Golf in Bloomington

As a member of the U.S. Golf Association, both of GolfTEC's golf tech centers are staffed by experienced PGA golfing professionals and computers who’ve been programmed in compliance with the Three Laws of Golfing Robotics, particularly the First (a robot must not move the ball from where it lies or, through inaction, allow a ball to be moved). Motion sensors and high-speed cameras monitor your swing and break down your form on a high-definition video display. GolfTEC’s PGA specialists will then point out flaws, emphasize strengths, and coach you on how to permanently improve your game from tee to green. Their sensors will chirp with approval when you finally execute a perfect stroke or crack an especially witty putting pun.

The first 18-hole course ever designed by legendary architect Pete Dye, Maple Creek Golf and Country Club's challenging course layout unfurls across 6,633 yards of tree-lined, water-kissed topography. The club's driving range is an expansive tract that absorbs players' practice shots as they prepare for the fast-starting course where the second hole is the most difficult and most willing to throw a tantrum. Babbling streams and rippling ponds add to the scenery of the pristine par 72 course, threatening the life force of ill-struck orbs on as many as 11 holes. Class-A PGA pro Jim Grossi roams the verdant valley, shoring up swings in lessons, on a never-ending mission to appease his golf mentor, who was half golf cart.

Opening its first fairways in 1926, Hillview Country Club prides itself on a charming course that envelops golfers in an emerald ecosystem replete with L93 bentgrass fairways and smooth, fast-moving greens. Players must contend with tree lines along the fairways and several water hazards as they corral golf balls over the 6,495-yard Robert Simmons design. Before a round, players can warm up at the practice facilities, which include a driving range with natural-grass hitting stations and a short-game area. The chipping green allows for approaches from up to 75 yards away, precisely the distance of Jack Nicklaus’s bathroom putting green.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-72 course
• Total length of 6,585 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.4 from the back tees
• Course slope of 120 from the back tees

The Tee It Up Card invites golfers to tour eight Indianapolis-area courses with discounted access. Participating courses include Yorktown’s The Players Club at Woodland Trails, where players roam across a 6,934-yard circuit of bentgrass fairways and greens, and Golf Club of Indiana, a famed course where Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player have all sought out birdies and searched for the secret place where Walter Hagen buried his gold. Specific discounts vary from course to course, but typically consist of heavily discounted greens fees or free greens fees with payment of the cart fee. In addition, each course offers cardholders additional deals, such as free or discounted range balls, club-fitting services, or marked-down pro-shop merchandise.

As a teaching professional since 1994, Tim Lewis of Aahh! Golf Lessons! teaches the traditional swing while expounding on the unique but consistent playing style of Canadian Hall of Famer “Pipeline” Moe Norman, whose unorthodox swing and quirky personality are the stuff of legend. A guiding principle of the swing is keeping the club on a single plane, which minimizes the possibility that the club head ventures off course to produce erratic ball flights. Tim combines these swing mechanics with the Vardon grip, also known as the overlapping grip or the grip that finally captured Godzilla.