Heath, OH Outdoor Activities

The course at High Lands Golf Club challenges visitors with 6,599 yards of tight lies, concealed obstacles, and fairway trees extending their unlucky limbs into players’ sightlines. Tree-lined fairways and immaculate greens yield some scenic vistas for players bashing orbs along the course’s serpentine length. The signature third hole starts players off from an elevated tee shot that must stay out of the out-of-bounds area on the left, but not drift too far right, where clearing the wooded ravine on the second shot would become impossible. The next shot onto the elevated green is made difficult by the black walnut tree guarding the green, making for an altogether difficult run at par. Toward the end of the round, players must face a gauntlet of obstacles on holes 16, 17, and 18 before heading in for the day. Named the “Bermuda Triangle” for the architect’s tendency to incorporate treacherous waterways and affinity for Bermuda shorts, hole 16 challenges golfers with difficult lies, slippery putts, and water hazards that loom large.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Total length of 6,599 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 130 from the back tees

Like a museum of living landscape paintings, The Dawes Arboretum combines the delicate beauties of a Japanese garden, a cypress swamp, and an azalea glen, creating a colorful haven of native plants. But this 1,800-acre wonderland wasn’t always so expansive. In 1929, when nature lovers Beman and Bertie Dawes first transformed their woodland property into an arboretum, it was just a 293-acre swath of Licking County. This stretch, with its rolling hills and mature trees, was so calm that it drew visitors from across the state and instilled a love of nature in the Dawes’ children.

Today, many of the arboretum’s more than 16,000 labeled trees and shrubs are representative of types native to central Ohio, such as the 17 Ohio buckeyes planted to form the number 17. Elsewhere, more than 100 bonsai trees adorn the courtyard by the visitors’ center. Along with plants, the grounds entice explorers with more than 12 miles of hiking trails and a 4-mile auto tour. Antiques and memorabilia from the 19th and 20th centuries adorn the Daweswood House Museum, and the Discovery Center enthralls youngsters with bird watching, crafts, and fun facts about honeybees and frogs.

During the Renaissance, mischievously stealing the blacksmith’s capon and escaping through a field full of onrushing Viking invaders became such a popular pastime that it became known simply as “rugby.” Witness the latest evolution in this honorable sport: today’s deal gets you tickets to the Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational played at Crew Stadium from Friday, June 4, through Sunday, June 6. Groupon holders can obtain general-admission seating for Saturday, Sunday, or all three days of intense Division I collegiate rivalries during the 38-game tournament. There is no limit on Groupon purchases for this deal.

At Scarborough East Tennis & Fitness Club, manager Bob Hilborn and his dedicated staff of tennis professionals impart cross-court wisdom to racket wielders of all ages. The team keeps members and guests in shape year-round by hosting lessons on indoor courts during cold months and on outdoor courts when it starts to rain inside. Membership programs gives ball swatters the ability to reserve courts, plus they get access to the workout facility, complete with computerized bikes, rowing machines, free weights, saunas, and towel service. Members can also take advantage of exclusive opportunities such as the yearlong junior program. This multilevel program pairs up to four students with an instructor who will attempt to help them hone their forehands and fine-tune their volleys.

A PGA member since 1986, Chuck Mayhew employs a fundamentals-first teaching methodology, thoroughly familiarizing students with the basics of swing mechanics before moving on to more complicated tweaks. Though certain golf tenets are universal, Mayhew knows that any single teaching method won't work for every player. Some are visual learners, some learn by repetition, and still others can only learn when a cast of singing hand puppets teaches them. Private lessons begin with an assessment of each player's current ball positioning, alignment, and swing posture—key components that must be corrected before beginning any backswing. Mayhew conducts lessons at Four Seasons Golf & Fitness Center, a full-service indoor golf-instruction facility that can stay open despite rain or bunker sandstorms.

High above reservoir banks and the forest floor, an intricate web of rope bridges and obstacles snakes itself through the towering trees of Walnut Bluffs. This is the site of Summit Vision––a pair of team-building rope courses with more than 40 combined climbing elements, designed to boost the confidence, leadership, and problem-solving skills of children, adults, and corporations.

On both courses, Summit Vision's highly trained staff safely guides adventurers through a variety of climbing endeavors, culminating in an epic zipline or giant swing dismount. The company also opens its rope courses for open-play sessions on weekends and hosts various ground-based exercises. During the summer, the 7Summits day camp provides youngsters a reprieve from the humdrum routine of remodeling their lemonade stands with more exhilarating activities such as archery, kayaking, and hiking.