Olde Stone is Bowling Green’s, and arguably, the State of Kentucky’s best golf course. Of course, opinions vary, but by most accounts, there are three golf courses in Kentucky that one could reasonably argue are the best in the bluegrass state: Valhalla GC in Louisville, Idle Hour in Lexington, and Olde Stone.
This course was reviewed as part of a broader Journal entry exploring private golf courses in the Bowling Green, KY area.
Olde Stone could host a U.S. Open tomorrow and present a challenge to the world’s best golfers – it is quite difficult as designed. Olde Stone is conditioned in a way with firm and fast greens and a very thick rough (among the thickest I’ve ever played) that makes it a serious test. I think the USGA recognizes that the course is of the quality that the USGA desires, but perhaps Bowling Green, KY is not the ideal destination for its biggest event. Rather, the USGA opted to host the 2022 Girls Junior at Olde Stone, and I anticipate more USGA championships will visit Olde Stone in the future
For some reason, Arthur Hills is very underrated as a course designer, but Hills often creates fun and playable courses that have unique hole designs, and Olde Stone is no exception. Bottom line here, Olde Stone is a good enough golf course to be in the bottom of the Top 200, and certainly contends with Valhalla and Idle Hour as the best course in State. If 250 courses were ranked by Golf Digest instead of 200, I feel confident that Olde Stone would be included.
What Works: Olde Stone uses a couple of really inventive hole designs and keeps things fresh all throughout the round. The course also makes use of a ton of elevation, much moreso than you would expect from the land that surrounds Olde Stone.
There is a significant ridge that bisects the property into two distinct areas. The first hole, along with the eighth through eighteenth are in an upper area of the property where each hole possesses significant elevation change. The second through the seventh sit in a flatter valley, probably some 50-60 feet below the other holes.
However, the course keeps a pretty consistent character throughout the round, and just leans a bit more heavily on hazards rather than elevation on the flatter holes. Conditioning is typically great, but traditionally features that very long rough that can make things difficult.
Best Hole: The best hole is probably the short par-4 sixth hole that has a few different options from the tee.
The sixth hole at the Club at Olde Stone
A player can choose to challenge the large bunker, but the hole plays a bit uphill and its all carry to clear the bunker. Alternatively, a player could choose beside-of or in-front-of the bunker with less than driver off the tree, but a left miss puts the three bunkers on the left in play with less than driver.
Regardless of which option is chosen, the green is a grass-island green, surrounded by deep rough and pot bunkers that make any miss here difficult. Meaning, if you have the carry distance off the tee, it may make sense to attempt to carry the bunker and reduce the risk of missing the green on approach.
Interesting Hole: For the interesting hole, I have to pick the mid-length par-4 fourth hole which is almost a direct copy of Valhalla’s fifth hole. I find it humorous that these two holes, from two courses who probably both think they deserve to be considered the best in State, are essentially carbon copies with a slight difference in bunker style.
The fourth hole at the Club at Olde StoneThe fifth hole at Valhalla Golf Club
At Valhalla’s version, Valhalla uses a few sweeping bunkers to frame the fairway, as it doglegs through the narrow area between them. Olde Stone’s version uses a litany of small pot bunkers to accomplish the same purpose, and routes the fairway a bit further out to the right before straightening. Both versions feature room to the short-left of the green and a bunker below the right of the green. It is a really good hole design, I’m just not sure there needs to be two of the exact same holes within a two-hour drive.
Limitations: Olde Stone could probably be higher if some slightly different decisions were made. Anyone who has played there will tell you that the first and tenth holes are very similar and slightly too quirky. Some of the holes feature really distinctive architecture, but a few of the holes (eight, nine, fourteen) could be plucked out of any course in America and you’d have never known.
While Olde Stone has some aesthetic value internally, the external aesthetics are good but not great in inland Bowling Green, Kentucky. The course abuts Drakes Creek, but only features a view of the small river on one hole. These are clearly nitpicks, but those nitpicks are what separate elite country clubs from the Top-200 courses in the U.S.
Final Thoughts: Olde Stone will likely forever sit on the precipice of inclusion in the Top 200 course rankings. I think it would be reasonable to argue it is of that quality. I found it to be a course that is probably just outside of that ranking, but more comfortably included in the Top 300, if that were a thing. Regardless of the ranking, Olde Stone is a fantastic golf course, very difficult, and fun to play. Reasonable minds may differ on whether it is the best golf course in Kentucky, or just one of the best.
