William Sahm Golf Course

Reader Comments

6/30/04 - I really like this course. It says a lot for the talent of Pete Dye that he could design such a nice layout even early in his career. There is no comparison between Sahm and its counterparts in the Indy muni system. Mounding, bunker placement, hole variety, etc really make this an enjoyable course. It especially impresses me around the greens - lots of swales and hummocks that can throw your approaches who knows where if you aren't accurate.

One weakness is the par 3s, as played from the white tees. They tend to play pretty much the same length. Yesterday 3 of the 4 played within 5 yards of each other, and the other one was only one club longer. I don't know if this has to do with the design or how the tees were set for that particular day, but it could have been better. The par 4s, though, are really nice.

All that being said, it is almost always busy. And slow. I don't know that there's much to be done about that. But for the price, if you've got the time it is well worth while. - John Nixon

6/15/04 - We played an early afternoon tee time after a few days of very heavy rain. The greens were soft and slow, holding just about anything that come in contact with it. The short yardage of the course from the whites set up perfect for my game. The only complaint I had was this is my first time here and the lack of course details or layout on the scorecard makes for a very challenging round if you don't know the course.

7/23/03 - The course was in decent shape. Very frustrating though. It was very slow, almost 45 minutes late on the tee time.

3/29/03 - The course is in good shape. The greens are in good condition compared to other courses opening for the new year. The fairways can have long grass in some spots, but other than that they're fine. It isn't a very hard course, but you have to play well to do well. For the money, I recommend anyone try out this course. - Jason

8/29/02 - Very good course for beginner to intermediate. Wide open areas around fairways. The wait on the course can really kill your time. Also the $13 for the carts is high. Total you're looking at about $31 to ride and play. The hotdogs are pretty good. - Kyle

8/23/02 - Nice and easy course for a beginner like me - even the long par 4s are not that difficult. Nice staff. Very good value for the price. - Christian Bieck

8/1/02 - Great course. First time I played here and I really enjoyed it. The price was reasonable for walking, but adding 13 bucks per person for a cart seemed high. The fairways and greens were all in good shape. A lot of blind shots to green if you have not played before. Somewhat frustrating due to that. I give it a 7.5 out of 10 - Cru

6/18/02 - Nothing to complain about. Even the buns for the hot dogs are fresh. First time I have played there in years. All the sand traps are new to me. For a muni at the price - you can't get any better. - J.R.

4/24/02 - My golfing buddies and friends for many years have always talked about the hotdogs at golf courses and which ones we remember and which ones we would make a special trip for even when we're not on the links that day. We just wanted the city and IndyGolf readers to know that for every year we've pondered that thought it always comes back to Sahm golf course. By far the best dogs in the city for public and private courses. The buns are warm and the dogs not to small and not to big. That always makes a terrible round worth shooting. Pete L.

4/24/02 - Wow. This year the course is in the best shape I've ever seen. Unfortunately, the front nine is as grueling a wait as I have ever been subjected to. - Brian Downey

3/7/02 - Fairways in good shape, but lots of divots about 75 yards an in in front of all the greens (as everywhere - ed). Very nice round for early spring conditions - Bryan Linenberg

9/5/01 - Good Points - For the money you won't find a course in better shape. Very easy course to walk. Decent location.
Bad Points - Unbelievably slow play.

6/1/01 - This was the first course I have played, and I enjoyed it a lot. I used to work there and can say that the course has improved %100. - Michael Thornberry

4/7/01 - Played Sahm Saturday. Very slow play on the front nine. Took a 10 minute break after the front 9 and played straight through the back 9. Front took 3 1/2 hours. Back took 1 1/2 to 2 hours. - Kyle

4/1/01 - Played Sahm last Saturday. We had a tee time at 1:14, we did not tee off until 2:00. They were cramming every person in that they possibly could. It took us over 3 hours to play 9 holes and they don't have a nine hole rate. - Brian Askins

And from the following foursome, evidently:

4/1/01 - We had a tee-time at 1:15 at Sahm GC last Saturday. When checking in, the Pro told us they were running about 20 minutes late. 20 minutes turned into 55 minutes. We had to wait on every single hole and it took us 3 1/2 hours to play nine holes. Sahm needs to learn how to schedule tee-times.

There's a reason the Indianapolis Parks & Recreation courses are the busiest in town - they are well kept, not overly challenging to the occasional golfer, and are some of the best values.

7/31/00 - This is a very nice course. Even though it is usually busy it is a very nice round of golf. The greens and fairways are in great condition. The prices are great and I enjoyed my round very much. - Kyle Cross

7/10/00 - Sahm "National" in Castleton continues to amaze me with the quality of the greens. They are soft, fast and true. For a Muni that gets as much traffic as any course in Indy to have such high conditioning is fantasic. Pace of play is fine if you get out early or expect a back-up on the first par 3 tee. $16 to walk on the weekend is a great deal. - Joe Wicker.

4/13/00 - It is an easy course, but the conditioning over the last few years has been excellent. The greens are exceptional, the fairways are full and even the bunkers are in very good condition. Has to be a "best buy" as far as city courses go.