Hickory courses we love to play
The Warren Golf Course
South Bend, Ind.
123456
The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame was designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. It’s the course of the University of Notre Dame and is not shy to describe how they feel Coore and Crenshaw, calling them “arguably the greatest golf architects of the day.”
It’s a classic links design with square tee boxes, undulating greens and thoughtfully trimmed native grasses. Though it is a public facility, the Warren Golf Course is a delight to pay and would rival any private club for its golf course as well as facilities and amenities.
Since its opening in 1999, the Warren Golf Course has hosted USGA, NCAA and Western Golf Association tournaments, including the 2010 Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. The 250-acre venue is also a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. It was called one of the nation’s top 10 collegiate courses by Links Magazine.
The grand clubhouse is inviting and open with photos that show Notre Dame golf teams from the 1930s (or was it 20s?) and on. Speaking of photos, check out the Tournament Results page for a gallery of photos from the Michianna Hickory Open at the Warren Course. The golf course website also has great photos of the course, including fly-overs of the various holes.
General Manager John Foster and his staff are among the most cordial you’ll find anywhere. At a recent golf outing hosted by the Golf Collectors Society and SoHG, he went out of his way to make everyone feel welcome. You got the feeling that everyone was happy to see a group that enjoys the history of the game such as ours.
The course, for us, was set up at around 5,800 yards and played just right. Crenshaw and Coore add the perfect amount of challenge and eye candy. Bunker edges are left ragged with native grasses, not manicured to death. On the green of No. 2 you can see the Notre Dame campus and its golden dome, just a across the street and beyond the athletic fields. It’s the 16th hole that always remains in my memory though. Your tee shot must carry a creek (it’s not beyond a hickory driver) then negotiate a right-to-left bend avoiding a nest of bunkers along the left side to a narrow green perched above the fairway. Plenty to think about.
Plenty to see and do regarding the historic campus and lots of good restaurants and places to stay. In fact, this writer would love to see a U.S. Hickory Open at the Warren Course. It’s great fun to play, the management loves our group, travel there is easy and there’s the above mentioned restaurants and easy accommodations. Who knows… maybe Ben Crenshaw could be encouraged to join us for a round.
Have a favorite hickory course you’d like to profile? Send the information along with photos to jdavis2364@gmail.com.