Long ago, Scottish polo players longed for a game where they could explore scenic terrain, ride an obedient mechanical horse, and wear more courageously plaid knickers. Marvel in their subsequent invention with today's Groupon: for $16, you get an 18-hole round of golf, a cart rental, and two tokens for the driving range at Kestrel Ridge Golf Club in Columbus (up to a $34 value).
Kestrel Ridge offers more than 6,000 yards of expertly maintained terrain that challenges pupils of the pendulum and guru golfers alike. The course layout, which can be easily navigated behind the wheel of a cart, features long, open fairways, strategically placed sand traps, rolling greens, and water hazards where balls go when feeling down about not being dimply enough. Warm up before playing, or take out post-round frustrations with two driving-range tokens (about 50 balls total), which can be used to whack orbs on a grass area or rubber mat.
You must be at least 18 years old to drive a cart.
Kestrel Ridge Golf Course
With few trees to knock down errant drives, the wide-open course at Kestrel Ridge rewards control and course-management skills for players negotiating its more than 6,000 yards. Players point their tee shots down the center of the fairway from one of four different sets of tees, taking care to avoid numerous lurking fairway bunkers and the water hazards that run alongside the fairways of holes 1, 8, 9, and 10. When they're not engaging in physical altercations with swirling crosswinds, visitors should take time to appreciate the open expanse of rolling Wisconsin countryside through which the course winds. The track saves its crown jewel for last, with an 18th hole that forces players to nail a small, sloping landing area from the tee and then carry their approach over a rock ravine that runs alongside the right of the hole and contains fossils of Neanderthal golfers.
After a round, tired golfers can head to the clubhouse bar for traditional pub fare or re-create dramatic putts on the two large putting greens. A driving range hosts hitters on both grass and rubber mats and challenges them to assail greens located strategically between 125 and 230 yards away.