Smock Golf Course

Our Comments

New for 2002 are a clubhouse with a large lunchroom and porch suitable for outings.

Opening in June is a full driving range on the north side of the course - go up Sherman to Todd Rd to get there.

They also have some more tree art by Brian Ruth.

Greens are fast and very smooth. And, of course, very flat. Makes you look like a better putter than you are.

Golf Digest honored Jan Tellstrom and the junior program at Smock GC. They were named as best club for GD's Junior Development Award for 2000.

They are very busy but adept at providing a good experience. Quite professional.

The length can be frustrating unless you're fairly long and fairly accurate. The difficulty of the course combined with novice players (it's a city course) make for slow rounds when busy - generally on the weekends. A set of tees at 6000 yards would help a lot but it's not in the cards.

Win a free round at http://www.smockgolf.com/freeround.html.

8/10/04 - There is no golf course we know of with a bigger gap between the white and the forward tees than Smock GC. White: 6640, Red: 5144. The par 4s on the back side are really brutal: 390, 390, 355, 415. They have added a set of Gold tees that are located with the Reds and really too short for the 18 handicappers who can drive 200 yds. Since the Golds aren't on the scorecard yet, let us suggest they use the front of the White/Blue boxes except on 1, 3, 7, 12, 14, and 17. This would bring the Golds to about 6100yds.

Oh, and can anyone explain why hole #7 is Hcp 17? It's a 195yd par 3 with an uphill approach to a green protected on both sides by deep, large bunkers. Often with a cross-wind.

Conditions at Smock are excellent. Greens fast and holding.

6/2/02 - Greens are fast, fairways are excellent, roughs are just under ball-hideable length.

Reader Comments

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12/7/04 - I have played this course for over 20 years. It is in better shape then I have ever seen. Some of the bunkers are getting a little shallow on sand but other than that it's a great deal and a very well managed course. Congrats to all the staff. Best greens of any municipal course in the city. - Jim Roodvoets

8/10/04 - Smock was my home course for 4 years through high school from 92-95. It never was maintained in great shape so I haven't played it much since. The course has really made some drastic improvements in the last few years. The new clubhouse is excellent, the wildlife, nature refuges' and tree sculptures have added some nice scenery to the course. Course as always plays long, but you can hammer your shots, it's fairly wide open. I will be returning soon to play again. Thanks for all the improvements. - Brandon

6/2/04 - Course is in excellent condition. Greens were a bit slow probably due to several days of rain, but were in very good condition. The preferred customer card is a good deal. Overall a very good bargain. One small complaint - they were having leagues going off of 1 as we approached the 9th tee so they were inserting non-league groups in between groups coming off of 9.this caused a wait of 25 minutes on the 10th tee. - Martin Mahern

4/27/04 - Great course for the money. Enough difficulty to keep you honest. Greens were fast. Fairways were beautiful. Great use of water, sand, and allowing the course to follow the natural contour of the land. I will definitely return soon. - Tony Horman

8/17/03 - Great course for the money. The fairways were not all "chunked" up and the greens were in great shape - slow yet moved all over the place. The greens were, to say the least, challenging. The only downside was the pace of play, my round took 5+ hours. All things considered, this is a must play for the traveling golfer. - Jason D.

8/8/03 - I played this course about 2 months ago after hearing great comments. I was then not surprised at all by what I saw. It is a great course to play. I think I worried too much about my game at Smock because it was only after I went home and started thinking about the round that realized what a nice place it was to spend 5 1/2 hours. (Yes it takes that long to play here). I am making this one my home course. Plenty of elevation changes: Some holes play uphill, some play downhill. My two favorite holes are #3 (a downhill par four dogleg left over water) and #7 (a 195 yard par three, an elevated tee box facing an elevated green, hit it over the depression). Plenty of water, beautiful surroundings. - Andrew Short

6/15/03 - Played Father's Day morning. 8:15 Tee time turned into 8:50. Overall the course was in average shape. The greens were rolling slowly. Over five hours to complete the round. The biggest problem was the carts on the path only requirement. - Jeff Smith

5/21/03 - In great condition this spring. Rough is thick, fairways are green, and greens are smooth and slick. I really like this course, it sets up really well for my game, so I can stay out of trouble and score pretty well. Clubhouse is really nice. One of the better ranges on the south side with a nice grass hitting area. Excellent value. I just moved from Chicago where a courses not even close in quality to this are easily $50-$60 with a cart on weekends. Can play a bit slow, but I always enjoy it when I play here. - Dan

5/15/03 - I was privileged to play Smock in an outing and my initial reaction was "on no not a City Course". My apologies to the people in charge of Smock for these past few years since the "city" courses went 'private'. Someone has worked their butts off and seems to care about the condition of the course. Smock was in wonderful shape and I would strongly urge everyone who reads this to call and make a tee time before I wake up and this wonderful golf course goes away.

Not only is it a great lay out in great shape but it is also a wildlife preserve with well over 100 bird houses that are cleaned each winter and repaired if needed. I saw only 4 Canada Geese. They have done things, within legal limits to keep that population down also.

It is reasonably priced and our outing also included a meal which was one of best I have had in this group for 3 years. Go play Smock and see if they are not the nicest people working at a golf course in central Indiana. - Charles Ray Harmon

10/15/02 - Very nice course - one of the best of the Indy muni's. I don't usually play on the south side of town, but might try harder to in the future to play here again. Long, (the par 3s especially can be tough - 180 and longer from the white tees.) lots of water, but not too much. Especially if you play smart and hit some proper lay-ups. Doesn't need any more trees, the course has its length, and some sand and water as its defense. Sand, though, was inconsistent, soft in one bunker, hard in the next. Fairways and greens were the best I've seen in the Indy city courses all year. Staff in the pro shop was friendly and helpful. - John Nixon

10/10/02 - Great course. The course seems much more busy than last. The parking lot is full seven days a week. It's a foursome course. Play can be very slow. The starter folks are a little weird if you want to play as a single. They are determined to pair you with someone. It has more of a private country club sense rather than a city course. Lots of new facilities including new carts. It's a perfect course for a group - just weird if you want to play a quiet round by yourself. - Tim W

6/19/02 - Recently played for the first time in a few years and was very impressed. New clubhouse is terrific and all the employees were friendly and helpful. The golf course played fast and fair. Round took 4 hours with minimal waiting.

6/23/02 - We played Smock on Sunday and the course was in good shape. They have been investing in the course over the past few years and it is starting to show. The tee boxes are still rough in spots and some in the fairways, but GUR is well marked. The only complaints we had were the thirty minute delay in our tee time and the overall pace of play.

5/30/02 - In the best shape I've seen in years. The fairways are cut nicely, the rough isn't too long but it will let you know you're not hitting off the short stuff. The greens will hold a good shot, but beware they will roll and roll when you putt. - Neil

7/20/00 - For our first time out, was a great experience. Found the course to be in good shape and VERY playable for a city course. I'll go back very soon. - Steve Preo