A Midwest Summer Excursion - Day 1 - Stop 2

Jun 21

After a fun first stop rolling putts at Welter’s Folly in Three Oaks anad refueling at Redamak’s, I pointed the rental car toward South Bend for a late afternoon tee time at The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame.

This Coore & Crenshaw gem — crafted by the same duo behind Sand Hills, Bandon Trails, and Cabot Cliffs — opened in 2000 and is widely considered one of the best college courses in America. Routed through rolling Indiana woodland, it’s pure parkland golf with that signature Coore & Crenshaw touch: strategic bunkering, natural green sites, and a routing that feels like it was always there. It’s good enough to have hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open, yet welcoming enough for students and locals to walk every day. The course was in incredible condition. The fescue was thickening, the greens were rolling pure, and the fairways were flawless.

I teed off late in the afternoon and was reminded how late it stays light this far north and on the western edge of the Eastern Time Zone — one of the underrated perks of summer golf in Indiana. There’s something special about those extra-long evenings, chasing the sunset down tree-lined fairways well into the night. There was a rafter of turkeys along the 17th hole that were searching for dinner in the the sun soaked fescue.

After the final putt dropped, I wrapped up the day with a well-earned pint at O’Rourke’s Public House just off campus — the perfect end to a big first day on the road.

If you’re passing through Indiana, put this course near the top of your list: walk it, stay on campus, and soak up a dose of Irish charm under those endless Midwest summer skies.

Here is a list of some of the prestigious events that have been hosted at The Warren Golf Course.