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| The Longaberger Company's basket-shaped building |
For us, Memorial Day weekend means the opportunity to get out and enjoy the sunshine that we’ve so craved during what was undoubtedly one of the longest, and most brutal winters I can remember in Ohio. You might say I’m a bit of a basket case due to the lack of Vitamin D (insert chuckle and sigh after the next sentence). Thus, we’re headed to the nearby Longaberger Golf Club on this beautiful morning. (Insert laughter here. Or don’t. It’s a blog. I can’t hear you.) If my mockery is lost on you, Longaberger is the basket-making great found in any good “I Heart Country” or nineties suburban décor. While the baskets may have lost their luster at about the same time beanie babies phased out, the course is anything but a distant memory.
Longaberger was designed by Arthur Hills and built by the Longaberger Company in 1999. Due to the decline in basket sales and, more importantly, a change in ownership,
Longaberger sold the course earlier this year to a local investor. The course has its share of bragging rights, as it’s been deemed
GolfWeek’s #1 course in Ohio since 2002, and
Golf Digest ranked it fifteenth in Ohio, amongst a tough crowd of private competitors. Among public courses,
Golf Digest ranked it #51 in the US.
Just a short drive from Columbus, the course is perched among 340 acres of wooded, rolling hillside nestled next to farm fields. I was delighted to find there was no overindulgence of basket couture at the course, but instead the smiling face of a gentleman walking up to take our clubs. The clubhouse was still pretty quiet—a welcome surprise on a holiday weekend. In its heyday, you had to call in February, when all the tee times for the season were released, in order to obtain a tee time. At this point, my hope is the course is still in the great condition that once led it to said stardom.
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| View approaching the driving range. |
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| Another putt in for Shawn. |
We found our bags waiting out back, loaded up, and ready to go. Over the hillside, we met the expansive practice grounds. The cart path drops down into the stadium tee driving range, nestled alongside a generous chipping and putting area. There was certainly plenty of room to spread out. Stadium tees are my preference, as I feel like I’m hitting into the great wide open, so I was overjoyed.
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I'm like a bird: The drop that is #4's fairway.
Dotted by water along the back of the green. |
The putting green might as well be made of glass, and they were no different once we began our round.
The quick greens were probably the only consistency we found during our round, as each hole had its own personality.
The first hole was arguably one of the hardest, with banked, uphill fairway, and a dogleg right.
Much to my delight, the next hole was not nearly as difficult.
The course was extremely quiet–no surprise considering its locale.
The rough, my favorite place to land on the front nine, lived up to its namesake, as it was extremely rough to escape.
The elevation changes on the fifth, eighth, and sixteenth holes were a welcome distraction and provided their own challenges.
Overall, the course was fairly wide open, and reminded me of
RTJ Grand National.
The space allowed for generous tee shots of most holes, and didn’t require impeccable placement.
However, landing in the fairway didn’t ensure an easy second (or third) shot, as there was great undulation in the fairways.
I’ve never hit above and below my natural swing as much as I did during this round.
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| Waterside temptation on 16 |
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| Deep bunkers on 16 |
The course kept us entertained until the end—18 was my favorite hole, and Shawn's was the reachable par 5 on 16. Sixteen is flanked by water the entire way, and a features a large banked hill guarding the green. Eighteen is a picturesque tee shot from the trees, with a slight dogleg left, rising up to the clubhouse. I’m thankful it was interesting until the end because our round lasted over five hours. Someone clearly stopped for a hot dog at the turn, which I should note is not at the clubhouse, and we were backed up behind two groups at each hole from that point forward. I actually took a fifteen-minute nap while waiting to tee off on 17. Good thing too, as it put my game back on track to finish the round strong. I realize I’m making a strong case for “Most Exciting Person to Be Paired With.” Shawn is patient.
It should be known Nashport is not only close to Columbus, but even closer to the bustling metropolis that is Utica, Ohio. Shawn surprised me on the way home with a stop off at the
Utica Ice Cream Festival. Utica is home to Velvet Ice Cream, and the festival didn’t disappoint. It helped to break up the 64-minute drive, while satisfying our dinner needs through the form of waffle cones, root beer floats, and a lemonade shake up for the road. Should you be headed to Longaberger on the annual weekend this festival is held, I’d suggest the detour.
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