Lafayette Country Club (renamed Battleground Golf Club) is open to the public now.

As many of you may or may not know the Lafayette Country Club (now renamed Battleground Golf Club in Battleground, Indiana is open to the public now and since a few of us are residents of Lafayette we had to visit this track. If you have been fortunae enough to play a few private clubs you are probably used to finding a very forgiving layout that sort of makes the membership feel good about their round.

Things at the old Lafayette Country Club are a bit different (but in a good way).To start your day, Head Professional Jeff Mathew will make you feel right at home and offered us a good tip for our first trip out – “stay out of the sand”. If only we had listened. We visited the course on a Sunday afternoon and found the pace of play to be outstanding and the course in great shape.

The course offers something that I am finding hard to describe. Maybe it was the classic feel of the surroundings and distinct layout of each hole, or maybe it was the strategically placed hazards that seemed to be guarding every landing area and testing every approach shot, but it sort of gives you the feeling of playing a PGA event. I’m not saying the course is PGA caliber, but the preparation and shot making required for each hole seem to offer a glimpse of what the Pros must contend with. We have played a lot of courses in Indiana and the Midwest and Battleground is hard to beat in its price range. As we mentioned earlier, sand is a feature of the course. You’ll find these big bunkers always seem to be guarding one side of the fairway. Mature trees line several holes and come into play frequently and the greens are very receptive and putt true. Hit the fairways and you’ll score well. Hit the bunkers and it will be difficult, but miss the fairway and the bunkers and you’ll have a great chance to recover. This is a feature we love. I didn’t lose one ball on this trip, which never happens. I didn’t shoot well, but I was always able to find it and get it back into play.Each tee shot requires planning for the approach to be taken into account. Where to lay-up, need to be short of those trees, miss the big bunker – you get the picture. Speaking of pictures, we don’t have any to show you yet, so that means you’ll just have to visit it to see for yourself what a hidden beauty this course has been. The Lafayette Country Club has hosted many local events and it is easy to see why.  Each hole presents a unique challenge and requires the golfer to consider all of his options. Not many courses do that today. We didn’t review one specific shot or one specific hole, but hopefully we left you with the impression that this course needs to be played. You’ll love the classic feel and I’m sure it will be a trip you won’t regret. For more information call the Battleground Golf Club at 765-567-2178 and schedule your tee time today.