This feature is the tenth and final installment of a series of reviews for golf courses in the Kosciusko County area

WINONA LAKE – We didn’t forget about them, they just needed some time to get organized. A change in management and several key positions within the clubhouse has Stonehenge Golf and Country Club reassembling as the summer winds down. But the golf course is still in fantastic shape, and the legendary reputation the course has had as one of the finer links layouts in the area is still intact.

Stonehenge, which has long been the home of the Warsaw Tigers girls and boys golf teams, is now also the home to the Grace College Lancers golf programs. Stonehenge has also hosted several fundraising events including the Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund outing, the Indiana Open and several pro-ams as well as high school tournaments over the years.

In a move that none of the area courses currently employ, Stonehenge has five tee markers in play. Black, gold, blue, white and green tees (we played blue) give golfers the option of playing from 6,901 yards to just 4,543 yards based on the tee placement on the hole. It’s an interesting concept that Stonehenge pro Trent Barlow offers is a nice mix for their members.

“The tees are part of what we are using, the “Tee It Forward” initiative,” Barlow said. “The different tee distances are in position for the different types of golfers we have. We have some guys who want the black tees and the full distance. We also have some older golfers on Mondays that can’t hit it very far, but they are still able to be accurate. So the shorter tees helps them out.”

Barlow, who himself is a fresher face at the club with just under two years served as the club’s PGA Pro, works alongside Bill Hutchinson, who now serves as the general manager for Stonehenge. Other positions within the club have also turned over, and the structure itself, which is iconic in the Warsaw community, is getting a much needed renovation.

“We really are in a period of regeneration,” Barlow added, not shying away from the up and down membership numbers the club has had in recent years. “A lot of it is the economy, people just don’t have the money and we got hit. We have to find middle ground. A place like Raccoon Run across the street, Denny Hepler can do it all over there and wear a lot of hats, that helps his business a lot because he doesn’t need a huge staff.

“We were built as a boom 30 years ago, but it takes a lot of money to maintain things here, and it finally caught up to us. We’re working very hard to rebuild and reevaluate what needs the attention.”

In addition to the 18 holes of golf, Stonehenge features a restaurant, an Olympic-sized swimming pool across the street, a snack shop at the turn of the course, and several amenities within the clubhouse.

[weaver_youtube FHoMXCLJ-Lw rel=0]

Day Played: July 23, 2014 in overcast and sometimes windy conditions. Nick and Mike toured the back nine, or for the old schoolers, the original front nine.

Best Hole: Based on the scores, the 16th hole was very good to us as we both parred out without any trouble. The par-three, 143-yard has a nice upgrade on the back side of the green in case you go long, as Mike did. The slope of the green isn’t unforgiving, and a chip and putt was more than enough. Nick’s long putt served his par well. The par-three 12th and the par-four 17th were also fun holes.

Worst Hole: Everyone points to No. 11, and for good reason. It’s an island green and decisions have to be made whether to grip and rip off the tee to try to get to a manageable distance for the loft onto the green. Or, lay up with a second shot and take your chances chipping and putting. A 250-yard drive will put you in great position to use a nine-iron over the water, a 200-yard drive will force you to think. Nick’s video was proof of the aggravation. Hole 15, a 509-yard par-five was also troublesome if only because a creek sits near the edge of where a second shot could land. And the green is sloped, which left us putting more than a couple times.

Major Hazards: On the back nine, the island is obvious on hole 11. There is also a lot of wasteland on No. 13 to the left, and the creek on No. 15 also gave Nick fits in addition to his misery on No. 11. There are some houses with yards along the entire course, but aren’t terribly cumbersome. The greens are wavy and were speedy, which Barlow pointed out is one of the major characteristics the course employs to keep the challenge high.

Stonehenge Golf And Country Club
2850 East Pierceton Road, Winona Lake
(574) 269-6111
www.stonehengegolfclub.com

Links to our previous reviews:
1. Maxwelton Golf Club
2. Tippecanoe Lake Country Club
3. Wawasee Golf Club
4. Raccoon Run Golf Course
5. Rozella Ford Golf Course
6. Little Big Horn Golf Course
7. South Shore Golf Club
8. Parmore Golf Course
9. McCormick Creek Golf Course