Elbel Park Golf Course

8.6 mi

Golf and Notre Dame. A winning combination. The course is in great condition. Greens were firm and…read morefast. Fairways and tees pristine and the rough was lush. One note - they just had a college tourney and the heather is high. Staff was friendly and helpful. Just a pleasant place for a challenging round of golf. Go here and enjoy

One of the best courses in Michiana. Played in a veteran's event at Warren last month (July 2024)…read moreand the course was in terrific shape and the staff was extremely friendly and welcoming to our group.

Putting green

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Driving range

Blackthorn Golf Club

(14 reviews)

3.1 mi

Staff are great, course is in great shape. Unreal public experience in northern Indiana for only…read more$45.

Loved this place! Course was in great condition. Everyone was super friendly. Gotta love the…read moreMidwest!

Beautiful old barn on the course! Be sure to peek inside!

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Notre Dame Golf Course

4.2

8.3 mi

Top notch golf course. I wasn't expecting that much but was very surprised. This course sits on…read morecampus of Notre Dame and is open to the public. Everything was in top shape....bunkers, greens, and fairways, from tee to green. The employees were extremely friendly, laid back and welcoming. Such a warm welcome. The marshal even came by to see how we were enjoying ourselves, not to fuss about anything! I've passed by this course plenty of times and never have it a consideration but a friend invited me, and now i want to play it again. Carts had on board GPS and were in great shape. Range is available and well stocked snack shack inside.

Wish I could give 0 stars. My husband went there today to play golf at 910 and the club house…read moreattendant was extremely rude and disrespectful. He didn't want to put my husbands foursome on the course. He cursed at my husband several times. My husbands dad worked for Notre Dame for 30 years. He would be so disappointed the way the university treats people. I have lived in South Bend all my life and have never seen such disrespect from Notre Dame

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Lost Dunes Golf Club

3.0

(2 reviews)

16.7 mi

Caddied here for 10 years+. One of Tom Doaks best designs for the average golfer!! Caddie…read moremanager was stealing a lot of dough from the caddies and even though he was fired I recently found out they let him back to caddie!! ZERO INTEGRITY from Shearer and Golub who I believe own the course! Shearer couldn't even name the top five caddies out there by name when I worked there! Membership is loaded with great members is the other positive.

Great service and great location! Everything from the food to the golf course was absolutely…read moreamazing.

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A beautiful day for golf

Juday Creek Golf Course

2.6

(12 reviews)

11.9 mi

Let me start by saying my brother in law and I used to play in a league here. While the course was…read morenever in great shape, it was never as awful as it was today. We booked through their website, a tee time before 8am as it was only $34. Upon arriving the lady at the shed - in place of a clubhouse - informed us that their website is wrong and we could either pay an extra $20 or go somewhere else (how kind). It's 4th of July, we figured no shot of getting a tee time somewhere else. So we paid the extra $20 each (plus the cc convenience fee) and went on our way. The condition of the course was almost more embarrassing than the tent clubhouse or porta potty bathrooms. Rough next to a fairway was 5" long looking like it wasn't mowed in weeks. Fairways with giant divot holes everywhere, greens with un-repaired ball marks and old cup locations leaving giant brown dead spots in the green. I would not recommend this course to anyone. Had we of only paid $30 a piece I could maybe understand that we got what we paid for, but no way would I pay $50+. There are plenty of MUCH better courses in the area.

Awesome course great prices...for the moment. Wouldn't be surprised if they raise prices once their…read morenew clubhouse is built. Always ready to accommodate golfers on busy days and great course for the price.

Greens unmaintained with old holes showing giant brown spots.

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Standing water with no rain in over a week.

Knollwood Country Club

3.7

(15 reviews)

9.9 mi

The restaurant service was borderline my filet was so undercooked was blood red raw inside when…read moreordered well done and appetizer delayed so lunch came out almost same time as dinner and were neglected until host had to take drink order as tables after we came were served.

The review is so far from being accurate. Jon and the grounds crew do an admirable job of…read moremaintaining the courses. Greens are exceptional and overall the course is in great shape especially considering the lack of rain. Regarding the members, Andrew could not be more wrong. I have been a member for almost a year and every member that I have met and/or played golf with are nice people who deeply care about the course. Before joining Knollwood, I spent considerable time reviewing my options. Knollwood hands down offers the most variety (golf, tennis, pickle ball, swimming) than any other CC in the region. I highly recommend Knollwood to anyone thinking of joining a club. Jeff File

This is clumping from mowing the rough. It rarely will be dispersed and it usually sits until the next mowing the following week.

Let's do this

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This operator chose to skip mowing all tees and causes inconsistent playing conditions. No attention to detail from half the crew.

Birch Tree Golf Course

4.5

(2 reviews)

7.7 mi

Great food, the soft shell crab Po boy is wonderful! The service is good, and the menu offers a…read moregreat selection of dishes at reasonable prices.

Above and beyond service! Great pizza too. I was having a birthday party nearby the Billy Goat on…read moreSaturday. When the food we planned to serve was ruined 30 minutes before the party was to start, we "checked it to pizza." A friend suggested the Billy Goat, and I'm glad I called. They do not deliver pizza on the weekends, just weekdays. However, whoever I spoke to on the phone could sense the urgency in my voice and offered to deliver to our location. I ordered 4 pizzas and they had them delivered hot within 35 minutes! Everyone at the party (25 or so people) were commenting about how good the pizza was. My only suggestion would be to increase the quantity of toppings to the pizzas, but they are still deliciously hot and cheesy. We will for sure be back, and so will our friends.

Soft shell crab PO Boy! Excellent!!

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Studebaker Golf Course

9.7 mi

Awesome to have a great little public course, right in the city. Very walkable, but you can rent…read morepull carts, or power. My grandson just finished a junior golf camp, and was happy to show what he learned. Didn't lose many, and he chipped in from 10 yds out for a bogie, and jumped for joy! Great place for kids to learn the game. And this summer, kids play FREE. Studebaker's celebrating 100 year anniversary in 2019! (It is located next to the Riley High School athletic fields.)

Although it is only nine holes, mostly Par 3s, it is a very nice and simple course. Great place to…read moreplay with friends on calm occasions like Friday afternoons to begin the weekend.

Bent Oak Golf Club

21.9 mi

Great course. Good people. Nice. Little hot out on the course today but. It too bad…read more Over near south Elkhart and pretty easy to get to. Course is well groomed and some of the greens are narrow but pretty forgiving overall.

Course was nicely maintained and the staff was friendly…read more Only loss 3 balls because of the hills. Enjoy!

Bent Oak Golf Course and Restaurant

Bent Oak Golf Course

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Swan Lake Golf Club

3.0

(4 reviews)

24.0 mi

Great time with the fireworks, how they cater to the community. I thank you for that. I grew up in…read morethat area and now live in Florida and retired. We come back and stay at yogi and we enjoy being with swan.Lake restaurant bar love the restaurant when it was the bar walked in and it was in front a very catering to the community. Now it's there. Berry pricey for the area I feel when it was the old bar and the restaurant? Everybody loved it very good food. Very good people, and it was down-to-earth for the community. We stayed out there many times in the wintertime. To see our family for Christmas are emergency area.

The service was very good. The food was ok. The chicken had a sweet type of something in it and is…read morewas ok but another type of dressing would've been better. The venue was lovely

Potawatomi Park

(9 reviews)

10.0 mi

This is a nice park. The playground is big, and there are a number of fun things to play on/with,…read moreincluding slides (multiple), bridges, a rock wall, tunnels and more. It's all very colorful and fun. There's also a splash pad with multiple water features, and it's located in a nice shady spot with benches all around. Shade! Around a splash pad! This seems to be a rare thing nowadays, but yes, there is shade here. As a parent, that's probably what I like this park: There is always somewhere shady to sit or stand. This park also had a gigantic roofed overhand area with benches for big parties. When we visited, there was a church party going on. There is also a little rain garden on the outer edge of the park, which was a welcome sight. I love when parks make the effort to incorporate native plants into their park spaces. It doesn't go unnoticed, and it's greatly appreciated! Potawatomi Park is directly outside of Potawatomi Zoo. The two share a parking lot, so it might be a drag to find parking on busy days.

Went to a picnic in this park. Big grounds and lots of room for multiple groups to have picnics…read more Also right next to the zoo in case you want another activity to do. Bathrooms are kind of far away depending on where you are at the park.

Playground

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Blackthorn Golf Club

(14 reviews)

3.1 mi

Staff are great, course is in great shape. Unreal public experience in northern Indiana for only…read more$45.

Loved this place! Course was in great condition. Everyone was super friendly. Gotta love the…read moreMidwest!

Beautiful old barn on the course! Be sure to peek inside!

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St. Joseph's Lake

3.3

7.9 mi

St. Joseph's Lake Recently a really cool nice Yelper John…read moreS. of San Francisco Communicated with me regarding my posts on places on and around the University of Notre Dame Campus. He is amazing with so much information that has helped me. He's an Encyclopedia of Notre Dame! I'm going by my senior citizen memories and old photos. He geared me to the St. Joseph's Lake page for my incorrectly posted Lake photos. That being said I love being out in nature and around bodies of water. When my daughter and I spent time together at the university a walk to the lake was a great escape. I'm sure during my many visits in four years I visited other lakes near the campus. If you live in South Bend, go to the university, or you are visiting like me then by all means take in the lake activities and spend time hiking or walking around St. Joseph's Lake. Highly recommended.

I'm not sure why I didn't realize this was a separate lake the first time I visited Notre Dame when…read moreI was in high school in 1993. Or maybe I did realize it, but St. Mary's Lake just held a particular sway for me. In any case, St. Joseph's Lake is probably more beautiful than its westerly cousin--er, (unconsummated) spouse? I say "probably" because it depends on what you like. If you'd rather walk around a mostly flat path without trees obstructing your view, then St. Mary's Lake is your girl. But if you like changing elevations, paths that sometimes take strange turns, and the wonder of a mysterious island with a locked gate, then St. Joseph's Lake is your boy. Yes, I know, both lakes have islands; and technically, St. Mary's Lake has more of them, but one of St. Joseph's Lake's islands is connected to the shore by a footpath, and there's this weird gate that's usually locked, although if you don't mind getting wet, it's pretty easy to get around. (Believe me, I know.) If the weather's particularly nice, you can rent a boat and sail around the lake. I never did this, but when my brother was in town for my graduation, he really wanted to. The lake is strange during the winter because it doesn't freeze. Why not? Well, Notre Dame has its own power plant (coal-fired, unfortunately), which is cooled by St. Joseph's Lake. After the water is used, it is pumped back into the lake, which ensures that the water is always too warm to freeze. This causes quite a lot of confusion for the local waterfowl. Normally, ducks and geese fly south for the winter, and this is largely the case for Notre Dame's ducks and geese. But even in the middle of winter, you'll find some ducks swimming around St. Joseph's Lake, and I often wonder whether this ruins their natural instincts. I'm not very athletic, but if I were, I would be one of those people who run around this lake and then St. Mary's Lake in what seems like a decently challenging but also relaxing jog. If you're a woman and you choose to run around St. Joseph's Lake, you should probably bring some mace along. I've never felt unsafe walking around the lake, even in the middle of the night in really cold weather, but it is kind of spooky, and there are a lot of places to hide.

Posted with review and hopefully John will let me know if I'm wrong. Thx John. 01/06/25

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Posted with review and hopefully John will let me know if I'm wrong. Thx John. 01/06/25

Elbel Park Golf Course - golf - Updated August 2026

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Blackthorn Golf Club

(14 reviews)

Staff are great, course is in great shape. Unreal public experience in northern Indiana for only…read more$45.

Loved this place! Course was in great condition. Everyone was super friendly. Gotta love the…read moreMidwest!

Indian Lake Hills Golf Course

3.8

(10 reviews)

I'd rather off myself then eat another bit of that disgusting cat food they call a brat. Good golf…read moretho

Overbook teetimes, made a group of 6 wait over an hour because there weren't enough carts for them…read moreto take out. Pro shop did not offer any consolation or percentage off the booking. Round of golf then took about 7 hours to finish

The Village of Grand Beach

3.2

I've been playing this course for 58 years and it's always been okay for a fun afternoon round. I…read moreheard that the village brought someone in to make improvements. The greens were the best that I remember but the rest of the course was just awful. I know it's Grand Beach and don't expect it to be Augusta but come on. You have a big lake very close by maybe you could water the grass. If you water grass it will grow. The village has money and water is cheap. $36 for 9 holes?

i enjoyed it! went on a friday early afternoon. no waits. everybody super friendly. nice…read morebeginner/casual course for the unitiated especially.

Legacy Hills Golf Club

3.3

(6 reviews)

Best greens in the area. Very well maintained. Best driving range in the area. Well stocked pro…read moreshop for all of your golfing needs. Great restaurant.

Love this course! Beautiful landscape and well kept fairways and greens. We'll always go back. The…read morestaff is friendly and always helpful. It would be great if the port-a-potty was better maintained :-(. Also, by having a choice of wine in the cart that has plenty of beer, Legacy Hills would signal more clearly that female golfers are welcome. La Porte is an understated spot in the area - golfing there is a pleasure!

Beechwood Golf Course

3.4

Nice course. Old course with mature trees. Greens were good. Fairways are a little wet and soggy…read morebecause it's built on a peat bog. Prices are good. Only complaint is that it's always wet there. No roll. Other than that it's a value.

Great course but experienced a MAJOR issue today. Was the 2nd tee-time in the afternoon after a…read moremorning outing. The first group was a 5-some at 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon. As we caught them on #2 tee they drove off and no thought of letting a smaller group play through. Called the pro shop and they said the pro let them do it since they were playing in the city championship. Waited on every hole almost every shot. Unacceptable!

Dunes Club Clubhouse

5.0

(1 review)

Special place for golf and understanding the history here…read more Special 9 holes for the members where they adjust the pins and tee boxes for your 2nd 9 holes. Clubhouse is super simple and food is simple and spectacular. Layout is challenging and pine valley like with long holes, deeply wooded areas, and challenging greens. It was an honor to be there

Diamond Lake Golf Club

3.0

Golf course welcomes golfers of all skill levels with very reasonable prices and a family feel…read more The last time we visited the staff offered to drive out drinks to our location on the course. No other golf course that I know of where one can enjoy an incredible ice cream treat after an enjoyable round of golf.

Went to the ice cream place at the golf club and not only were masks not required but the workers…read morewere not wearing any (which is technically illegal in Michigan) the lady was kinda nice and the ice cream tasted like regular ice cream. The prices were good and they seemed to have good outdoor seating if it hadn't had just rained. Overall definitely won't come back during COVID.

Captain Mike's Fun Park

3.9

(36 reviews)

fun fun fun I do not recommend the bumper boats, though the engines get too hot. But go carting is…read morethe best.

All we did was the putt putt but it was a great course. Well kept and very clean. The waterfall was…read morenice and there were some water obstacles on the holes.

Strikes & Spares Entertainment Center

3.6

(38 reviews)

We went Monday night after Christmas (2021), and was not surprised at how busy the place was! This…read moreplace had bowling, bumper cars, and a mini arcade. We had to wait about 30 minutes for a bowling lane to free up. There was a bar where we grabbed a few drinks while we waited. Plenty of open seating. Staff was friendly, and went around keeping tables clean between patrons. The bowling lanes themselves seemed to have been recently updated. However, the TVs must have been from the 2010s because most of them had display issues which made the scoring hard to see. Thankfully, each lane had also a touch screen display that showed the scores of each player so you did not have to rely on the overhead TV. The bowling shoes were run down as you would expect from a bowling alley. We also ordered some nachos (decent) and fried pickles (very salty) at the food counter. Overall, a decent experience.

AWFUL LANES! Upon paying EXTREMELY OVERPRICED fares for 3 people (66 dollars) OC lanes is a…read morefraction of the price, annoying intolerable music, kids screaming. When confronted for their extremely over oiled lanes, oiled to the point where it was physically impossible to get any spin on the ball, the staff stated that the lanes were so oily because they where just oiled today. This is not an excuse. Lanes being freshly oiled should not be this slippery. The balls were so gross that they could not even be held. Multiple people in our group and on the lanes around us dropped the balls on their approach even when held perfectly. DONT COME HERE!

Potawatomi Park