Our Comments

The fencing, rolling hills, mature trees, and gorgeous old clubhouse and cart barn make it seem like Kentucky.

We like Hanging Tree a lot. It would be a "premiere" course if the front nine wasn't so close together. You may meet folks coming the opposite way a few times - no big deal, though.

A stiff east or west breeze will give you a school in playing crosswind fairway shots. Very well protected greens. Finding sand is inevitable.

The turn at #9-#10 is not near the clubhouse. You can get there if you need to but most people don't. A half-way house at 6 and 14 serves food and drink.

There isn't as much shade on the course as most other country-club-like courses. There are plenty of trees but most are well away from fairways and tee boxes.

The second half of the course is significantly shorter - might be a good time to press the bet.

They do a lot of outings so check before you go during the week.

5/19/03 - As the grass came in this year the greens became a bit sparse and are annoyingly bumpy right now. A couple have bare splatches. Fairways excellent. Roughs good but with some club-grabbing clover. We expect this will be sorted out as the greens were freshly fertilized and overseeded.

Changes for 2003 include a nice course-facing porch off the new Player's Room, a new Superintendent - Steve Dutchess - and the To The Green GPS system. This simple box tells you the yardage to the center of the green. Very simple, accurate, and handy.

4/1/03 - Like most everywhere, in mid-spring shape already. The fairway and rough grass is growing and healthy. Greens are fast even though not to spring bloom.

5/2/02 & 8/30/02 - In good shape - consistent. Hanging Tree is the same challenging course as always.

7/2/01 - We had a report that they are losing their grass. Not true. There are some minor brown spots and dry spots in a couple fairways but nothing serious. Greens are wonderful. Smooth, true, unmarked. Thank you.

4/3/01 - The cold spring kept grass from growing and Hanging Tree held off cutting until the last minute. This has made the greens a touch shaggy and slow right now but it will pay off with healthier grass this summer. Right now it's easy to 2-putt (in fact we didn't 3-putt all day!) as the greens are very consistent and readable.

Reader Comments

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8/3/04 - I sent a poor review some weeks ago on this course mainly due to maintenance issues. I am pleased that some of these items have been addressed and they appear to be working on others. The bunkers in particular were much improved on my last visit. - E Denney

7/30/04 - Most sand traps have very little sand or have rocks and gravel, especially those around the green on number six. This used to be one of my favorite courses, but the course maintenance has left it a shell of its previous form.

6/15/04 - The course was in great shape. Fairways were nice and not too "chunked" up. Beverage man on 6 was a welcome site. Pace of play was slow. Overall a nice course that needs to be played at least once. - J. Dove

4/27/04 - After playing Pebble Brook and HT back to back. Sad to report, that there is no comparison. Do these guys have a maintenance budget? I used to love Hanging Tree, but they have let a once great suffer with chopped up tees and many pits in the fairways. - Tim

They got off to a slow start on the maintenance this year. - Editor.

8/10/03 - Course was drenched day before with three downpours so carts only 90 degrees. Fairways still firm despite all the rain. Greens soft and holding.

7/31/03 - An attractive course with nice elevation changes. Eighteen, with its nineteen sand traps, is a great finishing hole. For light hitters (like me), though, the course is somewhat frustrating. A small stream runs across a number of fairways, and on a good number of them it's positioned 200 yards or so from the white tees. Unless you can consistently carry 220 yards, you need to lay up or risk landing in the drink. And when you're a light hitter anyway, having to lay up off the tee repeatedly, resulting in longer yardage to the green, gets annoying fast. - Jeff Cooper

7/28/03 - The course layout is great. Sand traps could use a bit more sand. You cross the same creek over ten times which makes the course somewhat challenging. Definitely worth the $27 twilight fee. Two of us played in exactly 3 hours. - Kurt Smith

7/5/03 - On Saturday we were told there were a lot of other golf courses that closed because of the rain and that they had a bunch of players to try to squeeze in. They had started several groups on the back and when they made the turn they got to jump in line ahead of us. Once we started we moved along pretty well for a Saturday afternoon. The rough was full of clover. There were also some bare spots on the greens. To top the day off we got rained out on the 14th hole. - Patrick Stewart

5/25/03 - Race Day. Fairways and rough were in good shape (the rough was tough). Greens were a bit bumpy and pocked with ball marks, and several tee boxes were pretty chewed up, especially for so early in the season. The new GPS system is neat; make sure to remember it measures to the center of the green, not to the flag. Halfway house was closed, but on-course ranger summoned beverage cart for us. Nice touch.

6/28/02 - It was a gorgeous day and the course was just as beautiful. Unfortunately it had rained the two days prior and the course had not yet recovered. Half of the sand traps (and there are a lot) were turned into water holes. Other than being completely soggy, I completely enjoyed it and look forward to going back on a little drier day. - Chris

8/8/00 - I played Hanging Tree for the first time on Saturday. I had heard what a great course it was and the course lived up to expectations.

7/29/00 - The course was in very good shape. Sand seemed relatively new and deep, actually a bit fluffy as I had one ball plug. Greens were a bit slow but were consistent. Lots of beverage carts out (positive), but very few free water jugs on course (negative).

Highlight of the day was the starter/ranger who did battle a few times with 3 or 4 groups who were a bachelor party. The group in front of us was a foursome playing out of 3 bags! He did keep them moving, and told them to skip #10 and #11 when they went back to the clubhouse after #9 to reload. Kudos to the starter - need more activists like him. We finished in about 4:20. - Steve Parvis

5/18/00 - Played this morning in a very strong wind that made some club selections pure guesswork, but thoroughly enjoyed the round, other than #12 - man that is one tough hole for me! Course in very good shape - including the four bunkers I managed to visit. The before-10:00 am discount is a good deal - $25 including cart. Had to take a drop on #15 as a flock of geese had taken up residence just short of the green and were not getting out of my way.

7/15/99 - Played here on Sunday Morning, and shot the best round ever. Best advice for playing front nine is to get over the temptation to hammer the ball over the little creek (I've donated many a ball to that stream), and pop a 5 iron just in front of it. This probably saved 3-4 strokes. The course was beautiful as always. Finishing holes are some of the best in the area. #3 still is perplexing with its "moat" of sand surrounding a smallish green.

7/3/99 - Another great day at Hanging Tree. Fairways in great shape, rough thick, but tees and greens showing some wear. Nonetheless, the greens were lightning-quick, with plenty of three-putts among our foursome despite being on in regulation repeatedly. Pace of play was excruciating, though, but maybe the heat (90 degrees and humid) slowed folks down.

3/12/99 - Another great place to have an outing is Hanging Tree. I played in two there last year and we had a blast. It's a tough course.

(The) staff are the most accommodating and pleasant people I have ever dealt with...Bar none.

If you're not a good sand player you will be after a few rounds at this course because sand comes into play on every hole.

This course is a popular, heavily played course on the weekends, so timing your tee time is critical. The only complaints that I have witnessed have been lodged by impatient and rude one-time visitors to the course.

The course itself is somewhat challenging - it features some reasonable elevation changes, plenty of water, bunkers galore, and fast greens.

I think the best thing about the course is it's relative isolation from the surrounding suburban area.

Hanging Tree is another great golf course in the golf rich Indianapolis area worth going out of your way to play.

Excellent course with plenty of sand. Very well maintained and the staff treated us as if we were at a private club.

RN Thompson Memberships

RN Thompson has 8 facilities in the Indianapolis area and offers a two levels of membership that is valid at all 8.

Gold: $89. You get $5 off all 18-hole green fees - $2 off Riverside par 3.

Platinum: $1750 ($650 for 2nd family member and $350 for 3rd). This includes green fees - you pay for riding carts.

Both also include special member-only tournaments, USGA handicap, a newsletter, etc.

The courses are Coffin GC, Crooked Creek GC, Ironwood GC, Hanging Tree GC, Riverside GC, Riverside Academy, Winding Ridge GC, and the Gray Eagle GC & Academy.

Club Comments

Hanging Tree Golf Club features 18 challenging holes of golf developed in and around rolling hills, a winding creek, ponds, trees, and over 90 sand bunkers. We also offer complete practice facilities including a fairway bunker, a practice sand bunker, two practice greens, and an all-grass driving range.

Architect's Comments

Hanging Tree has one of the finest series of finishing holes in Indiana.

Ron Kern's website is http://www.ronkerngolfarch.com