The Doglegs Of Summer: McCormick Creek Golf Course [VIDEO]
This feature is the ninth and final installment of a series of reviews for golf courses in the Kosciusko County area
NAPPANEE – McCormick Creek Golf Course isn’t shy about what it is. As part of the Stauffer Park facility on the northeast side of town, the golf course is intertwined with its community, its heritage and its model of being a challenging course that can handle multiple levels of golfers.
McCormick Creek is an 18-hole, par-72 layout that covers between 4,863 and 6,381 yards on a course that features water hazards on nearly every hole, trees all over and neighborhoods and parks bordering most of the grid.
Tony Adams, golf professional and owner of the Adams Golf Shop for McCormick Creek, embodies a lot of what the course represents. A friendly smile to everyone who comes in, Adams knows a lot of his clientele by first name and feels the community is more than just a paying customer.
“This is a good asset for our city,” Adams said of the course. “It’s a good place for businesses to utilize and also gives kids a place to learn the game at a pace that works. We had both the girls and boys high school teams at NorthWood go to state, which shows we promote the kids in our little town.”
NorthWood, as well as Jimtown, use McCormick Creek as its home course for high school matches. Several businesses also rent the 18 holes for corporate outings and several golf camps for kids are held on site. Adams stated kids 12 and under are given a free bag of balls when they come out to play as a way to promote the game to younger players. The course also caters to its senior members, with specials all summer and more than enough outings to suit.
One of the big outings held annually is the Brant Nine Memorial Outing, which is in honor of the fallen Nappanee police officer.
Adams is happy with how the course is holding up, even after the rough winter and the storms that rolled through the area Monday night.
“We really didn’t have a lot of problems here after the winter, and thankfully, we avoided major problems Monday night,” Adams said. “The greens needed a little work after the winter, but they were minor. We had a couple small things need attention after Monday night, too, but we were fortunate.”
[weaver_youtube DaTeh-HxPoo rel=0]Day Played: July 2, 2014 in cloudy and un-July-like cool conditions. Nick and Mike toured the front nine.
Best Hole: We both liked the par-three seventh. It is a straight-forward 187 yards from tee to pin, and doesn’t have any issues in between. Mike landed the green on his tee shot and Nick was there after his chip from the fringe. The greens were flat and well manicured, which didn’t force the issue a lot on guessing with slopes and speed. A par and a bogey for the two of us. We also liked the challenge the water provided on eight and nine. The pond to the right on eight kept us honest and the obvious water hazard in front on nine caused casualty on Mike’s first drive. As it did to the group playing in front of us.
Worst Hole: Number three gave us problems. It’s 526 yards to begin with, but the downslope to the creek in front of the green ate both of our approach shots. Mike was fortunate to just be on the upswing, but Nick found the foot deep creek at the bottom. The pin placement at the front of the green also made for a challenge, with a ton of green behind the pin, which leaves for long putts for those trying to stay well over the hazard. The water in general on the course makes for headaches, as Mike found out twice on the ninth off his drive then subsequent drop and plunge to the right of the green.
Major Hazards: LOTS OF WATER! There is water present on all nine of the holes on the front side and six of the nine on the back side. There isn’t much elevation on the course, but there are several sloped greens, including the 545-yard eighth. The neighborhood houses also keeps duffers honest, narrowing the fairways by not allowing extra play in their backyards. At least the Wednesday we played, there were a lot of single golfers that sped up the pace, which we embraced, but beware of the hecklers on the bicycles riding along. They will judge your shots! Bingo!
McCormick Creek Golf Course
1300 N. Oakland Ave., Nappanee
(574) 773-2725
www.mccormickcreekgc.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