Best golf courses in Ohio.

Huron, OH

The South Course is the newer of the two public 18s at Thunderbird Hills, a family-owned 36-hole facility on the Huron River in Huron, Ohio, about ten minutes east of Cedar Point. Bruce Palmer designed and built it, and it opened in 1995. It plays to par 72 and 6,347 yards from the black tees, with bent grass tees and fairways and larger, more undulating greens than the North. The front nine runs along the Huron River, with elevated views over the water through the middle holes. KemperSports manages the facility.

Nashport, OH

The Virtues Golf Club is an 18-hole public course in Nashport, Ohio, about 40 miles east of Columbus. Arthur Hills designed the par-72 layout, which opened in 1999 as Longaberger Golf Club before being renamed in 2015. From the back tees it plays 7,243 yards with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope of 139. The routing moves from ridge tops to valleys with elevation changes of up to 150 feet, framed by mature trees. Wide, rolling fairways and contoured greens give golfers of varying abilities room to play. A full practice facility sits alongside the course.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Willoughby Hills, OH

Manakiki Golf Course is a public 18-hole course in Willoughby Hills operated by Cleveland Metroparks within the North Chagrin Reservation. Designed by Donald Ross and opened in 1928, the course occupies the former Howard Hanna estate, whose surviving structures now house the clubhouse. The tree-lined, hilly routing features back-to-back par-5s and two dramatic canyon crossings, and it was extensively restored in the early 1990s to recover Ross's original design intent.

Batavia, OH

The Golf Club at Stonelick Hills sits on wooded acreage in Clermont County near Batavia, Ohio, southeast of Cincinnati, and opened for full play in the mid 2000s. The layout is routed through heavily forested hills and winds around several ponds and lakes, with two closing par fives that sweep in around a lake near the clubhouse. Home sites border only a couple of wooded holes and stay out of view from the golfer, keeping the course feeling secluded rather than surrounded by development. Stonelick Hills operates as a daily fee public course with a full golf shop and clubhouse that also hosts weddings, outings and banquets. It plays to par 72 across 18 holes and is open to any golfer who books a tee time.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Twinsburg, OH

Twinsburg's city-owned test with water on 11 holes.

Brecksville, OH

Sleepy Hollow Golf Course sits within Brecksville Reservation, part of the Cleveland Metroparks system along the Cuyahoga River valley south of Cleveland. It was designed by Stanley Thompson and opened in the 1920s as a private club before the Metroparks brought it into public play in 1963. The layout runs as a classic out-and-in routing. Front-side holes play downhill and downwind, so they feel shorter than the card suggests, while the closing holes turn uphill and into the wind and play long. Several holes, including a demanding par 3 and a risk-reward short par 5 on the back nine, are frequently discussed among area golfers. The course is open to the public year round, weather permitting, with carts and a driving range on site. It has hosted USGA qualifying rounds and regional amateur events, and collared shirts are required.

Elyria, OH · Location not mapped

Valley of the Eagles Golf Club is the only Nicklaus Design daily-fee course in Northern Ohio, opened in August 2018 on the grounds of the old Spring Valley Golf Club in Elyria. The par 72 layout stretches to 7,015 yards from the tips and plays through the Black River Valley, where sheer black shale cliffs rise a hundred feet over the river and mature elm, oak and ash line the fairways. Island tees and island greens show up throughout the routing, and the elevation changes are rare for this part of the state. The course sits at the intersection of I-90, the Ohio Turnpike and Route 57, about 25 miles west of downtown Cleveland, which makes it one of the easiest marquee rounds in the region to reach. A full clubhouse with the Black River Tavern rounds out the property.

Medina, OH

Shale Creek Golf Club is a public 18-hole course in Medina, Ohio, set on rolling land that was the Gunkelman family farm for more than a century. Designed by Brian Huntley and opened in 2006, the links-style layout plays 7,026 yards from the Gold tees at par 71, with a 73.5 rating and 134 slope. Small streams wind through the property and feed into the Rocky River, which comes into play from the 10th through the 15th. The opening holes occupy open, rolling terrain, while the finishing stretch moves into more traditional wooded Ohio hills with lakes and streams to navigate. Five sets of tees on each hole keep the course playable for a wide range of golfers. The club sits minutes from I-71, an easy drive from both Cleveland and Akron, and the on-site Shale Creek Taproom is open to golfers and the public.

New Vienna, OH

Historic par-70 layout surrounded by natural woodland.

Streetsboro, OH

Boulder Creek Golf Club is a public 18-hole course in Streetsboro built on 200 acres of glacially formed terrain. Owner Joe Salemi designed the course himself, routing it over more than 100 feet of natural elevation change along the Ohio Turnpike corridor. The layout offers five sets of tees, with the tournament tees stretching to a 76.1 rating and 141 slope. Its rugged topography and dramatic elevation shifts distinguish it among northeast Ohio public courses.

Granville, OH

Denison Golf Club sits in Granville, Ohio, a village east of Columbus, and was designed in 1924 by Scottish architect Donald Ross, opening for play in 1925. Ross laid out the course for local businessman John Sutphin Jones alongside the Granville Inn, using the area's hilly, wooded terrain rather than building artificial hazards. The 18-hole course plays 6,559 yards to a par of 71, with 63 bunkers and elevated, undulating greens; the 18th green sits about 125 feet above the fairway with views of the Welsh Hills. Denison University acquired the course in 2014, and it remains open to public play with four sets of tees, a clubhouse snack bar, and a pro shop.

Pataskala, OH

Premier golf experience minutes from downtown Columbus.

Norwalk, OH

Eagle Creek Golf Club is a public 18-hole course in Norwalk, Ohio, built in 1995 and designed by Brian Huntley. It plays as a par 71 at 6,603 yards from the back tees, with four sets of tees, five par 3s and four par 5s. The routing moves through woods, valleys and wetlands, water comes into play on 11 holes, and bunkers guard almost every green. The greens are bentgrass. The course is home to the Norwalk and St. Paul high school golf teams.

Chesterland, OH

Fowler's Mill Golf Course occupies rolling, wooded land in Chesterland, Ohio, in Geauga County about thirty minutes east of Cleveland. The property was developed in the late 1960s as a corporate course for TRW before opening to the public in the 1980s. The 27 holes, arranged as three nine-hole loops named Lake, River and Maple, were designed by Pete Dye together with his brother Roy Dye and built between 1969 and 1971. The River nine combines with the Lake nine to form the primary eighteen, which crosses the Chagrin River and skirts a lake, featuring Dye's railroad ties, split fairways and wooden bridges. Fowler's Mill is a public, daily fee facility with a Western Reserve style clubhouse added in 1998 that includes a golf shop and dining. Golfers may combine any two of the three nines for a round.

Batavia, OH

Greg Norman design featuring rolling hills and creeks.

Ottawa, OH

Home of Northwest Ohio's only island green.

LaGrange, OH · Location not mapped

Grey Hawk Golf Club opened on July 4, 2004 in LaGrange Township, built by the design firm von Hagge, Smelek and Baril on what the developers freely admit was flat farmland. They moved roughly a million cubic yards of dirt to change that, digging ten deep lakes and using the spoil to create elevation changes of up to 40 feet, rare for Cleveland's west side. The result is a par 72 championship layout that measures 7,110 yards from the back tees, with dramatic bunkering, extensive mounding, Bent grass tees, greens and fairways, and Kentucky Bluegrass rough. Five tee locations on every hole keep it playable for high handicappers while giving low handicappers a real examination from the tips. The wide corridors forgive an offline shot, but the water and sand punish a bad one. A full clubhouse and restaurant, The Nest, anchors the property, and the surrounding Grey Hawk at Durham Ridge community has grown up around the course.

Bellville, OH

Scenic parkland with significant elevation changes.

Akron, OH

Traditional Portage Lakes course with three distinct nines.

West Lafayette, OH

Scenic 27-hole facility with soft, lush fairways.

Ashland, OH

A century-old championship course with rolling terrain.

Delphos, OH

A 1958 Northwest Ohio classic, open to everyone.

Mount Vernon, OH

Home of the Original All-Inclusive Golf Experience.

Warren, OH

Avalon Lakes Golf Course is an 18-hole semi-private course in Warren that takes public tee times, part of the Avalon Golf and Country Club complex. Designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1967, it is one of Dye's earliest layouts and was renovated in the late 1990s and 2001. The par-72 parkland course plays from 4,904 to 7,551 yards across five sets of tees, with undulating greens and numerous lakes shaping its strategy. Its eighth hole is considered the course's signature test.