Golf in Carmel

Valle Vista Golf Club's 18-hole, par 70 course spans 6,306 yards, incorporating wide fairways and immaculate greens draped over the countryside. Ponds come into play on eight different holes, including the signature 17th hole, a 147-yard par 3 that plays into a sloped green wreathed by a front-right pond and bunkers dug into the left and back sides. Golfers in need of new apparel or clubs to replace the ones lost in a sword-swallowing interpretation gone awry can peruse the club's pro shop, which carries equipment from Titleist, Callaway, and other top industry brands.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Length of 6,306 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 72 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 136 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard

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.

The Golf Solutions 360 grounds house a comprehensive cadre of tools designed for the improvement of golf games. Three-screen HD golf simulators allow players to drive into the virtual abyss without having to bribe course trolls to navigate like in real life. TrackMan video-analysis technology charts every aspect of a player’s swing and the ball flight that results, including data on launch and spin rate. To stock up for fieldwork, customers can go to the pro shop, where shelves and racks display name-brand drivers, putters, and apparel from brands such as Titleist, Callaway Golf, and TaylorMade. Exercise equipment tailored to golfers’ needs stands ready to strengthen muscles inside an onsite fitness facility. Throughout Golf Solutions 360’s expanse, friendly staff members man the counters and halls, ready to assist visitors in their quest to perfect their game.

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.