Things to Do in Dentsville

Sculpted into 160 acres of rolling hills and forests of oak, pine, and dogwood, Oak Hills Golf Club provides a scenic challenge for golfers skilled and novice. The course designed by Steve Melnyk and Davis Love III features manicured Tifway 419 bermuda-grass fairways and elevated, undulating greens. Players might want to keep a still-life painter in the bag for when they reach the elevated tee box on the par 5 hole 18, where a viewing of nine different holes manifests itself in a verdant panorama of course and countryside. The Oak Hills staff of veteran PGA professionals amends swings during private lessons for adults and youths.

With the butt of a 12-gauge shotgun pressed against his shoulder and his eyes searching the skies for game, Bobby Kilgus's solitary hunting expedition was interrupted by something of an epiphany: suddenly, he had the impulse to transform his family farmland into a golf course. Though the instinct may have been dismissed by most people of his ilk—he had only played golf once in his life—Bobby and his wife set to work, researching the ins-and-outs of course design and enlisting the help of construction company owners to clear and sculpt the rugged earth. By 2003—a mere four years after he first saw visions of splendid fairways dancing atop the barrel of his shotgun—the Kilguses opened a 9-hole course, only to see it grow it into a full 18-hole course in 2007, hastened by tireless work and a steady diet of pureed fairway smoothies.

Eight years of toil culminated in a 5,822-yard, par 72 course that embodies down-home charm and challenging course play. With water in play on six holes, Bobby's grassy brainchild presents players with a number of tricky shots, including a 131-yard, blind tee shot into a completely hidden green at the par 3 13th hole, where it can be said that players—not unlike the course's architect—must take a leap of faith.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 5,822 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 67.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 116 from the farthest tees
• Three tee options

A licensed member of the National Sporting Clays Association, Hermitage Farm Shooting Sports challenges clay marksmen to a course that draws them through a dense forest of wild azaleas, colorful dogwood trees, and leafy hickory trees. Shooters ride a golf cart or walk to make their way across the 1,500-acre parcel, stopping at a number of natural stands to test shooting accuracy on manual and automatic traps situated along a winding ridge. Several traps placed around pond rims simulate the flight of live game, offering shooters a way to warm up for hunting season or play pranks on unpopular pond-dwelling superheroes.