Hickory Stick Golf Club

I live in southern Indiana and have played Hickory Stick about 4-6 times past couple of years with the recent one being in April 2019. I have never found fairways and greens on this course in bad shape, it’s always flawless and challenging. Greens are some of the best greens in the area.

Improvement ideas - #2 is a odd hole with no character just a straight up par 4.

#5 is way too long for a par 4, this hole is already extremely tough due to the long bunker on the left and the elevated green.

Bunkers on the course need some serious repairing, they have been in pretty bad shape now for over a year.

I would have rated this course a 5 star if bunkers were all operational, I would still play this course again soon because of the challenge and beauty it is!

Excellent layout and very nice conditions for March golf. I imagine it’s absolutely awesome to play in the summer. I’m pretty picky when it comes to golf courses but this is one of my favorites in in greater Indianapolis area. My group from Grand Rapids MI will be back! Only downfall was poorly marked tee boxes and yardage on course.

Hickory Stick is the best course I've played so far on the South side of Indy. A good test of shotmaking with smaller greens, most of which are undulating. Miss them and you're likely in a shaved chipping area below the green. Course was in good shape for March. It was a little confusing to find #1 at first with no signs out yet on the course, But overall it was a solid, interesting mix of holes, knobs, and elevation change. I'll be back again.

Course is in great shape. Fun and challenging as well

The layout is incredible! I loved the way this course was set up, and I will make it a regular course in my rotation. This is the best course on the south side of town and probably top 10 or top 15 in the entire city.

It is a links style course with well placed water hazards, picturesque holes and deep bunkers. The greens were in fantastic shape and very quick. The fairways also have lots of elevation changes, so it is not only important to be in the fairway but to be on the correct side of the fairway if you want a flat approach shot. The rough is very thick and will eat balls it you are not on point.

The course was very wet after the recent rain we had, so I cannot give an honest assessment of the bunkers. I assume that this course plays hard and fast during mid summer conditions and that the wind can really get blowing out on the course. The course also has lots of collection areas around the greens which is not something seen very often around here. It is a Tim Liddy course, and it reminds me a lot of trophy club.

Got a decent deal on GolfNow and the weather looked to be sparing the southside, so we played Friday at 2. Weather was kinda rolling in short waves of spitting rain on the front. Rain gear off and on.

Course was in solid shape; tees, fairways, closest rough all grassed well. This course has always drained well, so the recent spat of rain we've had in central IN hasn't swamped this place. Bunker were ok, obviously with rain they hadn't been treated, but played fair. The greens were really in great shape, smooth and pretty quick/consistent. This course has always had some pretty sketchy looking crabgrass in the out-of-the-way areas, so if you spray the ball, don't count on your lie being very good. (I'm ok with this - golf isn't about perfect lies all day). I do think they're letting a few more areas go to tall fescue, low/no maintenance areas and I think that's a great ideal; save on maintenance cost. But you will lose a ball in there.

I think they blend holes well together out here: some short, some long. There are a few tee shots that favor draws, some a cut. Starting with a fairly flat piece of land, they've created some mounding and some fall-off areas. I've always found that if you tee ball is going where you're aiming out here, you can score.

I like how #1 starts off with a scoring opp if you hit the green in reg; if you miss, good luck. #3 is an Alps-like hole, which is always a little fun. #5 can be a demanding hole any day of the week, starting with the tee ball - can you hit the fairway?

Today I did get treated (abused?) by something I'll probably never see in person again: my partner aced #4 from 191yds, then followed that up by peeling off 4 more birdies in a row! I was up 2up on him at the 4th tee and by the time we reached #9, I was down nine shots! Incredible. He's still smiling.

The weather got tropical and windier on the back and we were leaking some oil coming in. I managed to get focused and actually played better than the front. I think the finishing holes here are a real test: Par 5 sixteenth requires 3 good shots for most, the par 3 seventeenth is long, tough and the par 4 eighteenth dares you to take on the aggressive line off the tee. This stretch can trash your round, especially if the wind is in (and it usually is).

This place is always pretty solid and I like playing here a few times a year. They have minimal trees and in the fall this a favorite.

I've probably played 20-30 courses between central and southern Indiana and this one ranks number 1! I normally play courses that range from $30-$60 to give you an idea... This course for 18 holes and a cart thru GolfNow only cost us $27, but I would gladly pay $50. The course is challenging, but not so difficult you'll pull your hair out. I don't recommend playing when its above 90 degrees, sunny, and humid, as there is little shade. The staff didn't seem very friendly, but they were not rude either, however, I think that may have been due to the fact they had minimal staff on hand. The greens and fairways were the best I've played all year! The only complaint I have about the course itself is that half the bunkers were like concrete. They also had tablets equipped in the cart that range, scorecard, hole layout that even had the pin locations spot on! Overall this is my new favorite course for the money! Hope this review helps!

I'm very disappointed in this course. I'm not going to pay $50 again to play this course in the current condition. What a rip off. This is my favorite course on the south side of Indianapolis. I've played this course for more than 10 years, and the condition this course is in is embarrassing. The fairways are long, usually very thin and smooth, and they are patchy all over the course. Rough and heather were in usual condition and overall were fine. Many bunkers are gone or just poorly managed and not full. Greens were long and slow when they are normally very short and super quick this time of year. Course played super long because of the length of the fairways. Hopefully this course fixes whatever the issues are right now with keeping up the standard it had for the last 10 years. Shot 39-40 for an eight-over, 79 from the green tees (second longest option).

The course was in excellent condition. Really enjoyed the layout, not too challenging but enough trouble to get into if you hit a bad shot.

First time playing at Hickory Stick. Great course and facilities!

Course was in great shape. I recommend playing the green tees - just a little further back. But, it seems to take some trouble out of play. We paid for the $15 replay and played 2 rounds it was so nice out. Love this course.

Played the course for the first time and found it very nice. It played shorter than the tees indicated but was still very enjoyable. It def rewards good shots & rejects bad ones (quickly). We liked the run off/catch basin areas around the greens (don't have that where we typically play). We also liked the subtle bends to the fairways-- not many straight holes. A few holes are hard to figure out the best way to play since it was our first time (#9).

All in all-- if we are in the area we will play again.

Fairways decent, greens medium quick. Did have difficulty locating any balls in rough. Overall good experience

This used to be a nice course. The maintenance has gotten very poor. The bunkers are awful. The grass is not cut often enough. The greens are to fast for the size and shape.

Overall...this is a $20 course now. At $40 regular price and $30 twilight there are better places to play.

Keep it in the fairway and you'll be fine. The rough, however, is another story. If you find yourself in the thick rough, best to just get the ball back in play. Don't try to be a hero. Greens were excellent and the ball did what you asked it to do. Bunkers are in bad shape due to recent flooding, so if you find yourself in a bad one, take a drop.