Mill Creek deserves another biscuit

Got a kick out of playing the course that helped mold Ben Curtis into a British Open champion yesterday, and the chance to get together for a round with former Dispatch colleagues Mike Munden and Ray Belew at Mill Creek Golf Club in Ostrander produced a "Michelob Day."

The course, which Oldgolfdawg hadn't played in more than 20 years, was in great shape, the management could not have been nicer and the price to walk 18 holes was right at $20.00. What stood out to me the most was the great condition of the greens. Even though I had a tough time reading a lot of the breaks in them, the greens looked beautiful and rolled nicely.

My biggest regret was three-putting on the 18th green, where a young Curtis was sometimes found putting in his pajamas by family members. Curtis grew up in a house a stone's throw away from the 18th green and honed his skills at the course before going on to enjoy great success at Kent State and later joining the PGA Tour. Curtis won the British Open in 2003 at Royal St. George's when he sank about a 10-foot par putt on the final hole. He was on the practice range waiting for everyone else to finish when he learned he had won.

In my 25-plus years with The Dispatch, Curtis' British Open victory and Buster Douglas' upset of Mike Tyson in Japan were the two most memorable individual sports stories with local ties the newspaper covered. Curtis has gone on to have a solid PGA Tour career with more than $9 million in earnings. His best finish this year came in the Arnold Palmer Invitation at Bay Hill, where he finished sixth.

Oldgolfdawg needs a mulligan for throwing Mill Creek only 2 dog biscuits in his original list of best places to play in central Ohio. That was based on a faded memory. After playing the course yesterday, an adjustment has to be made because the course has aged like a fine wine. So Mill Creek is being upgraded from 2 dog biscuits to 3 in my latest rankings.

Mill Creek promotes itself in the following manner:

Opening in 1973 by Dwight and Myrtie Black, Mill Creek is one of the best conditioned family run courses in Central Ohio with a friendly staff that will serve you a great day of golf at an affordable price. The fairways are beautifully lined with mature trees and 5 ponds will test the shot making skill of all players. Located 10 minutes north of the Columbus Zoo, the Mill Creek Family and Staff welcome you to a club in the country.

During yesterday's round I didn't see one dandelion on a course that features 6,300 yards of golf from its longest tees and has a slope rating of 116. The layout is interesting but not overly penal. I also was impressed with how well maintained the tee boxes were. The bottom line on Mill Creek is that it is a great value and an enjoyable experience I would recommend to anyone.