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4.3
107 Reviews (107)
5 Stars
49
4 Stars
46
3 Stars
9
2 Stars
3
1 Stars
0
Conditions
3.9
Value
4.4
Layout
5.0
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
3.8
Amenities
4.3
98.1%
Recommend this course
105 out of 107 reviews
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0
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1 Stars
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0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
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About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7074 yards
Slope 129
Rating 73.7

Formerly home to the Ohio Orchard Company, four cherry trees still mark the entrance to Darby Creek Golf Course. The unique layout has two distinctly different nines. The course starts with a windswept link-style nine accented by native grasses and sand bunkers, providing an excellent representation of Scottish tradition. Carved from the forests of maple trees, the back nine is an entirely different experience. The layout has a more traditional American design with tree-lined fairways and greens as well as several strategically placed lakes coming into play. Darby Creek Golf Course's two nines combine to form a true shot-maker's course that balances options like split fairways and short par 4s with more challenging demands. It is at the same time kind to higher handicappers thanks to open fairways, bailout areas, and few greenside hazards.

Course Details

Year Built 1993
Fairways Bent Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Geoffrey Cornish (1993) Brian Silva (1993)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Single Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Shirts with collars are preferred, tank tops and cut-offs are not acceptable. Shirts must be worn at all times.

Food & Beverage

Snacks

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Accolades

Reviews

4.3
107 Reviews (107)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 10
Patio Dining 6
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 17
Water Hazards 16
Undulating Greens 15
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 16
Locals 13
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 11
This Course's Location is:
Worth the Drive 22

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Handicap Don't know
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Bunkers

Course was in good condition except for the bunkers which need considerable work .

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 08/07/2015

Thanks for letting us know your concern regarding the bunkers at Darby Creek Golf Course, we will have our staff audit the situation on the course and make the fix. We are happy you had a good experience overall and look forward to your return to Darby Creek GC!

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Used cart
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
Incentivized Review
5.0
Previously Played

Excellent course, friendly staff but slow pace of play

I typically play about 50 golf rounds during Ohio’s Golf season (April to November). Darby Creek is a course where I play at least 12 of those rounds. It’s an excellent course with challenging layout (especially the back 9) that is well maintained and has done of the fastest and truest greens in Central Ohio.

The club’s staff are some of the nicest down to earth people you could meet and the food is excellent. The only knock on this course and this only started happening this past season is the pace of play has gotten awfully slow especially on the weekends for tee times before 3:00pm - it was so bad that a 5+ hours round was more like the norm and not the exception.

The main reason for slow play is the Club’s staff are too nice to enforce pace - and it’s understandable to be friendly to all clients (with all skill levels) - it would be better business practice and more conducive to get more return business from frequent players if pace of play is monitored.

A lot of times pace play is the result of high handicap players insisting on playing from the back tees or trying to reach Par 5s in 2 shots when they don’t even have a prayer!! Since on weekends they start rounds 9 minutes apart 2 or 3 slow groups can compound the slow play and adversely impact the play for all other groups on the golf course . This is especially annoying on hot summer days. This past season out of the 12 rounds I played I quit before finishing at least 4 times because when I got to the 1st par 5 on the back 9 (14th hole) there were 2 or 3 foursomes stacked waiting at the Tee box because the group in front of them is attempting to get home in 2.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Very good shape

Nice layout. Course is in mostly great shape. Tees, fairways and greens are excellent. Only issue was with some of the bunkers. Good pace, but lots of high school golfers are there for matches starting about 3, so play earlier than that. Will be back.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Definitely worth the drive.

A few friends of mine said if you're ever in Marysville this course was a must play. I liked that there were two different styles of courses. Front nine was a links style course and the back nine was a more of a traditional course with trees and narrow fairways/bunkers.

Fairways were immaculate and greens were in top shape. Bunkers were well maintained. A lot of open fairways on the front nine, so you could grip and rip it and be ok. Back nine you have to hit the ball straight to stay out of trouble.

I actually shot better on the back nine than the front nine. Finished with 4 pars and 1 birdie so I cannot complain. The only thing I would change if I could was the weather. It was a scorcher. The last 4 or 5 holes we were dying. Kudos to the staff that gave us water, much appreciated and it kept us hydrated.

Would definitely golf here again and recommend it to others.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Used cart

Best greens in central Ohio

I have played nearly all the courses in central Ohio, but this course is a must for those that love very nice, fast greens. It is a treat to putt on them, and they are extremely well maintained. Kudos to the Superintendent.

The day we played was cart path only and bunkers were full of water due to excessive rain the previous two days. However, the greens, staff, and price made up for it. Keep up the good work, Darby!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Very nice, challenging course

Our group has played here three or four times this year, and something keeps us coming back. The staff is excellent. Greens are very well kept, and the bunkers are maintained. You see too many courses neglect the bunkers, which to me is a sign of a bad course. The layout is awesome, with reachable par fives and well guarded par threes. This course has worked its way into my top five in the area, and I have played most of them. The only knock I have is that the ranger is non existent. The starter is all over getting you off on time, but then pace of play can be slow. However, this is a very well-maintained and laid out course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Fun Times at Darby Creek

Was in town with some buddies for the Memorial, and decided to check out Darby Creek.... nothing short of awesome. This course was incredible for the price and we replayed it for $11!!!! Staff was awesome and the drinks were cheap as well. Would highly recommend this to any golfer.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 51
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Used cart

Diabolical Greens

Fun course. Links 9 greens are incredibly subtle and difficult to read. Woods 9 greens a little easier, but the fairways are narrower. All of them seemed to roll true. I enjoyed this course a lot, it was in great shape, and plan to return and work it into my central Ohio rotation.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Poor weather
Walked

Ugh..Ohio weather

First off this review might be a little unfair, but this is because it was 45 degrees and raining all day, its Ohio, can't expect much. At Darby Creek the front and back differ, where the front is links style, which I prefer, and the back is American style. I did much better on the front by 10 strokes, its wasn't a good score today. Anyway the green on hole 13 was soaking wet, you could see there would be standing water any minute, that wasn't a good sign. The course had lots of bunkers, so keep that in mind. Afterwards, I went into the pro shop and found a double dozen of Nike Mojos for $16 what a steal! And the guy behind the counter picked up the 17 cents in tax, just a little extra friendliness. If the weather was different I'm sure I would love this course.

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Thanks for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course, sorry to hear the weather was not so great during your round! We look forward to seeing you when the weather is a little drier. Glad you got a good deal at the pro shop too! See you again real soon.

Played On
Reviews 21
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Challenging with Two distinct 9's.

Not a house in site. Out in the farmland. Front nine sort of "links" like. Back nine more traditional "american" golf. I personally preferred the back with large trees and rolling hills. Im not a big fan of the links style course, with only bushes and smallish trees. Nothing to "frame" the fairways and the greens sort of bothers me.That said, its still a very nice course, just not the "perfect" course for me. Nice variety of holes and varying lengths. The greens roll very nicely and are among the fastest I have played all summer. Quite a lot of undulation. Very challenging, to the point of being a bit frustrating after playing a lot of public golf this summer with boring slow greens. Absolutely show up early and spend some time putting on the practice green if you wish to score well. The front nine is very exposed and I'm told its usually windy so Id practice the knock downs and punch shots before your round. It was only modestly breezy the day i played so the wind wasn't a big factor. Just a club up or down depending on direction, but I could see it playing very tough if it got much above 15-20 mph. If your short game is on you can score here. Not terribly long and somewhat generous fairways, but the rough is definitely just long enough to be a half shot penalty. A very good test of golf, especially on and around the greens. I will play it again despite not loving the front nine. Its a quality place.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Excellent, thank you for leaving your review. We appreciate the feedback on Darby Creek Golf Course. Some good tips for our newer golfers, thank you for your observations on the front and back nine very helpful. Hope to see you soon!

Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Pretty venue

A fun course to play in great condition.
Greens were in wonderful shape. If you're looking for a challenging but fair course I highly recommend this course.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Great! Thanks for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course and for the recommendation. We are glad to hear you enjoyed the conditions and the challenge the course presented. We look forward to your return visit!

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Liked it a lot

Played only the front 9, which is the links-style 9. Every hole is different, which is good, and the course was in very good condition. Greens were consistent. The staff was outstanding! Greeted warmly in the pro shop, the starter was very friendly as was the woman who sold me a hot dog. My only complaint is that I had a hard time finding the course. Could use a few more road signs. But...if you find it and play it you will like it.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Awesome! Thank you for your review on Darby Creek Golf Course, we're glad you were able to find and play the course and loved the experience. We look forward to your return visit!

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Good course, well-maintained

I've played this course several times. It's always in good shape. Weather has been dry, but the tee boxes, fairways and greens were in really good shape. Played in the middle of the day Sunday, so a couple of the part 3 tee boxes were chewed up, but that's to be expected. A couple of the bunkers were more dirt than sand, others in good shape. Ranger was informative about conditions and groups ahead and behind. I would play more frequently, but it's 45 minutes away.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Thank you for leaving your review on Darby Creek Golf Course, we appreciate the feedback. We're happy to hear you enjoyed the course and the conditions, we'll audit the tee boxes you mentioned. Any time you're looking for a little escape, come back and see us!

Played On
Reviews 47
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Tough

If you want a challenge, play from the blue tees. Way tougher than I thought it would be. Enjoyed the course...September golf in Ohio is the best!

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Thank you for playing at Darby Creek and for leaving your review, glad you found a challenge playing from the blue tees - keep on practicing! We hope to see you again real soon.

Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Excellent weather
Used cart

Great Course!

Don't often make it to Darby Creek because of distance, but I enjoy it every time. Course was in great shape and I only had to pass one 4some(who didn't let me play through)- but that wasn't the courses fault. More inconsiderate boobs everywhere these days.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 10/19/2015

Thank for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course we appreciate the feedback and so happy you enjoy the course over and over again. Come back and see us soon!

Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Average weather
Used cart

Good course, terrible pace

Staff could not be friendlier or more helpful, had only great interactions with them. Course was in great shape and pretty challenging, but fair. I liked the open and hilly layout of the course. Only negative was there were no rangers on the course to keep pace moving. One foursome a few groups ahead was playing appalingly slow--we all know how that goes, just no golf courtesy or etiquette, standing around on greens and waiting too long to take their shots. Took over 2.5 hours to finish our front nine and when we realized that it was literally a bottleneck of 2 or 3 groups being held up, I asked if we could just play the front nine again since it looked like no one was going off anytime soon. Friendly staff allowed us off the front again and we finished the same nine in about 1.25 hours, making it clear that we had some pace issues on the course.

Besides the mildly infuriating pace, I think this was a pretty good value. Will definitely be back at some point, it's not like they can entirely help pace issues.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 09/15/2015

We thank you for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course and happy to hear you enjoyed the course and found good value in playing it. We hear you on the pace of play issue and understand it can be frustrating we have informed our staff regarding this and hope to rectify the situation on your next round. Looking forward to your return visit!

Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

A Real Golf Course

This course is perfect. This course jumped to the top of my list for central Ohio courses. Chapel Hill had a strong hold on it for awhile but now I discovered Darby Creek. This is a true golf course. You have to think about every shot with a lot of traps to work around and a few water hazards. The greens are clean and roll true. Most greens are elevated from the fairways so you need to add a little extra on your approach shots. The traps are actually playable unlike most courses. We played from the tips which was bad idea on my part since they played 7,000 yards. The clubhouse is nice with a very friendly staff.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 09/15/2015

Wow! Thank you for the great review. We appreciate the kind words and the positive mention! We're so glad to hear you found the traps playable and the course presented a challenge to your game. We can't wait to see you back for more!

Played On
Reviews 7
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

Darby Creek

This course was on my bucket list and it did not disappoint. Beautiful conditions although the greens ran a little slower than expected. They were still treacherous if you were unfortunate to have a downhill putt. I felt the front 9 (links style) played a little easier but it still was no walk in the park. The back nine (trees) played longer and several holes had demanding approaches. Overall, you have to have your "A" game to score well here.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Extremely Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 09/15/2015

We appreciate the feedback and thank you for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course! We are happy to hear you could cross this off your bucket list of courses and you found the course to be challenging and enjoyable! Come back again soon and keep on swinging!

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Good weather
Used cart

Great setting, poor play

By poor play, I meant my own. What a waste, playing on such a great da on such a great course but not having enough practice to keep it on the fairway most of the round . It was maddening. This course always has well-groomed fairways and the most consistent rolling greens in the area, at least among public-play courses. And Ken and Scott in the clubhouse are always super friendly, remembering you by name from the last time.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 09/15/2015

Thanks so much for leaving your review, your feedback is important to us. We are happy to hear you enjoyed the conditions and the course, as well as the staff's hospitality! We can't wait to see you - practice makes perfect.

Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Excellent weather
Used cart

First Time Played - Excellent Value

Excellent value. Good condition. Greens rolled pretty true, decent speed. Good tees and fairways. Can play the ball down in the fairway with no problem. Mix of long and short holes. Bunkers, trees, water. No tricked up holes for the most part. It can be as challenging as you want depending on the tees you play. Quite setting in the country, not a house or building in sight. Beverage cart showed up 3 times during rounds. Would recommend.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
6854e363-8f4e-528d-91ab-69a678fd7cbb
Commented on 09/15/2015

Awesome! Thank you for playing at Darby Creek Golf Course we are happy to hear you found the course fun and challenging with a good variety of holes. We can't wait to see you back for your next round!

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