Louisville Country Club

Walter Travis is well-known among American golf course architecture aficionados for a number of bold designs on the East Coast, however he rarely got much further inland. The membership at Louisville Country Club can boast to play the westernmost remaining Travis original.

The club remains faithfully rooted in the original design, despite dabbling by William Diddel during the mid-’50s. This is thanks to early work from Keith Foster and Kevin Hargrave, now renowned for their restoration work at other championship courses. This old-fashioned sensibility comes with an old-fashioned scorecard, tipping out at just more than 6,600 yards.

Although this may make par fives more reachable, the short holes will help to add some sting for what the course lacks in length. A number of the par three greens are do-or-die targets; No. 9 is an 190-yard carry over a natural valley, to a green perched like a Donald Ross “volcano.” A number of the short par fours are equally demanding for those bold enough to pull driver. No. 12 is a mere 290 yards, but a centerline bunker means those who come up just short might not even get a birdie putt, much less one for eagle.