Groveport course rates as viable option

Broadened my golf horizons yesterday with a round at The Links at Groveport and enjoyed the adventure. Getting out and chasing the pea with old friend Scott Minister is always fun and the weather couldn't have been better.

The course, purchased about five years ago by the Village of Groveport from a private club going by the name of The Willows, is an interesting mix of holes that offered a nice variety of challenges. We walked the course for $20 and played in less than 3 1/2 hours on a pleasant, crisp day.

The front nine, built in 1929, was designed by Frank Waugh. The back nine, built in 1971, was designed by the Hurdzan/Kidwell group. Despite being lined by trees in many areas, the mature course didn't feel overly restrictive and one could get away with a lot of wayward shots on many holes. Most shots were framed and easy to visualize.

The front nine's greens were definitely old school, as in postage stamp in size. The back nine greens were much larger and in better shape. Overall, the course was in decent shape except for the eighth hole, which was under repair and sub-standard. The sand traps had plenty of sand in them and were fair but weren't very attractive.

The par-72 course, which measures 6,591 yards from its longest tees and has a course rating of 71.3 and a slope of 123, is very playable and low scores can be recorded by anyone with a steady putting stroke. This is not a tricked-up course with a lot of frills. I would classify it more as a blue-collar course with several character holes.

The sixth and seventh holes on the front nine are great holes from which to hit nice tee shots. The drives are framed by tree-lined fairways and are sights to behold if properly struck. The ninth hole is a testy 225-yard par 3 which requires a carry over Alum Creek. The rickety old bridge one must go over while playing the seventh and nine holes also adds a dash of excitement to the proceedings.

On the back side, the par-5 11th, par-3 13th and par-5 18th holes are particularly fun to play. Each has water protecting the green that adds to the drama of a well-struck shot.

So would Oldgolfdawg put this course on a must-play list? In a word: no. But for a change of pace and its reasonable pricing and laid-back atmosphere, I would certainly consider it an option. It's a fun course in reasonably decent shape. The bottom line is -- perhaps because I scored well -- I enjoyed the layout. Funny, isn't it, how that has a way of influencing one's opinion.

Here's a link to the course: http://www.linksatgroveport.com/golf/proto/linksatgroveport/

Here's a look at my latest best-courses-to-play-in-central-ohio rankings:

5 dog biscuits: Longaberger (the alpha dog)
4 1/2 dog biscuits: Cooks Creek, East Golf Club
4 dog biscuits: Cumberland Trail, EagleSticks, Deer Ridge, Golf Club of Dublin, The Players Club at Foxfire
3 1/2 dog biscuits: *Apple Valley, Bent Tree, Blacklick Woods, Chapel Hill, Champions, Granville, Indian Springs, New Albany Links, The Links at Echo Springs, Royal American Links
3 dog biscuits: Darby Creek, Glenross, Mill Creek, Turnberry, Westchester
2 1/2 dog biscuits: Blackhawk, Crystal Springs Golf Club, Mentel Memorial, National Golf Links, *Licking Springs, Raymond Memorial, Safari Golf Club, *St. Albans, *Table Rock, The Links at Groveport
2 dog biscuits: *Airport, *Oakhaven, *Bridgeview, Marysville Golf Club, *Minerva Lake
1 1/2 dog biscuits: *Wilson Road, *Big Walnut (executive courses)
1 dog biscuit: Let's not go there
* Indicates Oldgolfdawg has not played the course in more than five years and needs feedback from others to adjust any ranking.