We looked at all the public courses in the Columbus area and picked our favorites. There are a lot of great ones, so our list is in alphabetical order.
Fast Fact Guide
Use this guide for some fast facts about each track.
👀 Great Views
👶 Good for New Players
🔒 Challenging
🔒🔒 Very Challenging
🏠 Great Clubhouse
🎯 Driving Range
💸 Good Value
🏙️ Close to Downtown
Apple Valley (Howard) 👀 🔒 🎯 💸
1 hour from downtown
Weekend Rate with cart: $69 // Book a Tee Time
Located 10 miles northeast of Mount Vernon, Apple Valley Golf Club features some of the best views in all of Central Ohio public golf. Most notably, hole no. 5, a 140-yard par-3, is among the best and most picturesque golf holes in Central Ohio.
With fast and well-manicured greens, Apple Valley is sure to test your putting skills.
One of Apple Valley’s popular attractions is their stay & play packages, as onsite lodging is available in The Pines Cabins next door to the course. This makes for a great getaway weekend of golf with a larger group, all at an affordable price.
Champions Golf Club (Columbus) 🔒 🎯 🏙️
15 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $61 // Book a Tee Time
Near the Easton Town Center, this old-school golf course is considered to be the most challenging of the six city courses.
With tons of trees, undulating greens, and surprisingly hilly terrain, Champions Golf Club will test your game at every turn.
This Robert Trent Jones design is one of the closest public golf courses to downtown (seven miles), making it a great place to play a round after a day at work.
Champions also features a driving range, short game area, putting green, and a relatively new clubhouse.
Cumberland Trail (Pataskala) 🎯
25 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $70 // Book a Tee Time
Cumberland Trail Golf Club sits just 25 minutes east of downtown Columbus in Pataskala.
With five different tee boxes, the course can range from 4800 yards all the way up to 7200 yards, making it a great option for every skill level.
Cumberland Trail’s claim to fame is certainly their greens, as they are some of the fastest and smoothest surfaces you will find at a public golf course in the state of Ohio. The par-3 6th hole is also a standout of the golf course with its island green.
The property does feature a putting green, driving range, and a newly renovated clubhouse.
Darby Creek Golf Club (Marysville) 🎯 👶 💸
40 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $55 // Book a Tee Time
This Union County course is one of the top value spots in Central Ohio public golf.
Darby Creek GC, just 15 minutes outside of Dublin, features two unique nines. The front, named “Links”, features a multitude of Scottish-style holes that are quite difficult to maneuver on a windy day. Meanwhile, the back-nine is named “Woods”, as many of the holes are tree-lined and narrow off the tee.
Altogether, its quality conditioning, relatively cheap greens fees, and generous hole designs make it a great value play and a good destination for a new player.
Delaware Golf Club (Delaware) 🔒 🎯 🏠
30 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $89 // Book a Tee Time
30 minutes north of downtown Columbus sits Delaware Golf Club, which was originally designed by famed architect Donald Ross over 100 years ago.
This challenging layout features tree-lined fairways, ravines, valleys, and difficult greens. Delaware Golf Club will surely test your game.
The club offers a practice facility completed with a driving range, large putting green, and a chipping green with sand bunkers.
Denison Golf Club (Granville) 👀 🔒 🎯
35 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $85 // Book a Tee Time
Like Delaware GC, the Denison Golf Club was designed in the 1920’s by architect Donald Ross.
Formerly the Granville Golf Club, the course is one of the better tests of golf in the Columbus area with its elevated and undulating greens. Do not hit your approaches beyond the pin at Denison!
The final hole at Denison sits on top of a significant hill and looks down on much of the property, as well as parts of the city of Granville. The tee shot on this hole is worth much of the price of admission, as the ball feels like it’s in the air for an eternity.
Golf Club of Dublin (Dublin) 🎯 🏠
20 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $86-$93 // Book a Tee Time
This links-style golf course will have you feeling like you are in Dublin, Ireland, instead of Dublin, Ohio.
Pot bunkers, wide fairways, massive greens, and tall fescue are just a few features that give the Golf Club of Dublin its Irish feel.
Although there are water hazards on 17 of 18 holes, the course is extremely playable for golfers of all skill-levels.
The Golf Club of Dublin also possesses both a public and private practice area, which includes a practice tee, short game area, and putting green.
A large clubhouse and patio area make it a great location for a 19th hole experience or an outing.
Just make sure to book a tee time well in advance, as the course is one of the busiest in the area.
Lancaster Golf Club (Lancaster) 🔒 🎯
40 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $79 // Book a Tee Time
Lancaster Golf Club turned public in 2022, entering itself into the scene of best public tracks in Central Ohio.
Built in 1909 by Donald Ross, Lancaster is one of the oldest courses in Ohio.
The course features elevation changes, mature trees, and the frequent blind shot. Overall, you’ll need to employ a solid mixture of strategy and skill to be successful at Lancaster Golf Club.
Raymond Memorial Golf Course (Columbus) 🏙️ 👶 💸
10 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $50 // Book a Tee Time
Raymond Memorial is the closest public course to downtown Columbus. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., it has twin par 3 holes - each with its own tee, fairway and green. Choose your own adventure! The layout is pretty open, so a good spot for new golfers to work on their game.
Sand traps guard the front of each green and there is a small, irons only, driving range nestled between two holes.
The Virtues Golf Club (Nashport) 👀 🔒🔒 🏠 🎯
50 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $120 // Book a Tee Time
Often regarded as the best public course in the Central Ohio area, The Virtues Golf Club is sure to give you the experience one could usually only find at a private club.
Formerly the Longaberger Golf Club, the course consistently ranks as one of the top 100 public golf courses in the United States.
The Virtues, located just under an hour east of Columbus, winds through a huge property of hillsides and valleys, making each hole markedly different from the last. The tee shot on the par-5 4th hole is one of the more picturesque locations you’ll find on a golf course in Ohio.
Superb conditioning extends all throughout the property, with immaculate fairways, smooth greens, and a well-manicured practice area.
It also features a 60,000-square-foot clubhouse that provides panoramic views, an outstanding restaurant, and large event spaces.
Turnberry Golf Course (Pickerington) 👶 🎯
20 minutes from downtown
Weekend rate with cart: $54 // Book a Tee Time
Next to Blacklick Creek, this links-style golf course usually boasts the best conditions of the six city courses.
Almost every approach shot is to a small, elevated green surface that requires skill from the best of players. However, with much of the course being open off the tee, Turnberry is a great spot for beginners.
Turnberry offers a large putting green and driving range, making it a great place to improve your game.
