BROWNSBURG — The most youthful of Hendricks County’s 18 hole golf courses, West Chase Golf Club is nestled into a serene landscape on the edge of Brownsburg and Pittsboro.
Opened in 1996, West Chase is a semi-private, challenging track that provides plenty of options and picturesque moments for both the experienced player and the novice. It houses a litany of tempting par 5’s and five tee lengths to use on its par 71 tour. It’s vibrant and enjoyable for a weekend foursome, and picturesque for an evening walk alone with your clubs and your thoughts.
Having worked at this course in the past, one of the hallmarks that made it an enjoyable round is that there is a solid mix of extremely challenging holes, mingled with a few to get your confidence back up and rolling. For instance, the long par 3 number two hole, which plays 210 from the back tees, is encased by a fun, short, opening par 4 and leads into a very reachable par 5 third.
The setup of West Chase is nice as well. The clubhouse snack bar is on a rise overlooking the back end of the front nine, with a perfect view of the par 5 ninth and a tempting pond that engulfs the right side of the hole. Most who play it will likely agree that the back nine is easier than the front, which again, helps your confidence as you leave the course.
There are plenty of moments available to have that trademark “one shot that keeps me coming back” as all golfers say. For the more experienced player, many a hazard and many a necessary shaped tee shot make West Chase a very appropriate challenge. Lastly, one major asset is its wonderful practice options, from a fully stocked driving range that allows for practice use of all the clubs in the bag to a putting green area with ample room to chip and a sand trap to work out the kinks of the more difficult parts of the game.
Bottom line? West Chase, if it’s not already, needs to be on your rotation of courses you and your friends play.
Signature Hole: No. 4
The skinny: Tabbed as the seventh most difficult hole on the course, it plays 391 from the back blacks, 371 from the gold, 351 from the green, and 293 from the burgundy.
How to play it: Resting about 310 from the back tees is a pond with a small opening gateway that is encased by trees on both sides. Your best bet is to be careful off the tee. Though from the tee you won’t see the water unless you’re playing up, it looks like the fairway is uphill. It’s not. Around 200 or so yards, it slips downhill so a long hitter will see an extra 20 to 30 yards on his tee shot, if it’s hit right. That can lead them into the water. Don’t miss the fairway right. Adjust your tee shot to, at worst, be in the left rough. It is a tighter shot over more trees if you’re to the right, and that pond claims plenty of balls that way. Overzealous shots might be water bound. Just give yourself a chance. There’s not a great deal of green to work with, but if you’re going to take a chance, take a chance at being long. The end of the pond is right off the front of the green.
For a more novice player, take a club you’re extremely comfortable with off the tee hitting straight. Even if it’s a shorter shot, you’ll still give yourself a better chance at reaching the green without getting wet just by keeping it in the center of the fairway. The tee shot is everything. If you feel you might reach the water but still want to use that club, tee the ball up a little farther in your stance to shorten the distance and the roll. The more experienced player, especially the long hitter, might want to take a three wood or long iron. On the green, if chipping back to front, be careful. The water will pull the ball downhill off the green into the hazard. Get out of this hole with a par, you move on to a confidence building short par 3.
—Bart Doan is a writer for the Hendricks County Flyer and a former assistant golf professional. He can be reached by calling 272-5800 ext. 173 or by e-mailing to bart.doan@flyergroup.com. Bart will travel to various Hendricks County courses throughout the summer, providing written accounts of his adventures.
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