Golf in Warsaw

Noble Hawk Golf Links brings the haggis-flavored flair of Scottish course design to this 6,817-yard Northeast Indiana haunt. A moderate-length opener, hole 1 (par 4) tests club-wielding precision from the first tee with a series of deep bunkers hugging well-contoured fairways. From there, a round gets rowdier with diverse challenges such as a drive between water at hole 4, a huge mound bisecting the green at hole 5, and an over-water tee-shot into a large, undulating green at hole 15. Click here to take an online tour of the course, or let the innovation, diversity, and slumbering deer on the luscious greenery surprise you while you play. Pre- or post-round, practice drives with the large bucket of balls to fine-tune form and eliminate embarrassing mid-swing pirouettes.

The flowing waters of the Maumee River gird the northernmost fairways of River City Links' 18-hole putting course, inviting misaimed golf balls to plop alongside the aquatic artery’s cargo ships floating down from Lake Erie. The waterway nestles alongside the course without cutting through it, enabling the course to maintain its straightforward layout. This, in turn, lets golfers focus on the fundamentals of their game without the distraction of elaborate hazards such as lava pits and ball-eating goats. After a relaxing day on the course, players can lounge on the clubhouse’s white wraparound deck and look out over the river, listening to the breeze that whispers through the weeping willows.

It’s difficult to hit a target from far away, which is why holes in one are rare and the Goodyear blimp has never been shot successfully with an arrow. Drive hard with a vengeance, thanks to this Groupon.

$49 for a Golf-Instruction Program with Four Lessons ($99 Value)

Expert instructors Jim Garrett and Tim Holt—a PGA professional—impart the fundamentals of driving and putting during a four-week program. The first three lessons last 1.5 hours, and the final lasts 2.5 hours. Though students may bring their own clubs, all necessary equipment will be provided. Choose from eight different sessions on the program schedule, one of which is ladies only; the first program begins on May 7.

[[m:####Juday Creek Golf Course

Instead of easing into a well-earned retirement after years in the restaurant business, Mike and Linda Rogers decided to embark on a new challenge: building a golf course. In 1989, they opened Juday Creek Golf Course, whose bent-grass fairways strike enough of a balance between challenging and accessible to have won the Indiana Golf Course Owners Association’s 2009 award for Indiana Golf Course of the Year.

Now managed by the couple’s daughter Michelle Wittig, the course’s emerald expanses continue to compel swingers of all stripes to lace up their cleated shoes and argyle garter belts. A journey across the course’s thirteen holes brings one face-to-face with manifold water hazards, many of which stand directly in the path to the putting green. There are 56 sand traps that raise the stakes of each game even higher, making for tough shots and partners who would rather build sandcastles instead of continuing on. Before or after games, golfers can take lessons and receive personal feedback from a pair of skilled instructors, one of whom is a PGA professional.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,940 yards
• Course rating of 73.3
• Slope rating of 134
• Four tee options
• See the scorecard and layout:

When fitting clubs, the skilled staff at Golf Etc follows a seven-step process led by customer interview to analyze shots and swings and determine optimal shaft weight and launch angle. In creating a custom fit and build, the shop aims to cut shot dispersion in half and boost overall distance.

Golf-A-Round Indiana invites clubbers to test their swinging prowess amid the fairways and greens of more than 75 of Indiana's top golf courses. Golf-A-Round Indiana selects participating venues in a curatorial process that assesses each course's difficulty, United States Golf Association rating, and performance in people's-choice surveys—building a list of high-caliber semiprivate and public courses. Players receive 40%–50% off at each course and a minimum of two plays at each course, and certificates run through two seasons.

The majority of the courses also offer weekday and weekend discounts, giving busy golfers a chance to enjoy the game without having to take off work or convert the neighbor’s sandbox into a convenient practice bunker. All discounts remain valid throughout both the 2013 and 2014 seasons.