Battle Ground

The “Battle Ground” in question is the Battle of Tippacanoe, one of the largest clashes between Native Americans and American forces in the early part of American independence. The golf course also features some history, as it operated for nearly 50 years as The Lafayette Country Club before Robert Simmons converted it to Battle Ground, a public-access route, during the ‘60s.

The course received a significant update from Tim Liddy at the onset of the new millennium, and his style can be seen in the sand hazards around the course (a style no doubt influenced by his work with Pete Dye). The final three holes will showcase deep, sandy collection areas right of the par three No. 16, as well as an interesting mosaic of sand along the right fairway of No. 17, with grass barriers separating what could have been one large bunker into much smaller and more frustrating hazards.

A visit to Battle Ground will not quite live up to the same stressors faced by the land’s historic inhabitants, but it may create a headache for the inaccurate golfer.