By Mike May
For most I-90, that stretches across Northern Indiana, is the quickest thoroughfare in, or out of Chicago. For Golfaholics, however, the Indiana Turnpike is the gateway to “The Perfect Golf Experience” in the Hoosier state.
Beginning with the Zollner Golf Course in Angola and concluding with White Hawk Country Club, these six courses will convince any Golfaholic that this is a must-visit destination.
Zollner Golf Course
If a golf course’s reputation is based on what tournaments it has hosted, then the Zollner Golf Course in Angola deserves top-billing as it was the site of the NAIA Men′s National Tournament in 1987, 1990 and again in 1992. It hosted the Pepsi Junior Tour for nine years and was the site of the 2012 NCAA Division III Women’s Golf National Championship.
The Zollner Golf Course has also been the home for Trine University’s men’s and women’s golf teams since the 1970’s.
As this golf course’s website states, “With its many elevation changes, Zollner is truly a thinking player′s golf course. Strategically placed bunkers and reconfigured fairways offer even more interest and challenge.”
Cobblestone Golf Course
The Cobblestone Golf Course in Kendallville, located just outside Fort Wayne, has been ranked as one of the premier golf outlets in Indiana for more than 20 years. Cobblestone was selected as one of “America’s Best New Courses” for 1999 and “Best Places to Play” in 2002 and 2003. According to head professional Alan Moyer, Cobblestone is a first-class, 18-hole layout which features bent-grass tees, fairways and greens, with multiple hazards to challenge each and every shot.
Many positive comments about the course can be found on Cobblestone’s website,
“I would vote this as one of the nicest courses in all of Indiana”
“Very well maintained course. Friendly staff. Great practice area.”
Noble Hawk Golf Links
Also in Kendallville, you can play the Noble Hawk Golf Links, one of northeast Indiana’s most popular public golf facilities. Noble Hawk, nicknamed “The Hawk,” features a memorable design as it’s the perfect combination of links and traditional golf while showcasing a variety of beautifully designed golf holes.
In keeping with the name Noble Hawk, the names on the tee of each hole have an aviary affiliation: Talon, Augusta, White, and Redtail.
Three of the better holes at Noble Hawk are the 7th, 13th, and 15th holes. The 7th – named Short & Sweet — is a short, downhill par four. You can reach the green when the wind is at your back. The 13th – named The Jugular – is a somewhat tight three-shot par five to a multi-tiered green, where disaster lurks from tee to green. The 15th – named Hawk’s Challenge – is a par three which is 100 percent carry over water from tee to green. The 15th is the signature hole at Noble Hawk. The 15th green is clover-shaped and is filled with a series of undulations.
The Warren Golf Course
In South Bend, you’ll find The Warren Golf Course, perched on the northern edge of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is nestled on 250 acres of woodlands, which has been designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
While playing this par-70 course, you’ll encounter fescue fairways and a gently rolling terrain. You can see the famous golden dome on the Notre Dame campus from the golf course.
Golf course architects Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore were delighted with what they produced at the Warren.
“We wanted an old-fashioned, traditional golf course — one based on subtleties, not special effects,” stated Crenshaw and Coore in a joint statement. They succeeded.
Golfweek has ranked The Warren GC as the sixth best golf course in Indiana and the 12th best collegiate golf course in the U.S.
The greatest endorsements bestowed on The Warren came from the USGA which staged the 2019 U.S. Senior Open at the Warren, the first collegiate course to host a U.S. Senior Open.
Blackthorn Golf Club
Question: What do the Blackthorn Golf Club and Wisconsin’s Erin Hills, the host of the 2017 U.S. Open, have in common? Answer: Both courses were designed by golf course architect Dr. Michael Herdzen.
While the Blackthorn Golf Club, located in South Bend, will probably never host a U.S. Open, it does have an element of star power as it’s the host of the Four Winds Invitational on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour.
When golfers play the par-72, 7,136-yard layout, they will face a course with great diversity — nearly 80 bunkers, broad fairways, wetlands, ponds, native prairie grasses and bent grass greens.
White Hawk Country Club
The White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point is one of northwest Indiana’s top golf destinations. If features 36 holes in four nine-hole configurations: Red, Grey, Black, and Silver.
It was carved out of 600 acres of woodlands, prairies, streams, and natural wetlands. It’s a perfect combination of Mother Nature and golf existing in perfect harmony. Located close to I-65 and I-394, it’s easily accessible, especially for golfers from Chicago to the north and Indianapolis to the south.
After golf, the dinner and drink specials in the River Rock restaurant are delectable, tasty and affordable.
When you combine the quality of each golf course, the beauty of northern Indiana, and the customer service inside every clubhouse, it’s easy to see why playing golf in northern Indiana can easily be referred to as “The Perfect Golf Experience.”
