Golf in Franklin

Recognized as one of the 25 best public golf courses in Ohio by Golf Digest, Shaker Run offers a golfer's paradise of challenging holes, scenic environments, and top-notch instruction. Students will benefit from the swing-analyzing attentiveness of instructor Alex Martin, winner of the 2009 Ohio Amateur Championship and participant in the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach. With his extensive knowledge of competitive golf, Martin brings the same amount of passion to the golf course that the Cookie Monster brings to a bake sale. He develops a plan specific to each golfer and effectively massages the hooks and crooks out of swings with myriad methods rather than just one single philosophy. Under his instruction, golfers can achieve jelly-like grips and turn rigid stances into sphere-catapulting arcs that impress friends, caddies, and ducking gophers.

Golf balls soar above the driving range and roll over tricky putt-putt greens at Southwest Golf Ranch, a practice facility designed to help golfers improve the full spectrum of their skills. With 2.5 acres of bent-grass hitting areas and 20 heated, covered hitting stalls outfitted with synthetic-turf mats, the range lets players choose their hitting surface or conceal their swing adjustments from spy drones sent by rival golfers. The mini-golf course features colorful flags, Lilliputian ponds, and wooden bridges that arch throughout the 18-hole layout, which is lighted for after-hours play.

Helmed by PGA pro and Director of Instruction Dave Stanton, Southwest Golf Ranch’s staff of instructors puts the facility’s resources to use in lessons and golf camps. The resident aces groom golfers’ swings with the help of video analysis and FlightScope swing tracking, the same technology used in the Ranch’s club fitting studio, which pairs golfers with their ideal clubs without forcing them to meet random sand wedges on the Internet.

Sculpted through a quaint, quiet 300-acre plot, Greentree Golf Club garnishes the hills of Warren County with nine holes that yield a tranquil golfing experience. Jodi Kinney, one of just six female golf-course architects in the nation, designed the course in 1999 and made it approachable for golfers of all skill levels by incorporating four sets of tees. To score anywhere near the par of 36, players must steer their shots down tunnels of bluegrass fairways cleaved between the outstretched limbs of towering trees. After reaching the bent-grass greens, players can putt confidently knowing they avoided the quicksand bunkers. On the scenic layout, players may encounter deer frolicking in the pastures or counting mulligans on their antlers.

Course at a Glance:

• Nine-hole, par 36 course
• Total length of 3,403 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 36.5 from the back tees
• Course slope of 135 from the back tees
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard

Glow-in-the-dark palm trees rise above Englewood Fun Center’s 18-hole miniature golf course, greeting guests as they arrive to partake in any of the center’s indoor or outdoor attractions. Clients don Hawaiian leis before taking to the 18-hole, custom-designed mini golf course, where they will lope through a tropical pastiche of tiki huts, misting waterfalls, two ponds, and multiple bearded Tom Hankses. Indoors, scampering tykes can slip on socks and tumble freely among the cushy walls and elastic floors of the inflatable bouncing area, or try their hands at skee-ball and other games in the arcade. The indoor facility also encompasses three batting cages, where hitters shoulder their favorite bat or oversized banana and swing at soft or hardballs delivered at adjustable speeds and heights to accommodate all ages and skill levels.

Beech Creek’s nine-hole golf course blankets the rolling Ohio countryside with 2,980 yards of player-friendly fairways and greens. The relatively short layout welcomes beginners and novice golfers, while more experienced aces and tape-measure enthusiasts can flaunt their length off of the tee on two par 5s that measure at least 550 yards.

Players can also stretch out their swing with a stint at Beech Creek’s driving range or a lesson from one of the on-site PGA instructors. A grill with fully-stocked bar awaits postround revelry, acting as a casual hangout where guests can nosh sandwiches and burgers and try to cover up bogeys with covert mustard stains on the scorecard.

The fairways at Deer Run Country Club beckon golfers along an immaculately crosshatched carpet of plush bent grass. Whittled from a rolling blanket of forest by architect Mike Macke, the 18-hole course forms a heart-shaped patch surrounding several arteries of pristine residential streets and five ponds lurking in wait. After building up an appetite while hacking out of the rough and taking in the beauteous Ohio River Valley setting, players can fill up on wings, pizzas, and half-pound burgers at the Fairway Grill.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par-70 course
• Total length of 6,354 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.4 from the back tees
• Course slope of 125 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole
• Scorecard