Golf Course
Golf Digest Magazine listed Christmas Lake Golf Course as one of the top 75 public golf courses in America.
Indiana Business Magazine rated the course as the 7th most challenging in Indiana.
Christmas Lake Golf Course makes the most of the Southern Indiana landscape, with tree lined fairways, rolling hills, valleys, and sparkling lakes. With its Zoysia grass tees and fairways, Bent grass greens, and five sets of tees, you’ll enjoy golf at its best.
The course was designed by renowned golf course architect Edmund Ault in 1967. Ault is known for designing the Tournament Players Course at Avenal in Potomac, MD, and the remodeling of the Congressional Country Club. He designed the two nines remarkably different. The front nine is relatively flat, with just one dog leg. The back nine, on the other hand, is very hilly and not quite as open. You’ll enjoy developing different strategies for the two nines and appreciate the feeling that you experienced two courses in one round.
Back 9 Grill
Located between the 9th and 10 holes, the clubhouse offers a comfortable gathering place for golf buddies to eat, drink, swap stories, and watch tournaments on the big screen T.V. And if you’re in a hurry, ask for a snack to go, we’ll even loan you a cooler to take your favorite beverage on the course.
Hole-By-Hole
| Par | Gold | Blue | White | Green | Red | HDCP |
| 4 | 416 | 392 | 342 | 342 | 332 | 4 |
This dogleg left par 4 is one of the most challenging driving holes on the course. Out of bounds on the left and a small lake on the right makes accuracy a must for your tee shot. If you cut the dogleg you can be rewarded with a flat, even lie to a long, narrow green.
This dogleg left par 4 is one of the most challenging driving holes on the course. Out of bounds on the left and a small lake on the right makes accuracy a must for your tee shot. If you cut the dogleg you can be rewarded with a flat, even lie to a long, narrow green.
After taking in the scenic view from the teeing ground, number 12 demands a straight tee shot over a lake to a large landing area. A mid to long iron will be required to reach this uphill green protected by two bunkers. Mounding on the left and behind the green makes getting it up and down difficult.
The longest par 5 on the course, number 13 has a blind tee shot outlined with trees on both sides and a set of bunkers on the left. Your second shot will inevitably be from a downhill lie making it almost impossible to reach the green in two. A two-tiered green awaits your approach shot with two bunkers in front and one in back, don’t be long or right with this shot.
The easiest hole on the course is a par 3. However, this hole can fool you on its length, a small valley in front of the green makes this hole seem deceptively short. The large, relatively flat green is well protected with three large bunkers.
Now’s your chance to get one back. This par five can be reached in two if you hit a good drive. If you find the garden spot, your second shot will be slightly elevated above the green which will assist the ball to carry to the hole. Look out for the large bunkers in front and back that protect this wide, but very shallow green.
A long, accurate drive is required for number 16 to avoid the sloping fairway to the right and the line of trees on the left. A short uphill shot to a shallow, sloping green could give you a chance for birdie. Make sure of the distance though, or the protecting front and back bunkers can turn a birdie into a double bogey.
This gentle dogleg left par 4 might tempt you to cut off some distance. If you keep your tee shot to the left side of the fairway and catch the slope, you’ll be rewarded with a short iron or pitching wedge to the green. Leaving your second shot short or to the right of this green will leave you to scrambling for par.
The closing par 3 hole demands a 130 yard carry over a lake with a mid to long iron to a large green, guarded with bunkers on all sides. The red tee station is positioned out in the lake, and a large fountain provides some great scenery for your finish. Being on the green doesn’t necessarily mean an easy three here.
Your first tee shot will have to be a good one for this long, par 4 opening hole. Tree-lined on both sides of the generous fairway, this hole requires two solidly struck shots to reach the green. The deceptively large green starts you off with gentle slopes and valleys.
Favor the left side of the fairway on this slight dogleg par 4. A large fairway bunker and rocky creek on the right will be visible from the tee. The green is well bunkered on all sides and a small lake awaits to catch all shots that are short and to the right.
The longest par 3 hole on the course, #3 tops off the trio of very demanding starting holes at Christmas Lake. A long iron or fairway wood will get you to the well-guarded green, but several tricky pin placements could still cause problems. Most of our golfers are thrilled with a par here.
This is your first chance to attack Christmas Lake. This straight away par 5 will reward you with a birdie if you keep your ball on or near the fairway. The approach shot will be to a green above eye level, making club selection very important.
This par 3 is one of Christmas Lake Golf Course’s most memorable holes. From the men’s tee, the green has an “island” appearance even though there is still room to miss the green short and to the right. A solid short to middle iron will be needed to reach safely here.
This par 4 has many obstacles to overcome. A long, accurate tee shot will leave a middle to long iron over a meandering creek in front of the green. The two-tiered green has a 4 foot change of elevation from top to bottom. Your front nine score will hinge on this hole.
Once again, this is a par 5 hole that allows the golfer a chance to swing away at the tee shot. Birdie or par is almost assured here if you keep your ball in front of the green after two shots. Large bunkers on each side of the green make pitching and chipping much more difficult if you miss the green right or left.
A dogleg right par 4, this hole tempts the golfer to “cut the corner” and shorten the hole considerably. A deep fairway bunker and a large stand of trees guard the inside corner of the dogleg, and most players will be safer following the fairway to the hole. The long, narrow green makes choosing your club very difficult, and if the pin is in the front, play short to the very front edge to avoid the large mound.
A beautiful view of the clubhouse awaits the golfer at the ninth tee. This par 4 will be all uphill after the tee shot, and it is always difficult to get the ball close to the hole here. Out of bounds to the right gets a lot of play on this hole.
