Our Comments

The greens and the overall excellent condition make Hickory Bend a superior course to most others in its class.

USGA-spec smallish greens help make it a fair and enjoyable challenge. Some hip-pocket sand traps near greens don't affect much usually.

Fairways well separated except around the left side of #8.

This is close to being a much larger-scaled course that it seems. A family farm that has converted from raising cows to golfers. Still owned and operated by the same family. Nice people enjoying their new vocation.

There are spots of real brilliance in the design. Hole # 3 for instance, is a short par 3 over water to a heavily sloped green. Number 4 is a super-short 265yd par 4 with a terrifying second shot over water and uphill to a sloped green - short holes can be a real challenge.

All the greens are humped, contoured, or sloped. And since they are high-drainage sand-based USGA-spec greens with dirt brought in from Rock Hollow GC, they are often elevated. We've noticed the profile of some greens and surrounding mounds look like cartoon molars.

Most people walk this flat course - evident by the minimal damage around tees and greens.

6/17/03 - Nanette, owner Bill's daughter, has the fairways looking like Augusta. Greens are painfully slow but need to be sluggish due to the slope and small size. Your approach shot is tested on almost every hole.

Reader Comments

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7/7/03 - This course is an awesome course to play for only $14 w/ cart. It is kept really well and is a lot of fun to play. It only takes on average about 2 and a half to 3 hours to play with a cart, but it could easily be walked. I'm 16 and without having much experience and I was able to do fairly well. The wide fairways make it easy for drives but the prairie grasses really make it tough to find out of bounds mishits. - Jordan

8/17/03 - The grass is cut appropriately short, but the texture's odd for a fairway as wild grasses and clover are threatening to overwhelm the bentgrass. They've cut down the thick, tall heather that lined the right side of the fifth fairway, removing (temporarily) the potential for a blind second shot around the dogleg. The greens remain superb, a bit slow but holding approach shots and rolling true. - Jeff Cooper

6/30/03 - I played Hickory Bend twice in the past week. After the deceptively shady first fairway, there's little cover; still, the flat terrain makes this an easy course to walk. The fairways are in excellent shape and rolling well. Although the course layout is open and there is little water, it's still remarkably easy to lose balls in the shot-swallowing second cut of rough, so accuracy is important. The greens are tiny, sloped, and relatively slow; they roll true. Hickory Bend has quickly replaced the Zionsville Golf Course (which I still enjoy) as my favorite place for a quick and inexpensive nine holes. A word of warning: bring cash. No cards are accepted. - Jeff Cooper

5/21/00 - Nice course for the beginner/average golfer. Reasonably priced. Will be a real value when the fairways get better. Small greens make the open layout more challenging.

2/17/00 - Just a great course for the golfer just starting out and looking to have a good time. The price is right and the course is kept in good condition. I look forward to playing even more in 2000.

1/6/00 - J. Clark - The first hole is great, but don't slice it or you will hit onto the driving range. Price is OK, fairways are good, and greens are very nice. 99 was my first year and I played H.B. a lot always had a great time. This year I will be a member. Just wish it had more sand traps.