Athens Country Club

Athens Country Club is a private club on Country Club Road, in the hills southwest of downtown Athens, Ohio. Its nine-hole course plays 3,123 yards from the White/Blue tees, to a par of 36 on the men's card and 38 on the women's, which counts the 3rd and 9th as par 5s. Forward tee sets bring it down to 2,465 yards from the Black/Red tees. The holes run through corridors of pine over sloping ground, with tight fairways and bent grass on the greens, tees and fairways. Ponds sit in front of the 5th green and beside the 7th and 8th. Bunkering is light: the 3rd green has none, and several holes have a single bunker. The longest hole is the 509-yard 2nd, a par 5 that bends left, and the 408-yard 3rd, also a dogleg left, is stroke index 1 on the men's card. The club has a clubhouse with dining, rebuilt after a 1983 fire and dedicated in 1985, a swimming pool and a golf academy. Ohio University's men's and women's golf teams practise here. The course closes from January 1 to the end of February, when walking is still allowed. A state historical marker beside the clubhouse records the September 1958 exhibition at which Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus first played together.