By Fred Altvater
Although the weather has turned cooler in Michigan there are still opportunities to play great golf within an easy drive distance – especially if you find yourself with the itch over Thanksgiving weekend.
Indiana and Ohio are both loaded with great golf courses, plus in the southern portions of those states, the weather will permit playing golf through Thanksgiving.
Indiana:
Three of The Pete Dye Golf Trail’s seven courses lay in the northern portion of the Indiana, but the remaining four courses enjoy slightly longer golf seasons.
Three of the courses can be found near Indianapolis. One of Dye’s earliest efforts was Maple Hills, which sits on the northeastern edge of Indianapolis. Fort Benjamin Harrison was once a key
military base, but is now home to a Pete Dye masterpiece, The Fort. Four of Brickyard Crossing’s holes actually lay inside the famed Indy Racetrack, home to the annual Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Brickyard 400.
A little farther south, the famed French Lick Resort is home to the Pete Dye Course that sits high atop the second highest peak in Indiana and provides glorious views off the surrounding countryside. It has hosted several large tournaments and every year is home to the Senior LPGA Championship.
For golfers that like a little history with their golf, the Donald Ross Course at French Lick opened for play in 1917 and Walter Hagen won the 1924 PGA Championship there. It is a classic Donald Ross design and should be near the top of any golfer’s must-play list. In addition, French Lick is one of the premier golf resorts in the nation, offering first-class accommodations and amenities.
One other stop in southern Indiana worth mentioning is Covered Bridge and Champions Pointe. The courses are owned by former Masters Champion Fuzzy Zoeller and are located just north of Louisville, Kentucky just off I-65. And just southeast of Indianapolis is the Legends Golf Course, run by Ted Bishop.
Ohio:
Once you get near as far south as Dayton the golf season stretches into late November and early December. Dayton has several wonderful public golf courses.
Yankee Trace has 27 holes and offers a country club atmosphere but is an upscale public course. Beavercreek Golf Club is located near Wright-Patterson AFB and is nestled among native woodland and meandering streams.
Laying just west of Dayton, near the Indiana state line, Hueston Woods is a state park that provides a beautiful round of golf, plus other outdoor activities such as, hiking and kayaking.
The Cincinnati area is loaded with great golf. Sharon Woods, Shaker Run, Blue Ash and Hickory Woods are just four public courses around Cincinnati that will soothe any golfer’s itch and will not break the budget in the process.
As you can see, you don’t have to head to Florida or Arizona just yet, both Indiana and Ohio offer great golf opportunities, plus a much longer golf season for Michigan Golfaholics. If you need a late season golf fix, throw your sticks in the trunk and head down I-75, or I-69.
Great Golf Awaits!
