Double Eagle Club

The late John Henderson McConnell, founder of the Worthington Industries steel company, established a private hideaway for friends and staff on former farmland near the state capital of Ohio with a view to using it as a fishing retreat.

He later invited the design partnership of Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish to transform part of the 300-acre site into a top quality private golf course and that’s exactly what they did, with the 18-hole Double Eagle course opening to critical acclaim in 1991.

Although mature trees surround the property, the layout actually has a relatively open feel to it with holes routed around some lovely natural ravines and ponds. And because the fairways lie on the land as it was found, there’s no trickery or sleight of hand to be found in the design.

A round here really gets going on the long par four 5th, where the approach across a ravine to a small target is bound to get the pulse racing. The 9th hole ends the front nine in fine style, featuring as it does a split fairway and enormous, spectacle sand traps in advance of the green.

Water plays more of a part in proceedings on the inward half, especially on the final two holes. The penultimate hole is a driveable par four beside a lake where trouble can be avoided by taking the safer bail out wide of the water. On the last hole, the fairway is divided by a central bunker, creating separate landing areas from where an approach across water can be made to the home green.