Glendarin Hills Golf Club

Northeastern Indiana may not seem like a golf mecca, but don’t tell that to the folks who drive from cities like Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Toledo, Ohio, to play some of the area’s hidden gems.

Kendallville, Indiana, a town best known for its Bluegrass and Apple festivals and the Mid-America Windmill Museum, is the epicenter for golf in the area and the Home of Great Indiana Golf Packages. Great Golf has partnered with 11 golf courses in Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, as well as the Best Western in Kendallville.

Rest assured (pun intended), the Best Western is the place to stay if you’re there to play golf. It’s centrally located to all courses; the majority are within half an hour. The rooms are fresh and well-decorated, the beds are super comfortable, and they offer a free, hot breakfast. There’s also a fitness center and a business center in case work rears its ugly head! When you stay at the Best Western during the golf season, you’ll see groups of golfers gathered in the lobby, enjoying their favorite beverages and discussing the day’s activities.

During a recent visit to the area, I had the opportunity to play three courses: Cobblestone Golf Club, Noble Hawk Golf Club, and Glendarin Hills.

Glendarin Hills in Angola, Indiana, is about half an hour from the Best Western in Kendallville, and let me tell you, it’s worth the drive. Glendarin has 5 sets of tees, so finding a suitable distance shouldn’t be a problem. The course sits on 450 acres of rolling terrain, making “hills” the operative word here. Although there are no profound elevation changes, they are subtle enough to leave some interesting uphill, downhill, and sidehill lies. You’ll also find several elevated tee boxes, rolling fairways, and a lot of mounding on the peripheries of each hole. The greens are incredible; most tend to be on the large side with lots of undulation. Oh, and they’re fast, very fast! According to one of the greenskeepers I spoke with, they were running around 14.5 the week before I got there. On my visit, they had been slowed down to somewhere between 11 to 12.5. Word of advice: It’s best to be below the hole!

There are several memorable holes, but the one that will stick with me is the 5th. It’s a 513-yard, dogleg left, par 5 that is so tree-lined, I would name it Sherwood Forest. Large, mature trees line both sides of the fairway, and the hole doesn’t open up until about 75 yards from the green. This gem requires distance and accuracy off the tee, and for most, it will be a 3-shot hole. You’ll start from an elevated tee box, downhill to the rolling fairways. Longball hitters should be wary of the trio of pot bunkers on the right side and a small pond in the landing area of your layup shot. Stray off to the right with your layup, and the trees between you and the green will make for an interesting approach. The green is large, slopes back to front, with bunkers on either side. It’s no wonder it’s ranked the toughest hole on the course!

The best way to arrange a golf trip to Northeastern Indiana is to work with someone who knows the lay of the land. Great Indiana Golf Packages works with 11 of the top golf courses in the area and can provide your group with a great rate on a golf and hotel package that fits your budget and exceeds expectations. Other area courses include Bridgewater Golf Club, Heron Creek Golf Club, Autumn Ridge Golf Club, Stonehenge, Cherry Hill Golf Club, and Eagle Glen Golf Club in Indiana, and Island Hills Golf Club and Bella Vista Golf Course in Michigan.

Amazing course!! Great facility