One of my worst rounds of 2025 took place on a course I immediately fell in love with: the Warren Course on the campus of Notre Dame.
It was the Friday morning of Labor Day weekend, the last day of welcome week, so the campus was still quiet when we arrived in South Bend, Indiana. But therein lies one of my favorite aspects of the Warren: it’s as close to campus as college education can be. The layout is located across the street from Notre Dame’s recreational fields, and just a few hundred yards from Dunne Hall, a student residence named after American golf baron Jimmy and his wife Susan. Before I even hit a tee shot, I was envious of that closeness. I went to UW-Madison, which has an equally great college, University Ridge, but it is ten miles from any other college.
We checked in at the pro shop, right in front of the husband of Notre Dame coaching legend Muffet McGraw, who enjoys her own time on the court here and there. During my 15 minutes inside, the phone rang constantly, and for good reason. Tee times can be made two weeks in advance, and we were two weeks away from Texas A&M’s football visit to Notre Dame Stadium. There was another nice aspect: the course is open on home game days, but with an all-in deal of $135. Instead of forcing the course staff to show up early, work all day and close late, the course schedules a morning start and closes in the afternoon. Customers can reserve a spot, play their 18 holes and then go straight to the stadium.
At the first tee is a classic Notre Dame totem, the Play Like a Champion Today sign – you get to hit it like an angry defensive end – and it feels appropriate once you’ve walked around the grounds. You have to work with your ball like a champion.
The front 9 asks you to play a draw from the 1st, then a fade from the 2nd. A draw on the 5th and a fade on the 6th. Then of course another draw on the 7th. No, you don’t literal You have to hit these shots, but this shift in boundaries forces different clubs in your hands and different thoughts in your head. Most holes are tree lined, but not circular. The trees are spread out, with grassy areas at the base, meaning you should be able to find your ball, but it will cost you a punch-out.
With top conditions befitting one of the wealthiest athletic institutions, it was not surprising that it was ranked as one of the best courses in Indiana, as well as in GOLF’s most recent Top 100 You Can Play: 85th. When you master a course with that variability, it feels like you’ve accomplished something greater than the score you earned. Since my score started with a 9 instead of an 8 or 7, I was clearly not cut out for that challenge that day.
#favorite