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The best public golf courses ring Indianapolis like a halo.
This isn't the reason people call Indy the Circle City. It's merely a coincidence. If you think about it logically, though, it makes perfect sense why golf courses popped up along its perimeter. As the suburban landscape expanded over the past 50 years, developers transformed the flatlands, farms and cornfields surrounding Indiana's largest city into golf course developments, often involving homes.
The top public golf courses surrounding Indianapolis can be found in popular communities like Noblesville (Purgatory), the city's north side (Brickyard Crossing and The Fort), Carmel (Prairie View) and Lebanon (The Trophy Club). These tracks are well-established as the five best public golf courses Indy offers.
The harder part is deciding where the best value lies. By and large, golf in Indiana is relatively affordable compared to the rest of the country. Whether you're a local looking to save a buck, a business traveler in town for a conference who wants to sneak in a round or a tourist visiting for the big game with time to kill before tip-off or kickoff, everybody likes a good deal on golf. We've done the homework for you to find the best golf bargains in Indianapolis.
To research this story, we weighed GolfPass star ratings (aka the "quality of the course") against green fees we found online - whether through GolfNow or a course's website - to come up with this list of 10 of the best bargain golf courses in Indianapolis.
The golf scene in Indianapolis is dominated by Pete Dye and his long-time, right-hand man, Tim Liddy. You'll find their names pop up a few times in our selections.
The best value golf courses in Indianapolis
Bear Slide Golf Club, Cicero
Green fee: $55-$107
Comment: Bear Slide, a Dean Refram design from 1989, is a staple among the state's best courses in our Golfers' Choice rankings. When I played it two decades ago at the start of my golf writing journey, it was my favorite of the four courses I played on a city golf tour, beating out other higher-ranked local courses. Its current 4.8 star rating on GolfPass validated my instincts all these years later.
Pleasant Run Golf Course, Indianapolis
Green fee: $24-$45
Comment: This Indy Parks and Recreation-run city municipal course (4.0 GolfPass rating) has been serving the needs of local golfers for more than a century (dating to 1922). It's short by modern standards as a par 71 of 5,910 yards, but the elevation changes, tight fairways and fast, sloping greens keep scorecards honest. It is appropriately named compared to its unfortunately named sister course, the 6,491-yard Sarah Shank (3.9), which is another solid option at the same price.
Sahm Golf Course, Indianapolis
Green fee: $28-$45
Comment: One of Dye's first designs, this par 70 of 6,397 yards - also run by Indy Parks & Rec - is flat and open with water hazards in play on six holes. It's very walkable, sparsely bunkered (there's only sand on nine holes) and open year-round, which may or may not be a blessing since most GolfPass reviews lament "beat up" conditions.
Pebble Brook Golf Club - North Course, Noblesville
Green fee: $55-$75
Comment: Roughly 45 minutes north of Indianapolis sits Pebble Brook, a 36-hole facility with indoor simulators as well. Original Architect Ron Kern, who built the 6,421-yard North Course in 1990, returned in 2015 to update the 6,415-yard faux Scottish links. The slightly longer, older South Course (dating to 1972) has a GolfPass rating that can't quite compete with its sibling (3.8 to 4.4).
Coffin Golf Club, Indianapolis
Green fee: $39-$49
Comment: The 6,715-yard Coffin Golf Club (3.6 stars) is a William Diddel original from 1931 that was reconstructed and redesigned by Liddy in 1995. Golfers love its charm and character with the hills flowing along the White River. Like many classics, it could probably use another modernization to maximize its potential.
Hickory Stick Golf Club, Greenwood
Green fee: $56-$75+
Comment: Another Liddy design, the 6,834-yard Hickory Stick (4.4 stars) resides 20 miles south of Indy. Nine different ponds impact a number of its best holes. Long grasses line the mostly treeless fairways, forcing players to be straight off the tee.
Finding value in the short courses of Indianapolis
As I point out in almost every value-oriented article I write, playing short courses is a great way to get your money's worth of swings. Buffer Park ($29-$33+) would have made this most affordable list if it had 18 holes. Multiple GolfPass reviews call the nine-holer the "hidden gem" of Indy. Its 4.9 star rating is about as good as it gets for a public course. "As good a golf value as you will find anywhere," reads one review from 'DJSlider'. Indy's par-3 course of choice is Shortee's, an 18-hole pitch and putt with 18 holes between 50 and 100 yards.
The Links at Heartland Crossing, Camby
Green fee: $37-$55
Comment: If you're flying into Indy, this is a great option on arrival or departure day, given its proximity to the airport. Heartland Crossing (4.3 stars) is a brawny, modern track by Steve Smyers, with an assist from Nick Price, that's the longest course on our list (7,267 yards). One pond can steal your ball on three different holes, nos. 10, 11 and 15.
Eagle Creek Golf Club - Sycamore Course, Indianapolis
Green fee: $49-$59+
Comment: While the Pines (4.0 stars) is a little more affordable, most players favor the challenges built in by Dye on the Sycamore Course (3.7 stars) on the forested, waterlogged side of the property.
South Grove Golf Course, Indianapolis
Green fee: $24-$42
Comment: Beauty is apparently in the eye of the beholder regarding South Grove. Reviews for South Grove (3.6) swing wildly from three one-star reviews last summer to multiple golfers calling it a "great course for the price" and "Great value course." The oldest course in Indy, South Grove Golf Course was built in 1902 by local architect Harry Schopp, who also designed Pleasant Run and Sarah Shank. Plateau greens and tees give a mostly flat site some pizzazz.
Fall Creek Golf Club, Pendleton
Green fee: $26-$48
Comment: A city-owned muni, Fall Creek (3.7) is a short par 71 of 5,867 yards dating to the 1920s. It's tight enough that many golfers leave the driver in the bag for much of the round. Hitting and holding small greens is a work out for most amateurs.
What's your favorite most affordable course in Indianapolis? Let us know in the comments below.
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