Glendarin Hills Golf Club

Played this course as part of a golf trip to/around the Cleveland area in late May 2023. This course was included on our itinerary based on its listing as a Top Course by Golf Advisor.

PACE: Tee’d off in the afternoon. A 4-some let our 2-some play thru on the 1st tee… thank you! Never had another group in front of or behind us.

CONDITIONS: Tees, greens, fairways, and bunkers were all in good condition. The greens were fast, and did have some "potholes" (repair your ball marks!).

STAFF: Friendly and helpful.

VALUE: Twilight with a cart was $64. This was the highest greens fee on our trip, and given the comps/area it felt a bit high.

LAYOUT: Played the Blue/Green combo tees (6,300). The course is fun. Has a good variety of short and long par 4s. Most of the par 3s are defended by some slope in front of the green. We found the par 5s to be long but very manageable. Given the distance between some of the holes, I would not recommend walking this course.

When you’re thinking about where to go on your next golf vacation, Fort Wayne isn’t likely to be top of your list. But if you live in the upper Midwest, maybe it should be. There are no less than 25 courses in the area that are open to public play and several of the top tier courses have been packaged together by Great Indiana Golf, which operates out of Cobblestone Golf Club in Kendallville, IN. Here are three “must-play” courses when you're in the area.

Glendarin Hills is one of those elite courses I was talking about. Glendarin offers more of a resort-style course, that takes you through meadows and woodlands. The course features a lot of rolling terrain and wide-open landscapes. Glendarin Hills measures over 7,000 yards from the back tees, 7,055 to be exact, with a course rating of 74.6 and a slope of 140. At 6,283 yards (70.7/131) the White Tees will give the average golfer all he can handle and still allow him to leave with a certain amount of dignity! In all, there are 5 sets of tees that create a manageable distance for every level of golfer. Before your round, warm up on Glendarin Hill’s full-length driving range and stroke a few putts on the practice green.

The Best Western Kendallville Inn is the preferred hotel partner of Great Golf Indiana. The hotel is locally owned and was recently renovated. The Best Western Kendallville Inn has all of your typical big-city hotel amenities and a heaping helping of warm, small-town hospitality. They offer a variety of rooms and suites that are perfect for golf groups and couples. Rooms include a microwave and refrigerator, 32-inch LCD TV, high-speed Internet access, and a full breakfast buffet. Be sure to ask about the “special perks” available for their golf visitors. Nearby Fort Wayne offers big-city entertainment, dining, and shopping.

The Fort Wayne area is poised to be the host of a multi-venue golf tournament like they have in Myrtle Beach and Mesquite, Nevada. They have the courses and accommodations to pull it off and with a little participation from local restaurants I’m confident it would be a success. Great Indiana Golf has put together some great golf packages that include some of the best golf courses Indiana & SW Michigan has to offer together with overnight accommodations at the Best Western Kendallville Inn.

Glendarin Hills has a strong reputation, and it lived up to it today. Staff was very friendly despite a frost delay at the outset. As for the course itself it is in great shape for April, and the greens were fast. Do. Not. Get. Above. The. Hole. The starter said the greens were not up to the usual speed they keep them at, and if he was telling the truth then yikes as they were quite fast and freshly rolled.

Layout gives a great mixture of holes with some in trees, some open, some have water along the way. Good ball striking can be rewarded here, but if you spray you'll pay. Beautiful to look at from first to last hole.

It's well worth the drive or the stop if you're on I-69./80/90 in NE Indiana. Easily one of the top 3 public courses in the state (others being Kampen at Purdue and Chariot Run in my opinion).

Greens we recently aerated and sanded, making putting difficult.

very impressed with greens as well as the layout, must be a shot maker on this venue and keep the ball below the hole or you will have some fast putts

This course is in fantastic condition similar to that you would expect of a top tier golf facility. I like that each hole is on its own and you don't see other golf holes. Lots of undulations and generally receptive to good tee shots. I am an 8.5 handicapper and shot low 90's from the white tees. the greens are large, fast and undulating. Hence I had lots of three putts. I enjoyed the course but at $69 I might not play it very often. The course based on quality and price of other area course should be more like $50.

Very nice course with quick greens. Like the blue/green combination tees that played about 6200. Deer running around as you play. Only complaint was feeling pushed with singles and twosomes behind us with our foursome playing behind a group of 4 or 5 other fouresomes.

We played as a twosome on Sat. afternoon. Staff was friendly, after the round McKenna the cart girl then staffed the newly renovated bar to bring us a cold beer. Greens fast, fairways smooth, sand traps excellent. Driving range with piped in music. One of my favorite rounds of golf ever.

If I lived closer, I would definitely join Glendarin Hills. We always compare it to Sycamore Hills (a Jack Nicklaus course) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In my opinion though, it's a far better course, maybe not in design because who can beat Jack, but in the layout of holes following the natural terrain of rolling hills and large growth forests which is hard to find in NE Indiana. Even if you're not a golfer but a nature buff, you would still love it. Just last week we encountered 3 family of wild turkeys and a fairly young buck deer.

Glendarin provided an excellent day for my son and I. We played from the back tees which made par a challenge and birdies difficult. Rolling fairways produced uneven lies which required additional adjustment. Wide fairways provrided initial security but as each hole unfolded many pins were only accessible from certain portions of fairways. Greens were true but a little slow, perhaps because of the recent rain. Looking forward to playing again but armed with course knowledge.

I play this course a few times a year and always in good condition. Course is tight on some holes but manageable. Good pace of play.

Absolutely the best course in the area. Beautiful layout and challenging as well!
1st class course

It was the 2nd time playing here and it had been several years ago. This course is an hour and a half drive from our house and is worth the drive. Glendarin Hills is an absolute beautiful course and the staff is very welcoming. If you ever have the chance to play, I would recommend taking the time to give it a chance to impress. I wish we lived closer so we could play it more often.

Will play again. The greens were fast and I enjoy this type of play

Once again Glendarin Hills was a pleasure to play. The staff, course, and amenities were first class.

This was my first time playing Glendarin, and I must say first impressions go a long way. I will be coming back. The course was in great, green and plush condition for middle of July. Challenging course compounded by challenging greens! Step up your short game. Pro shop and wait staff were amazing. Nice, accommodating and made the course that much better. Again I will definitely be making a trip to play here again!!

This is a nice course and I have always enjoyed it but the lack of a senior rate on Fridays (why when the course was not very full?) and the $69 green fees make this a very poor value for the price. Food and drink also overpriced. It seems they don't really want non members to play with these high rates.