Hamilton Elks Golf Club - Blue Course

What can I say? 18 holes by Ross and 9 more by Hurzdan that are well-maintained and fun to play. Usually good pace of play and walkable with strategy and risk-reward options.

It seems as though slow play is becoming the norm. I figured a private course would not suffer from this epidemic. Sadly I was mistaken. 4 hours 45 minutes to play a round. The foursome in front of us had open holes ahead of them and would not let us through. This is becoming too common everywhere. Something needs done.

Fun course with ample chances for low scores. Greens seemed firm. Very well kept and lush. Had a 72. Group in front was extremely slow was the only downfall.

The original 18 holes are the blue and white with the white being the most demanding. The Elks doesn't really promote the course architect, the legendary Donald Ross. However, Ross's well know design characteristic are well represented at the Elks. Ideally, start early and play 27 holes at the Elks. Start with the original 18, preferably Red then White. The original 18 has many greens that drop slope on all four sides, false fronts, smartly placed bunkers that come into play with none built for aesthetic purposes, hidden breaks in putts that defy logic, and a great balance of risk- reward that force you to use every club in your bag & think your way around the course. One of the best features of the Elks is it's challenging without being so punitive & punishing it takes the fun out of a round. The fairways are generous enough you can rip drivers all day long and only get in trouble when you really get crooked. Conversely, the course is short enough, a player can tee off with fairway woods and still hit greens in regulation without hitting 3 wood, 5 wood, PW on every par 4. I've found that players of all skill levels enjoy playing here. The staff and members are all welcoming and accommodating with no formality or stuffiness found at some of the higher end clubs in Butler County. The facilities are showing there age but all the money seems to be reinvested in the course which is the way it should be.

The pace of play is lightening fast. If you can't loop 18 walking in 4 hours and 20 minutes max you will be ran over by elderly players and their automated pull carts. The beauty is there are no grumpy rangers chasing you around to play briskly. It just seems to be the culture at the Elks that you move at a good pace or you step aside and allow others to play through.

The blue course makes a seamless transition from the original 18 to a little more modern layout. The greens are larger, more water comes into play, less Ross influenced. However, it's challenging enough to require well placed shots but playable like the original 18. What the entire course lacks in length because of the age of the course, it makes up for it in demanding, long par 3's. The par 5's are reachable in two for long hitters but are no pushovers for birdies. The par 4's are a fantastic mix of risk reward with various ways to attack the hole. This gives all 27 holes tremendous replay value to keep you coming back. It seems like a lot of the newer designs lack some of the imagination in design the Elks possesses and force you into ABC golf: bomb a drive, 5 iron into an elevated green surrounded by 8 bunkers, and pray for a two putt. The course is always in fantastic condition with the benchmark being the smooth, fast greens that actually hold approach shots. The greens are enjoyable because they roll true but you are not scared of rolling 4' par putts by 10' because they are PGA fast.

Only negatives are the bunkers are often washed out and the and is a low grade, compact sand. I often have to rake and place they are in such poor condition. The facilities are slowly being upgraded. The men's locker room is nice but lacks amenities of a higher end club. I rarely see a cart girl on the course for drinks which is a negative for those who enjoy the company of a cold beer in there hand on all 18 holes. Practice facilities are adequate: natural grass driving range and two putting greens but nothing special.

Overall, a lot of bang for the buck and one of my favorite courses in the area!

Had another great time at HEGC! The course was great, but we got caught in a wicked storm. It rained hard for about 45 min before we could get back out on the course but it was still enjoyable.

One of the GolfNow hidden gems. One of the best courses in the area for layout/design and condition. Was in impeccable condition, just gorgeous! Greens were in perfect shape rolled true and smooth. Fairway and rough were freshly manicured as well. I played by myself and scooted around the course in just over 2 hours. Ran into only two foursomes and both let me play through no problem. Quickest and best round of year. Very highly recommended to any golfer no matter age/handicap! I will be back!

The course after all the rain was dry and everything was in great shape! Short course from the tips but a lot of fun

Beautiful course in phenomenal shape. Easy to fit in a 4 hour round.

Pulling up to the clubhouse its understandable you may be a little worried. The clubhouse is small and a little outdated but don't let that fool you, the course is in great shape. Not the longest or most challenging, but very fun to play and very well maintained. Staff were all pleasant to deal with as well. It's great they also have 3-9's. I will be back to play again, that's for sure.

Had a lot of fun on a challenging course. I Will book another round of 18 holes

Stuck rigidly to my tee time, with threatening weather, even though course was empty. Consequently, I didn't get the 18 holes in I had paid for. Greens fees alot higher than comparable courses elsewhere although course is not that busy!???

Donald Ross design need I say more. Classic old school design. Push up greens, very fast and difficult to get up and down. Sloped heavily from back to front. Fairways follow the contour of the land, not a lot of earth moved to shape this course. Definitely one of the best courses in this area. What you see is what you get.

I play a lot of golf in the cincinnati area, Hamilton Elks is among the top 5 best courses in my opinion. Course layout is amazing, they have it all. I played 18 holes in 3 hours and was impressed with each hole I played. Fairways and greens in great condition, plenty of sand and water to get into trouble.
If you get a chance to play this course don't pass it up.

we played the original Ross 18 holes (red to white).
This course requires a variety of different shots. While it in not long, it is not to be taken for granted.
Greens are typical Ross greens with a lot of movement.
The course is in excellent condition....fairways are generous and the greens hold and roll true.
Enjoyed every hole?

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Wonderful course lots of fun
Fairway in great shape
Hit a few trees
Pace of place nice, played during the week

Good course. Golf pro let me on early via a different route so I wouldn't run into a bunch of foursomes; really friendly staff. Course is challenging but fair. Used driver, 7 iron and sand wedge a lot. Overall, wonderfully kept course!

Staff and members were not friendly, but course was nice and quite challening. I would not recommend unless you are getting a Hot Deal.

This was a very nice course not very long but very challenging and the greens were lighting fast. Members were snooty and unfriendly but we were there to play golf not make friends.

Pro shop staff were rather rude and unhelpful however that didn't prevent our group from having an enjoyable experience at the course. Overall the course was in great shape with the expection of the bunkers, which were in bad need of maintenance. Will play again.

This course is now open to the public witch is great. The staff are rude to puplic players and the members are even worse.