On a beautiful, cool Sunday morning, an average duffer attempts a shot out of the bunker on the 15th hole at the Ohio State Golf Club’s Scarlet Course and blades it across the green into the streets. Mired in frustration, the duffer beats the club into the sand several times, cursing.
The frustration set in the golfer’s mind is one of the nagging problems the conditions of the two OSU golf courses, Gray and Scarlet, create. Located in Upper Arlington, both courses were designed and created by Alister MacKenzie, a renowned architect, and have been in existance for nearly 70 years.
While many people praise the beauty of the courses, some say the problems outweigh the positives there.
“I think the course is good, but there could be improvements to the course – finer details that can make the course the best it can be,” said Chris Walsh, head professional at the OSU golf club.
He said the course had a lot of things that needed to be fixed: The bunkers need to be groomed, tighter cuts are necessary on the fairways and the greens require top dressing with sand to make them smoother.
Assistant golf pro Jason Bucci said he agreed with Walsh but decided to take it a little bit further.
“I think the whole ‘feel’ needs to be improved on an aesthetic standpoint. The cart paths need to be professionally done. Some tee boxes need landscaping, and so on,” Bucci said.
After some more thought, Bucci also voiced a personal desire for the putting greens to be redesigned to be made more difficult.
“The budget is quite healthy here. A lot of people assume the budget is low, but that is not true,” he said. “The problem is a combination of the older members and the grounds crew. The older members play both courses regularly, rarely playing other courses in the Columbus area. They are afraid that if changes were made to the course, the prices will be spiked, and they won’t be able to afford to spend money to play the courses. Because they do not play the other courses, they have no idea how good they have become with changes.”
The grounds crew did not escape criticism, either.
“The grounds crew is not aggressive in their approach and only want to do bare minimum work,” Bucci said. “Unfortunately, nothing is being done. I think we may have to wait for a new president or athletic director who is a golf nut and will recognize our problems.”
Despite the criticism about the courses from Walsh and Bucci, hope remains regarding improvement of the facility.
The golf courses remain popular among students and faculty, including alumni. Memberships are offered, but they are best for those who play the course often. Memberships aren’t hard to get – students are offered a yearly package for $550, which includes unlimited play, the privilege of inviting three guests to play and use of the practice faculties.
Walsh said students and faculty should purchase memberships only if they play the courses regularly – a one-day fee of $14 and $18 applies respectively for the Scarlet and Gray courses.
“They might as well pay the fee of $14 for the Gray course and $18 for the Scarlet course,” Walsh said.
Bob Keller, a former resident adviser at Baker East, said the golf courses offer an opportunity to make a player a better golfer.
“When the greens are rolling true, they force you to putt well, and in turn it makes you learn how to be a better putter as well as a golfer.” Keller said.
The two courses vary in distance and difficulty. The Gray course is shorter compared to the Scarlet, and the layout of the Scarlet is tougher than the Gray.
“They are so different,” Walsh explained. “The Gray course works on a golfer’s short irons, and the Scarlet works on more of the long irons and everything else that you would want a championship course to do.”
