considering this course when I'm in central Ohio in a few weeks...thoughts?  How did the three non-Ross holes come to be?

[Steve Burrows]

Ronald,

The new holes came about when a housing developer purchased land to the east of the course and also wanted the ridgeline that comprised the old 16th hole.  The club seemed to also want to update their clubhouse facilities, increase parking spaces, and create a driving range.  So, four holes were either abandoned or destroyed (two par 3s and two par 4s) four new holes were built in their place to provide frontage for the new houses, and the sequence of the holes was altered, so that they could maintain returning nines. 

The new holes are obvious, but the rest of the course IS a good amount of fun.

[Tom Roewer]

The developer actually became the course owner and as i recall threatened to let it go fallow if not given zoning left of now #6 and on the ridge.

[BHoover]

Granville Golf Course has been donated to Denison University.  The University, according to the attached article, has agreed to maintain the property as a golf course and to keep it public. The existing shareholders who owned the holding company are aging (the youngest is 80), and the course has been facing declining revenues. For anyone who has not played Granville, it is a gem and this is very good news.

I would only hope that the University consider bringing in an architect to restore or at the very least renovate the new holes to make them play more consistent with the Ross design of the remaining holes. This is merely speculation on my part. There is no discussion, to my knowledge, of any planned restoration work as part of the change of ownership.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/10/13/Denison-takes-over-Granville-golf-course.html

[JLahrman]

Does anyone have pictures of the terrible 14th-17th holes? Every time Granville gets discussed, those holes are mentioned as being no good but I don't know that I've ever seen them.

I lived in Columbus for eight years but unfortunately never made it out to play this course.

[Dean DiBerardino]

Does anyone have pictures of the terrible 14th-17th holes? Every time Granville gets discussed, those holes are mentioned as being no good but I don't know that I've ever seen them.

I lived in Columbus for eight years but unfortunately never made it out to play this course.

Here are a few......

Par 3 14th




Par 4 15th






Par 4 16th




Par 3 17th





The only "architecture" worth checking out in this area of the golf course is the Alligator Mound which is located up on the ridge next to #16 tee in the circle at the end of the cul-de-sac.

[Dean DiBerardino]

Here's Granville back in 1960 before the changes.....

[BHoover]

Thanks for the photos, Dean. I will admit that I don't think 15 is a bad hole. I just don't like it on this course.

[Charlie Ray]

12 years ago reading about all these wonderful courses on GCA help me to appreciate the better things in life.  I literally grew up in the swamps of Louisiana and discovered this website.  As a 26 year old I ended up in graduate school in Columbus, OH.  The first afternoon I had free I rushed to Granville to play this course.  The false front on #4 was the first time I witnessed what all of you guys had been talking about.  Granville remains one of my favorites because of this sentimental experience. 

I wish to add to the following comments that 15-17  (#14 attempts to recreate the essence of the course) are beyond out of place for many reasons but simply that they are nearly impossible to walk.  #15 belongs a dozen mile south at Longaberger.  If in the Columbus area it is worth the drive, but although I may be in the minority,  Champions is the better design; especially considering the eyesore of Granville's #15-17.

Charlie