Horton Smith Municipal Golf Course

This course lost hundreds of trees in the ice storms of 2007 & 2008 losing a lot of it's charm and also some of its toughness. It has seemed to go downhill ever since... Short course with small greens. If you are under a 10 handicap you should have no problem shooting in the 70's. The course is always jam packed with 20+ handicappers so expect your round to take forever. The layout is very dull and course is usually in fair to poor condition. The fact that most Springfield courses are private means that the few public courses are typically packed on weekends... The price is also steep for what the course is.

I've played this course many times for over 30 years, but my playing days here are about over. I showed up at about 8:30am on a Tuesday and the course was jammed with several groups of senior golfers waiting to tee off on #10. Although the first tee was wide open, when I asked the pro if I could tee off , he said no that the seniors had the tee. When I pointed out that they were all teeing off #10, he ho-hummed around and said he could get me off at 9:40 with a 3-some. No excuse for this. I was told by one of the seniors that they pretty much owned the course 3 days a week. I feel sorry for junior golfers and others that show up out here in the summer expecting to have a walking experience and a simple round of golf. I would no longer recommend this golf course. Too bad they've allowed the seniors to take this place over.

The greens are small and the holes are fairly short. Nothing much to the course. A good place for beginners

I've played Horton several times and will continue to go back. I can play 18 with a cart for under $40 even on the weekends. The course is almost never busy, especially during week days. If you're a beginner golfer or just looking for an easy round, Horton Smith is the place as every hole is strait with no big turns. My only complaint is on the back 9. The last 4 holes is pretty much the exact same par 4. Some of the greens on the course are tiny, but they're all well kept during season.