We drove through Michigan yesterday and made it to Northern Indiana, where we stayed on Monday night. Yep that’s right – left Dallas on Friday after work, drove to Ann Arbor and then turned back west for a Tuesday round in Indiana.
Our Indiana course was Lost Marsh Golf Course, which is only about half an hour from Chicago – without any traffic. Out of the courses we played over our five days on the road Lost Marsh turned out to be one of my favorites. There seems to be no shortage of quality golf courses in Chicagoland and I look forward to a return trip in the future to stay longer.
Lost Marsh is located along a lake in an industrial area and as you might imagine, there is a lot of water. A LOT of water. Actually the water is only in play on probably seven holes, but lost ball trouble is found in other parts of the course. Overall the course has a target golf feel to it and opens with five dramatic, interesting and potentially controversial golf holes. These five holes are signature holes that play around the edge of the lake.
We played from the tournament tees which are 73.4/132/6766. From there the 1st hole is a short, 340 yard par-4. It plays slightly downhill and hitting the tee shot more than maybe 175 yards brings water into play on both sides of the fairway. The green sits on a peninsula out in the water and there is a steep drop on each side.
The 2nd is a long par-3 (189 yards) over water with island-style tee boxes while the 3rd is a long par-4 (474 yards). The 3rd has two forced carries to another fairway that drops off steeply into water guarding both sides. The 4th is a shorter par-5, but requires carrying the water three times. Out of bounds is to the left and the lake is to the right. Finally, the 5th looks like an easy birdie on the scorecard as the fairway widens as you get closer to the green but then the lake cuts in short of the green. The green is basically an island in the marsh.
The rest of the holes at Lost Marsh are more wooded and “normal”, but still have quirky angles and doglegs to make things tough. The final four holes are difficult as well with more forced carries and the long 469 yard par-4 18th.
The course was in great shape, especially for the $60 green fee. The fairways and tees were full with hardly any divots. The greens were pure and a medium pace. The rough was gnarly and tough to play from. The bunkers were crusty with some rocks and the only so-so part of the conditions.
Lost Marsh isn’t a course everyone will enjoy but I thought it was a great find on our road trip. The first five holes are unique and borderline insane. I think those holes push it into hidden gem status. I couldn’t afford to play here for every round (as I’d need a half dozen balls for each round!), but if you are looking for a convenient travel course along I-90 or I-94 then Lost Marsh gets my vote.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):