Greater Cincinnati's Best Golf Courses

Table of content:

• Private
• Public - Top Tier
• Honorable Mentions

A ranked list of golf courses is a dime a dozen - but everyone’s budget and circumstances are different. Plus - What good does a list of the best courses do you if an unseasonably warm weekend comes up in the spring and your favorite 5 clubs don’t have any tee-times? Get out and golf!

Nothing in Cincinnati is really too far of a drive.. the courses listed here favor promximity to downtown (inside the I-275 loop) but there are a few suburban courses mixed in as well.

Private

Camargo Golf Club (Raynor)

• Typical of a Raynor course, huge platform greens and wide fairways. No water hazards.
• Consistently ranks amongst the top 100 golf courses in the world. It’s 51st at the time of this article. 3 Michelan Star golf rating.. meaning you travel to play here if you get the chance.

Kenwood - Kendale (Several - Ross)

• Underwent some changes in the last decade, fewer trees, _____. Lightning fast greens and the rough is short. It is a true bombers paradise.

Oasis (Arnold Palmer)

• Less water than the name might lead you to believe but still plenty to lose a half dozen balls or more with aggressive play - “Arnie’s Revenge” is a tough 3 hole stretch on the back 9.
• Lots of heather and bunkers make accuracy off the tee a priority. Heather gets trimmed a few times throughout the year.

Maketewah (Bendelow/Ross)

• 6600+ from the tips, course opened in 1910
• Relatively young membership, getting younger
• GolfNow commentor says “Fantastic old golf course that is kept in immaculate condition. The greens are as undulating as any you will ever play. Huge ravine runs through the course making nearly every hole uphill or downhill. If you have the opportunity to play at Maketewah don’t pass up the chance.”

Public - Top Tier

Stonelick Hills

• Fun fact: designed, owned, and originally operated by the founder of “Penn Station Subs”. He did everything from move dirt with heavy machinery to operate the snack shop.
• Say hello to the buffalo, Duff and Divit (these two inhabit the land right of the #1 fairway and cartpath).
• Really, really good golf. Holes 9 and 18 both require bombed drives and 2nd shots to reach in 2, or layups - making for feast or famine. Hole 16 is a drivable par 4 with water in play and a massive green - have seen a few 3 putt pars here.
• Expensive but worth it.

Elk’s Run

• East side - Batavia area
• Great setup, great views, challenging greens and a few nice long par fours.
• Better value than other courses in this category by ~$15-20

Legendary Run

• All holes pay homage to a famous hole (St. Andrews, Troon, Dornoch, etc.). Makes for a fun course design.
• Two nines are entirely different so play 18 if you have the time
• Has an actual 19th hole (made for tiebraker/settling bets?)
• Great value offer one weeknight, can’t remember which - $20 something for 9 holes of golf, a cart, and beer tickets

Aston Oaks

• West side course 20 minutes Rt. 50 that runs through a neighborhood and the hillside
• Hilly, grab a cart! They’re nice.. all sporting GPS and extra padded seats
• Hole on the back has a great view of the Ohio River

Walden Ponds

• Neighborhood course, fair bit of water in play

Blue Ash

• A favorite of many, but within the last few years, it seems tougher than ever to get a tee time.
• Two blind tee shots and a large ravine make the back nine more titillating than the front, IMO
• Nice clubhouse if that matters to you

##Public - Middle/Lower Tier

We all know them. Chuck a few Miller Lite in the ol carry bag, grab an old gas EZ-GO and get on your way.

Reeves (TPC Lunken)

• Flat & almost no hazards. Greens are great for a muny.
• Pace of play can be slow on evenings or nice weekends, be ready for 5+hr rounds
• Not a single memorable hole, but that’s not why we’re here.

Hickory Woods

• 1 and 10 are terribly difficult lead-off holes, can set the tone for the round. If it’s barren or dry in the summer, watch as your ball tries to funnel down the sidehill into the trees from nearly anywhere on the hole.
• Would be a tough walk, 11 to 13 hole stretch is brutal

California

• Chose it because it is more unique than the rest of the CRC fleet (Avon, Glenview, etc.)
• Couple of the first few are narrow, making for what can be a slow start if you’re behind beginner golfers

Honorable Mentions

Few of these are outside the city by a fair bit. Thrown in anyway for those out in Mason or West Chester.

Four Bridges (Private)

• Championship style course that can take a ton of play. Type of course you could play every day.
• Its great practice facilities and location make it the popular home of lot of GMC athletes.

Shaker Run Golf Club

• Has experienced a bit of a fall from grace but still fun to play. Lakeside to Woodlands has some great views and challenging tee shots.
• Meadows is the newest 9, running through the homes in the area.

The Grizzly

• Mason neighborhood course that was trimmed from 27 to 18 around near the turn of the century, fun play for decent price if you’re in the area. Seem to be a lot of geese on a few of the holes. Houses are in play.
• The once Par-3 course “Bruin” is now a parking lot and trampled grass, sacrificed to the annual Western & Southern Open