North Course

South Course

North & South

Par 3 Course

Our Comments

Big clubhouse. Stately symmetrical. Right inside the front door is an academy-sized putting green. All practice/instruction areas at one end - outdoor range and covered heated stalls, simulators. The other end is an upstairs banquet hall suitable for wedding receptions.

The aqua-range uses floater balls that are a bit shorter in flight but as one person has said "Couldn't prove it by me".

The layout of the North Course has several challenging "chew off" holes over sand, water, or both. Green-side waste areas, bunkers, and mounds seem to be in front of the green whenever there's a carry such as over water or a par 3 hole (or both).

The South Course is quite short and quite easy. We predict duffer scores in the very low 40s and a course record of 30 or less by summer's end. Go for it.

In late 2005, another 9 holes will be added. The South Course will contribute 2 holes to the West Course and 7 holes to the East Course leaving 27 holes of championship-level golf.

The Par 3 course is an easy walk through high highly peaked mounds and around various ponds. We suggest serious players go for 18, first 9 from the Whites, then 9 from the Blues. Take all your long irons and fairway woods as you'll use every club from 131 to 201 yds. If playing the Reds then Whites, distances go from 82 to 174 yds.

All holes have clear run-up areas in front but some White tees are more difficult approaches than the Blues so it makes an interesting 18.

All teeing is from mats. Nice mats. Not those Riverside Academy type mats. Really good mats that are big so you can stretch out. They have little cups for teeing down short and they will hold a normal tee just fine. The "grass" portion is like divot-proof lush fairway and very forgiving. You'll love them.

We were very impressed by the Par 3 course. It is, quite simply, the 9 biggest par 3 holes around. The Dye course at the Legends has finally been topped (of course the Dye is 18 holes).

6/7/04 - The second 9 holes are open now. These will be split up to make an East 9 and West 9 in a couple of years but right now make a short, easy par 34 of 3 par 3s and one par 5.

Carts are being allowed of the paths on the North 9 and there is now water thermoses positioned on the course. The grass on the South 9 is surprisingly filled in and while the greens aren't silky smooth, they are quite puttable.

5/8/04 - The North Course is open and, like all new courses, the grass is a bit sparse on the greens - slow and not overly true.

6/26/03 - Right now they are open for the curious but really still in preparations. The greens are shaggy but being cut shorter each day. Even at this level 2-putting is easy on the gently rolling greens once you figure the speed.

6/19/03 - Opening day for the Par 3.

North Course play-by-play

The configuration has 3 each of par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes. Full concrete cart paths located well away from the playing surface in typical RN Thompson style. Big sand traps with big sand that sucks in clubheads. Wind will be a major factor and winds from the south or west will make things considerably harder.

Hole 1: Stay left to avoid sand running the entire length and protecting water the whole way. A long par 4 at 428yds from the whites.

Hole 2: Don't be over the green on this par3 as there's a very deep catch basin in the back.

Hole 3: Wide par 4 that should not pose too much trouble.

Hole 4: Go for the right side of the fairway to avoid a line of trees mid-way through this par 5. Water on the right could come into play from the back tees.

Hole 5: A wind from the west will bring a large Poplar tree on the right into play on this par 3.

Hole 6: Will be a favorite hole. A short par 4 with a wide fairway and a green to the right over the neck of a pond. If you stay to the right, you'll have a much better approach looking down the green but you'll need to control your distance, say 160yds from the whites. Or you can slam away down the left/middle and then cross the pond to the shorter depth of the green but you'll have sand and a mound in front to make the second shot more difficult.

Hole 7: The longest par 5 at 515yds from the whites, 553 from the tips. Keep way left on the drive to avoid sand and water on the right - this may be made more difficult by a west (lengthening the hole) or especially from the south which will push you toward trouble. Plenty of room for the second shot, then a green protected in front. Miss this green long if at all.

Hole 8: An easy and short par 3. Sand on the right will catch short shots but there's also plenty of run-up on the left. There's even a pond for really short shots.

Hole 9: Time to press the bet if you're feeling lucky. This hole plays as a par 5 right now but they may change it to an extremely difficult par 4 later. From the 413yd white or 440yd blue tees you need to choose how much you want to bite off on the carry over water. From the 491yd gold tees, just try to make the near end of the fairway. If you're over the fairway on the drive, the second shot is blind over a large mound to a well-protected green.

South Course play-by-play

Much easier to walk than the North 9. The cart paths are possibly the most intelligently designed on any of by Bob Thompson's courses.

Hole 1: Short par 4 with a carry over heather of 150 to 200 yds. Green falls away to the right and has sand on the left.

Hole 2: Longer. Don't be to the left of the fairway. Probably a long iron or fairway wood to a narrow green protected by sand on the right front.

Hole 3: Short par 4 that twice crosses a large pond. Take a 200yd drive for safety and head for the green from 150 out. Just don't slice into the water. There's a generous landing area to the left of the green but heather on the right.

The next 5 holes run counter-clockwise around a lake so there is always water to your left and hills and heather to your right.

Hole 4: The #18 handicap is a par 5 at 458yds for the whites and 528yds for the blues. The wide fairway narrows at the second shot landing area. Sand ringing the green shouldn't come into play but there is a small bunker behind the green on the right that will see action.

Hole 5: Par 3. Water and sand only bothersome if you're really short but there are flanking troublesome bunkers in front of a small flat green.

Hole 6: A very short par 4. that requires a bit of a carry over heather to reach the fairway. Sand intrudes from the left a bit on deep drives. Shallow catch basins and protective sand on the left front make it interesting but a par shouldn't be difficult.

Hole 7: Another short par 3 with will be usually helped by the wind. The green is large. Just don't pull left into a depressed sand trap.

Hole 8: A very wide, short, par 4. The pin may be tucked in behind a front left bunker but from 100yds out it shouldn't be a problem.

Hole 9: From the Gold and Blue tees, this is the most challenging hole - 190yds must carry over water and a deep-faced bunker to a shallow green. From the White, Silver, and Red tees it's 160 or 100yds of unobstructed view to a narrow deep green and should be an easy par.

Reader Comments

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9/15/04 - While the course has only been open about a year, one would hope the fairways & rough would be in better condition. There are many places that are bare with a full compliment of rocks. Apparently the topsoil is very thin. The North course layout is very good. The South is short, but you still need to pay attention. The drink cart on a hot Labor Day was no where to be seen on the back (South) nine. It finally passed us by on the 17th. All in all, this has the potential to be a very good course. Once it matures and when the next nine is complete it should by dynamite. - SV

9/15/04 - This is a pretty, short, but challenging course with large and sometimes wavy greens, and some holes that require careful planning of where you want to be for your approach. There are no yardages available except the disks in the fairways at 100, 150 and 200. But our group of golfers always walks, and it's hard to believe that Gary Player designed a course without considering that some people walk. On the front nine, there are two very long walks from greens to the next tees that add 15 minutes to the time it takes to play. Even so, on a Sunday afternoon we played in 4.5 hours. - Bill

8/3/03 - This is in the process of being a first rate course. The club house is huge with a very large putting green inside and more than enough room for any size outing. We played the par 3 course (the only nine holes open at the time) the greens where very fair. Even hitting off of mats was fine. Lots of water on this one. Even the driving range is a lake that you hit into. Nice employees and very friendly. I can't wait until they open the 27 hole main course.

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.