DrOldSchool

To say Tobacco Road is unique is an understatement. Other Strantz courses can be tricked up but not to this extreme. Ski slope greens and fairways are found throughout the course. There are several holes where position matters more than distance. If you spray, there are all kinds of dangers awaiting from waste bunkers to thick grasses.

On this day in March it was very soggy, making it play long. The greens were in fantastic shape though, especially for this time of year. It ate me up and spit me out as I went along and I left wanting more.

If you expect and prefer a straightforward golf course go elsewhere, if you want a unique experience that will challenge every aspect of your game this is the place. Personally, I would play here as often as I could if I lived in the area, and will return when I travel to this part of the country again.

Legacy has a lot of the hallmarks of a resort golf course as it winds through the trees. Fairways are pretty wide, not too much sand, some room to miss on either side though if you spray wide you're probably punching out of trees. Greens reminded me of old basement carpet as they were grainy and inconsistent,. Whole course is over-seeded and patchy right now. Bring your draw if you're a righty as there are several R-L doglegs.

Pace of play was slow as I was trapped alone between large groups, so it took me 4:40 to play as a single. There are several blind shots and they could use bells or carts with GPS to show where folks in front of you are before hitting into them.

In this area you can obviously do better, but it's a pretty decent value course. Would be a good course for golfers looking to have a good time in a group rather than a serious game as better golfers may find it a bit vanilla.

The Lonnie Poole course at NC State was an interesting test. It has the traditional hallmarks of Palmer designs with lots of sand around, in some cases with large lips to clear. It was soggy when I played it but they rolled the greens and they were firm and fast, so it was a bit inconsistent if you landed on the green or in the fringe. The greens are undulating and you have to aim for the right spots mores than the flag a lot. Would need to play it a few times to get it all figured out.

The practice facilities are a little odd with a chipping area in the middle of the front 9 in the woods, and a practice tee for the college team by the 11th tee (they hit over it back to the range). You also need to follow the signs because the routing is a little screwy.

But there are several interesting holes and it would be a fun play in season when in top shape I'd imagine. Worth a stop if you're in the area.

Chippendale was a fair test with smaller greens and some tight fairways. The course winds around though a neighborhood, but the houses are never really in play, It has an interesting mix of straight and dog leg holes, though it does have one design flaw with back to back par 3's at 16 and 17. I can see that backing up and getting frustrating when busy. It's also the rare par 73. Looks like they had more holes at one point but abandoned them. Course was in good shape overall for late October, though the greens were rather slow.

All in all I think Wildcat Creek up the street is a nicer course, but Chippendale can be found rather cheaply on the discount sites, and it's worth a go for that reason. .

The front 9 at Honeywell is a classic back and forth design with smaller greens that feature some slope.Holes 11-17 are nothing like the rest (10 and 18 are back and forth too) where suddenly you're playing a tight course with ponds and/or narrow fairways with little room to miss as you meander through the woods. On the front you can spray and find mostly mature trees as your only problems. But on the 11-17 stretch, you have to know where to go/miss.

Conditions left a bit to be desired as it looks like they've struggled with recent rain. Some fairways showed a lot of damage spots, especially in low-lying areas. Greens rolled ok, and most were in good shape. Tees were pretty chewed up. Course was dead in the mid-afternoon on a Tuesday and I got around in under 2 hours solo. Looks like at one point in its life it had not only a slightly different layout, but also was a country club as you enter and pass beat up old tennis courts and such.

I wouldn't go out of your way to play it but if you find yourself in Wabash it's worth a go.

Stonehenge was an interesting links-style course that winds through a neighborhood, and turns into the woods for a couple holes on the back. Recent rains must've kept them from mowing the rough, as it was ankle deep just inches off the fairway throughout, which led to a lot of time ball hunting - it was the thickest rough I've played all year.

The layout was fun and interesting, with some moderately-sloped greens and a neat island green hole on the front. For October it was in pretty solid shape for the late season. They aerated the greens about 2 weeks a go so they still were a little bumpy but nothing major. Clubhouse looks very nice along the 18th hole. The course was surprisingly dead for late-morning on a Tuesday.

If you find yourself in the area or in/near Fort Wayne it's worth a go. It lives up to its reputation.

Ulen is a fun layout in beautiful shape.It's a classic design, almost 100 years old so it has a lot of short doglegs that require precision placement off the tee. You can't just bomb away here as the rough is thick and can be penal if you ball goes to the bottom. You will spend time looking for balls just off the fairway in the rough - it's that thick. The greens all tilt back to front -stay under the hole or be prepared to pay for it. Staff was very friendly and accommodating as well, arguably the best experience I've had in this area in that department. Would give it 4.5 stars if I could, only because we caught it with the greens a little sandy from recent work done. But I'm willing to wager when it's in top shape it's among the best around. if you get an invite, or grab a Groupon it's well with it to play.

Albany is a nice course about 15-20 min NE of Muncie. It was in solid shape, save for some small patches of water damage here and there. Greens were sneaky fast and most tilted back to front, though some had little side boards too. Stay under the hole! Lots of subtle breaks out there.

I do agree with the other review that #1 is a very difficult hole and is extremely narrow. 18 is as well, and commits the sin of having a tree in the middle of the fairway for no reason other than to provide a pointless block for a good drive - major design flaw in my opinion. Otherwise, the layout is a little eccentric and mostly open with some 90-degree doglegs and perfectly straight holes mixed together. Can be scored upon if you're having a good day.

If you're in the area it's well worth a stop. Good value, and nice clubhouse/patio for drinks.

As an update to my review from 2 years ago, it pains me to say this but the course (by their own admission) applied the wrong chemicals on the greens and killed them. This happened 2 months ago and they are only getting worse, not better. A couple are shut down completely, but many others have bare spots on about half the green. Every green has damage of some amount, leading to a bumpy, inconsistent experience. Honestly, they'd probably be better off shutting down and resodding, which would be costly but probably better for their long run. Because right now they are not playable, which is sad because the rest of the course is in pretty good shape.

I enjoy sneaking over here when I can, so it pains me to write this review. But it's the truth. Hopefully next year will be better for them, but they need to do something before the winter for that to happen.

Meadowbrook is a short regulation course, with several Par 4's that an above average hitter can drive. It is narrow though, as are most of the greens so if you miss there are some streams and ponds and mature trees around to grab your ball. A lot of the holes are smashed together too so if it's busy bring a batting helmet and be prepared to duck.

The course is in decent shape, though it does show a lot of water damage in spots from the recent storms. Greens rolled well and had some bend to them. You can score here if you're having a good ball striking day. Has a decent looking range for warm-up too and a retro clubhouse,

If you find yourself in Anderson it's better than Grandview, though I'd go to Killbuck before here. But it's not bad for something different or for beginners/seniors.

River Run is in poor shape after the recent deluge of rain. Worse than War Admiral nearby. Many greens are just bare mud (see attached pic) as are several fairways/fringes/rough areas. The layout itself is somewhat interesting, with water and tree lined fairways, but there are better choices around in the area. Especially when you factor in arguably the worst customer service I've experienced on a course in a while. I'd call the pro shop and cart guy rude, but that would be insulting to rude people. They act like they are protecting Augusta National, and are very snappy and condescending. Even loading the cart was a big production, let along being told 15 times what my starting time was and to "not go near the tee until then at all or else". I paid my money to play golf, not be treated like a child. Add to that the $10 coupon I had from a local coupon guide was not off the dynamic rate I booked on their webpage, but the rack rate - so the $10 coupon turned into a $1 coupon. Again, I was just snapped at for even asking about it. The course is not worth anything near what they charge. I recommend you avoid the mistake I made and go elsewhere.

War Admiral is a challenging parkland, target style layout. It has a lot of character in the form or forced carries, water, and contours around the greens. It is not a bombs away with the driver course; you have to hit the right spots in the fairway or you'll be chipping back to the fairway. Greens were not too fast but challenging enough to produce several lip outs on solid putts. Some greens you cannot aim at the flag, but at the right spot to catch the slope.

The course does have its share of water damage from the recent deluge of rain that the area has experienced, especially right around the greens in the fringes and run-up from the fairway. Because of that I wouldn't recommend it at full freight, but if you can find a deal (check their webpage tee sheet) it's worth a go.

Played the valley/lakes 9 and the course is in horrible shape. Fairways are patchy at best, mostly mud/dirt. Rough isn't too much better. Even the greens are very patchy and bumpy with some greens having nearly half the surface bereft of grass. Not quite as bad as Heartland Crossing on the other side of town, but close. Ranger did nothing to push along a slow group that was holding up the entire course. Even with a couple holes having some character (like 6 Lakes), $44 to play here, even on a weekend, is a joke with these conditions. Do yourself a favor and don't make the mistake we made if you care about conditions.

The Pines course at Eagle Creek is a Dye course, though it doesn't have all the usual characteristics of one. It does have a lot of elevation change, but it also does meander back and forth a bit with lots of straightforward holes. Although there are a few doglegs that you need to know where to go/miss. The fairways are in horrible shape, with lots of mud pits and where there is grass it was as long as the rough is on some local courses. Greens were patchy here and there, but ran true. Tees were chewed at times.

It's nothing special, but if you can get on cheap it's worth a go. Wouldn't be a bad course for beginners to learn on.

Love the layout of Rock Hollow. Lots of holes that run through the woods with contours and elevation change. Some water in play too, like the pond on 7/18 which makes for some picturesque holes. No 2 holes are alike. Greens had a lot of character. That's the good news.

The bad news is it's not in that great of shape. Many greens have bare/sandy patches in them (though they still ran pretty fast). The rough was actually worse that the fairways in terms of conditions, and there were a lot of areas that were just dead in the fringes around the green. Sand was pretty firm and thin in a lot of spots. Obvious water/rain damage around the course, though given its remote location I wonder if it gets enough play to afford maintenance (only 8 cars in the lot before/after our round).

That said, it's worth a go just for the layout itself. If you find yourself on 31 between Indy and South Bend, definitely stop.Just temper your expectations for conditions.

West Chase is a sneaky, but fun course. The front is fairly open while the back is a little tighter with more elevation change. Greens are smaller than a lot of places around town, though not the smallest. All of them though have some slope but do not break as much as they appear, and roll true. Fairways were pretty narrow but the rough wasn't overly thick. There was some spots where water damage would've caused issues in some fairways, and the tee boxes were a little chewed and shaggy. Sand throughout the course was packed down mud and needs updating or removed (as they appear to have begun to do around the course). Even with these detractions it was a visually appealing course.

They have a good internet deal that includes a 6-pack with the round which is a nice touch if you can find it. Its a little out of the way but definitely worth a play.

I've driven past Hickory Bend several times, and finally decided to stop. It's a short 9 hole goat ranch style course with very tiny greens. Even with their small size, a lot were slightly elevated and they were all slower than my living room carpet. Most of the cups did not have a defined edge, so they were in that spot for a while. Rest of the course was mostly crabgrass. The rough and fairway could be discerned by a slightly lower mow of the same kind of (crab) grass. Tees were pretty chewed. That said I played 9 holes in about 35 minutes, so if you need a quick round it's not bad. Not worth the $18 to ride 9 though value-wise. But would be a very easy course to walk. Good course for beginners too. You can do worse at this level of course, but you can do better too.

The French Lick courses have a strong reputation. This course could not have missed the lofty expectations any more than it did. It looks nice from the clubhouse, but when you get on the course you'll find conditions that are not worthy of the lofty price tag. Many of the fairways/rough and even a couple greens have large dead//mud patches, and it's not just from where water would lay. It screams of poor maintenance. For the price they charge, and the amount of play they get it's nothing short of a complete joke to maintain it like that.

Then there is the pace of play. Sure, it was a Saturday afternoon, but we were 2-3 groups deep on the last 10-12 tees. Made for a 5-hour death march. While the cart girl came around for them to make more money with $7 beers, there was never a ranger to do anything about the pace of play. The layout of the course allowed us to see who was holding things up, and nothing was ever done about it. At a resort course like this, that is inexcusable.

The course itself is what you'd expect from Ross, with domed/sloped greens that were almost carnival-like if you miss in the wrong spot. Lots of rolling hills and elevation change, and very long par 3's. Very thick rough awaited if you sprayed your shots as well. So it has some interesting potential. But right now, in this shape and with this management there are far better places/resorts to go to (such as Chariot Run).

I really enjoyed Sultans Run. The course has a challenging mix of elevation change, thick rough, and tricky greens. It's visually intimidating and pleasing at the same time. The 18th green with a waterfall behind it and clubhouse overlooking it was beautiful.

As for playing it, you have to pick the right club off the tee, as we found ourselves in the wrong spot hitting driver on multiple occasions. The greens were fairly large and rolled true. So why 4.5 stars? They clearly must've had a rough season and spent a lot of money on sod recently to make repairs. There were still spots in need of work too. In some cases, you had to seek relief from it, but once it fills in I'm sure it'll be pristine again.

Bottom line, if you're in/around French Lick or this part of the state or are looking for a good group destination than you can't go wrong with Sultans Run. Highly recommend playing it and I'll be back again.

Had the good fortune to play Chariot Run over the weekend while on a trip. Jump at the opportunity to play this course. It's one of the best, if not the best I've played in the state of Indiana (my group agreed with this assessment as well).

The course has a great mixture of holes with elevation change, water, sand, trees, and tall grass waiting for you if you spray. But the fairways are also fairly forgiving. Greens rolled fast and true. It was fun and challenging from start to finish. In great shape for this time of year and the amount of play that I'm sure they get.

Trust me, the accolades you see here and in other reviews are accurate. It's a solid play at peak price, but if you get on at twilight like we did, you'll leave feeling like you robbed them. Definitely worth it if you're in the Louisville area, or are looking for a destination place for a golf trip.