tbakerpga

This course is tight, and I mean really tight. I play good golf and am very accurate off the tee, and I had trouble keeping it the fairway. The yardage is long by any means, but there are several doglegs and/or less than driver tee shots that require precision... Making this course play longer than it actually is.

The tees, fairways, and greens are all in great shape. The rough is thick and will penalize even the strongest golfers. The low handicapper will have their hands full on this great layout.

The greens are undulating, fast, and break about twice as much as you initially think. Uphill and into the grain? give it a nice whack because the ball will die and leave you with an 8' knee knocker for par in a heartbeat.

The pricing right now is unbeatable. Take advantage and hit it straight. If you play 18 and don't card a double, pat yourself on the back...

I grew up playing this course as a member and have played on and off with family since becoming an adult. The course used to be private but has since become semi and offers awesome deals through GolfNOW and Groupon. I've played here no less than 100 times and can vouch, this is truly a player's course... But it doesn't feature a whole lot of the fluffy amenities (which you shouldn't expect at this price point anyway).

The previous reviewer called the front nine mundane... Hardly. While I will concede that it is less dramatic than the back nine; the front nine starts off with a tough par 4 opening hole (tee shot with water on the right) and moves to a 615 yard par 5 (from the tips) with a hard sloping right to left fairway. The third hole is a 170 yard slightly uphill par 3 that requires an accurate tee shot through a chute of trees and doesn't offer a reasonable birdie chance until hole 4 (a driveable par 4 with OB right and thick heather left). This is followed up by a 190 yard par 3 that is again, slightly uphill. Birdie chances at par 5 6th hole (legit eagle chance for long hitters) and par 4 7th hole. And trust me, those birdies will come in handy on the tough/long par 4 8th hole and tough par 4 9th hole, the latter of which climbs the hill that you descended after teeing off on the first hole.

The back nine, as I said earlier, offers plenty of thrills in its own right and starts off requiring 2 accurate tee shots on 10 and 11... You will have your work cut out for you. The 10th hole is a downhill par 4 that features dramatic views and a slight dogleg right. #11 is an uphill par 5 that features a flat, straightaway drive but requires pinpoint accuracy due to a creek on your right and a trees left (a bailout wayyy left will not hurt you). This one is tough to reach in two and the green slopes severely from right to left. Play short approach shots to the right side and you'll have a pin high 10 footer up the hill for birdie. A birdie chance is given at the driveable 12th hole (for long hitters) but the risk isn't worth the reward. A simple cut drive out towards the left edge of the right fairway bunker will be rewarded with a short PW to a receptive green that slopes back to front. Anything short risks funnelling off of the front edge of the green. #13 is a beast of a par 3 @ 200-210 from the tips, over water (all carry) and no bailout left (water) or right (down a steep left to right hill with woods). The shot requires precision and penalizes anything less. I have hit a knock down driver several times from these tees when into the wind. Fortunately, the drop area is right in front of the green and will allow you a chip in chance @ par or @ least a salvaged bogey. #14 is a uphill/downhill par 4 birdie chance that is pretty basic and a very minor dogleg right. The 15th hole is a bit deceptive but a good drive will offer up a birdie chance. Hug the trees on the right with your drive (it's a bit of a blind tee shot, can't see landing area); everything feeds right to left and a drive straight down the middle or with a draw (for righty golfers) risks going OB left. Bailing out far right isn't terrible but you will have a blind approach over trees. #16 provides a birdie chance and insanely accurate drivers of the ball will have a chance at eagle on this drivable par 4. Check your ego and hit a hybrid/long iron out into the fairway, you'll be left with 100-125 to the hole and a great chance at birdie. For most golfers, a 3 wood is too much club off of this tee. 17 is a short par 3 of only 120 yrds but features a tee shot that is 100' above the green, it's a really fun hole and usually just requires a knockdown PW. A white flag will yield birdies but when you see a blue flag, be happy with a par. The 18th finishing hole is a great one that provides a good chance at a closing birdie. The straight away tee shot is visually intimidating if you struggle with a driver because OB is on the right and trees are lining up the left side. Just swing smooth and put it out there. Water is left of the green and a simple hybrid puts you in position to hit a smooth wedge in tight. Knock it stiff, clean up the birdie, and collect your skins @ the 19th hole.

A few things that you can expect:

1) Awesome greens. They are some of the best in NKY and are the best at this price point. They consistently roll 9-12 (depending on tournament schedule, weather, etc.) but will always hold your approach shots. FIX YOUR BALL MARKS!

2) Great fairways but usually a little on the softer side.

3) Awesome bunkers/sand.

4) Fantastic putting green that rolls true to the course.

5) Not very much of a range. There is a range and you can hit a driver. With that being said, the range is off the beaten path and requires overnight camping gear/meals to get too. Okay, it's not that bad but it is out of the way and doesn't have the best teeing areas, yardage markers, etc.

6) A FUN AND EXCITING ROUND OF GOLF!

Flagg Springs has been around for some time and the original intent of the course was great. Unfortunately, mismanagement and more mismanagement has lead to what you see today- which is a very short course that features a funky layout, poor markings, and some combination of holes that are seemingly always under some sort of repair.

This course seems to cater to fun-type leagues, juniour golfers, and your everyday average joe golfer... And that's okay, there needs to be courses like this everywhere to serve that market.

BUT if you are a player that thrives on a challenge, expects more from a facility, and is willing to pay for the experience, there are much better options without having to drive halfway to Maysville.

And if you want food, you'll have to stop at the gas station down the road. They never seem to make any food (even though they have a full kitchen and decent dining area) and the people are usually pretty rude.

I'm a skilled golfer from Scottsdale, Az that certainly knows his golf and courses. The Merchant's, Kern, and Brown have created a masterpiece in Central Indiana that combines the best of Dye, Tillinghast, and G. Kern (Kern's father) elements. The end result is a stunning example of character and a brutal, but very fair, test of links golf.

Grab an easy birdie on #1 because you will have to fight for another opportunity on this 7700+ yard monster (from the tips, "Purgatory" tees). Driver accuracy is a must, 10' off of the fairway lies penalizing heather, and a higher ball flight is certainly helpful due to the fast and severely undulating greens. While the greens can be very penal with several ridges and collection areas, the speed is usually a perfect 10. They are certainly fast but will hold most iron shots, which makes them very fair.

I strongly encourage you to PLAY THE TEES THAT BEST SUIT YOUR SKILL LEVEL, CHECK YOUR EGO @ THE DOOR. The friendly staff will certainly suggest the tees for you, if asked, based on your average driving distance. Be honest. Playing the wrong tees will create a miserable afternoon of hitting 3 woods into par 4's, hacking it out of heather/sand, and 4 putting your way to a score of 120- not to mention a 5 hour round of golf that will have people in your group/behind you furious. The purgatory tees, especially on a windy day, should only be played by the longest of hitters- think 300 average. Even Tiger thought that the course was long.

I give the course my highest recommendation based on all of the usual measurements. I strongly urge you to buy a yardage book or print one off of the internet if you don't have a gps.