Roy J. Akers has played plenty of golf courses that golfers would like to play
Warren Golf Course- The University of Notre Dame- South Bend, Indiana
The Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame is a beast. Playing from 7100 yards from the tips to 5400 yards, this Ben Crenshaw-Bill Coore design is all you want to play and more. Guarded by fescues, water and carefully placed bunkering, the Warren course has played host to the 2019 PGA Tour Champions and numerous NCAA tournaments and Indiana state events.
Four handicappers will become 14 if you play the wrong set of tees, and the fescues will take your golf ball and will be found by someone else, not by you. The second hole is a dandy. Playing between 362-462, Driver is almost a must on this long par 4 that typically plays into the prevailing wind. Pick a good aiming point off of the tee and trust it, as this is one of the more difficult driving holes throughout the course. I parred it. My playing partners were impressed. There are several other outstanding holes on this course. My interview with the PGA Pro Kylex and a YouTube video will give you outstanding insights on this #4-rated Indiana golf course.
Video Review of the Warren Roy J. Akers interview with Kyle Demeter
Warwick Hills Country Club- Grand Blanc, Michigan
One of my favorite golf courses ever. PGA pro’s make mincemeat of this course, but to mere mortals like myself, the course is a challenge and then some. Joe Lee redesigned the course first built and opened for play in 1957 and the PGA Tour’s Buick Open started play the very next year and was won be some of the greatest players in PGA Tour history including Tiger Woods, who won the event four times. The course was originally flat, but the Lee design gave Warwick its true character of tree lined fairways, undulated playing surfaces, and large sand traps guarding both the landing areas and greens. The putting surfaces are true and the best played each year. Some of my favorite holes are the very first hole which is the par 5 that demands a well-struck tee shot that could possibly roll down the hill. A second shot that needs a terrific fairway wood and an approach shot that is among your best.
Stewart Cink Interview
The 13th is a beast. Another par five playing up to 544 yards, a draw or a lazer is needed off the tee. The green is elevated and guarded by bunkers and water. The 17th, the famous par three is uphill and guarded by water and sand and severely slopes from back to front. Several more holes are simply spectacular. The Ally Challenge hosts many of the same players that played the course years ago. They love the course and love Warwick Hills
Firestone Country Club – Akron, Ohio
Another dandy. Most people that have never been to FCC do not know there are three 18 hole courses on property, and the famed course is on the clubhouse side. Home of the World Series of Golf, and being for many years, in the top-50 courses rankings list worldwide. The world class golf shop is a must place to visit to purchase swag, clothing and so forth. Like Warwick Hills, Firestone is now a part of the PGA Tour Champions schedule called theBridgestone Senior Players Championship.
Renowned for its extensive PGA tournament history, the par 70, 7,400-yard South Course at Firestone includes some of the toughest, most famous and most enjoyable holes in golf. A championship course from its conception, the South Course has hosted more than 70 professional tournaments, including 18 years of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, 36 years of the World Series of Golf, and three PGA Championships. It is the current home of the Kaulig Companies Championship.
The South Course was originally designed by Bert Way and debuted as the inaugural course at Firestone Country Club in 1929. In preparation for the 1960 PGA Championship, Robert Trent Jones Sr. undertook an extensive redesign, adding over 50 bunkers, two ponds, and increasing the course length to 7,165 yards while adjusting the par to 70. Like most country clubs designed in that era, the course is tree-lined, well-bunkered and has undulated greens. There are plenty more great holes than the famed 16th. The print below comes from the website, but at well over 600 yards, you have to bomb your drive off the tee and hit a well-placed shot from the fairway. Even most of the pros do not go for the green in two. A pond and plenty of trouble guard the green.
- Opening Hole: A challenging start with narrow fairways and strategically placed bunkers. Aim to keep your drive straight and avoid the rough.
- 16th Hole (“The Monster”): This infamous par 5 requires careful planning. Play conservatively off the tee and focus on positioning rather than distance. The green is protected by water, so a precise approach is essential.
- 18th Hole: A long par 4 with a narrow profile and greens surrounded by bunkers. Aim to stay on the fairway and approach the green with caution.
Muirfield Village Golf Club – Dublin, Ohio
This golfing masterpiece by Jack Nicklaus is simply spectacular. The golf course is extremely long and tough for the pro’s and is the home of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and celebrates it’s 50th year in 2026. Nicklaus designs are extremely tough and every hole is a punch in the nose if you are off your game. Each hole is visually stimulating and even more, a gauntlet if you are off your game and you rarely feel at ease even after hitting a quality shot. All 18 holes are outstanding. Two examples that illustrate my point are the par-5 5th and par-3 12th holes.
Par 5 5th
Playing as a dog leg right. A huge oak tree guards the right side of the landing area, and a creek that runs from the top of the landing area all the way to the green awaits golfers. Shots from both sides of the green are guarded by the second shots. A well struck second shot could land on the green, but it is not a deep green and bunkers and a run off area are a suckers play. I hit a miracle tee shot that was about two yards from the creek on my drive. From there, I choked and hit two poor shots and another poor shot around the green for a nine. This is a tough hole and standing over my second shot was intimidating. Jack likes it that way.
Par 3 12th
Unlike the fifth hole, where the danger gets worse as you play the hole, the 12th is pretty up front about what you face. A massive pond sits in front of the tee complex and two massive bunkers are waiting for all tee shots that are not completely accurate. The grass to the left of the green is very thick. It’s a great three. My tee shot went into the water. The hole plays longer than the yardage.
The golf course plays 7,533 during the Memorial Tournament. Media day is about 1,000 yards shorter. Have a beer or a milkshake and visit the outstanding pro shot and grab yourself some gear. The Memorial is an outstanding golf course.
Top Courses Played 4-10 in 2025 << Click Here to See
Roy J. Akers covers golf for www.skyviewsports.net Roy also does a podcast called Double Eagle Golf where we speak to the movers and shakers in golf including PGA/LPGA Tour Stars
We drone golf courses and can do professional-level work for a VERY affordable price and even have trade. Call 248-238-4449.
