Columbus, Ohio
The Gray Course at Ohio State delivers classic MacKenzie strategy and artistry in a walkable, player-friendly package. This is a must for architecture aficionados and anyone seeking golden-age design without the intimidation factor—a regional classic that rewards skill and smarts.
The starter’s hut holds vintage photos from the 1940 Patty Berg-Chick Evans exhibition—sneak a look for a piece of Gray’s living history.
The Gray Course is a compact expression of golden-age MacKenzie strategy, woven across campus-adjacent, undulating ground. It offers a rich mix of short, scorable par 4s, shrewdly defended par 3s, and enticing par 5s. The layout is anchored by cunningly sloped greens and clever bunkering, rewarding anyone who thinks several shots ahead. Unlike many university tracks, Gray’s feel is less about brute championship length and more about extracting value from angles, lies, and subtleties—true to MacKenzie's original vision.
The MacKenzie-Maxwell combination is rare: here, the seamless handoff gives the Gray a genuine time-capsule quality.
A sweeping par 5 that tempts longer hitters to reach the green in two, this hole’s fairway movement and well-placed bunkers create pivotal decision points from tee to green.
Aggressive players can cut distance but must judge layup zones and approach angles carefully to avoid hidden trouble.
Poorly struck layups flirt with cross-bunkers, and overcooked second shots leave a tricky up-and-down from MacKenzie’s subtle green slopes.
Solid turf and green conditioning year-round befitting a prominent university setting.
Typically smooth, but can ebb and flow with student play and league bookings.
Welcoming, collegiate, and historic—the course operates as a public-access haven with just enough big-time program buzz.
Standard golf attire expected; check for posted OSU golf club rules if in doubt.
Several sub-330-yard par 4s and six diverse par 3s demand sharp wedge and iron play for scoring.
MacKenzie's influence means many greens have subtle fall-offs and tiers—walk your putt lines before hitting.
The layout rewards restraint off the tee, so set up tee club gapping to suit the Gray’s many 280–320 yard par 4s.
Alister MacKenzie outlines design for Ohio State's 36-hole complex
Scarlet Course opens as part of the new OSU golf project
Gray Course opens, completing the dual-course vision
Dedication celebrated with Patty Berg and Chick Evans exhibition
The Gray Course is one of the last course projects for which Alister MacKenzie provided original routing before his passing, and it holds a special posthumous place among his works, completed with Perry Maxwell’s on-the-ground stewardship. Golf architecture fans make pilgrimages here to catch the final notes of MacKenzie's genius.
The opening ceremony brought golf icons Patty Berg and Chick Evans to inaugurate the Gray Course in 1940, turning the first shots ever played into a public spectacle and campus legend. It set the tone for a course built to blend top-tier play with university tradition.
While the Scarlet Course next door has seen Nicklaus-led redesign and restoration, the Gray remains almost untouched and truer to its original MacKenzie lines. Golfers comparing both find Gray’s subtle touches and shot values a quiet revelation.
Gray’s design was mapped by MacKenzie during the Great Depression but completed posthumously.
The course’s dedication exhibition included two Hall of Fame players, rare for the era.
Unlike the Scarlet, Gray has never undergone a full-scale redesign or restoration.
The course is one of the few university-owned MacKenzie routings in America.
With just 5,800 yards from its main tee, scoring low is about angles and placement, not length.
Tour prestige and Jack Nicklaus’s signature test
Top public-access championship in the state
High-value, scenic option with strong ratings
Casual experience, ideal for an easy extra round
Columbus’s most exclusive high-end layout
Stay in downtown Columbus or the Upper Arlington/Grandview area for fast access to both Ohio State and the wider golf corridor.
Courses with the most similar DNA profile — matched by deviation shape across all eight playing characteristics.
Why it matches: If The Ohio State University Golf Club - Gray Course is your kind of course, Arizona Biltmore Golf Club – Adobe Course is worth a look because it moves through the round with the same walkable flow.
Why it matches: There is real overlap here. The Kanawha Club has a similarly satisfying rhythm on foot, making it a compelling counterpart to The Ohio State University Golf Club - Gray Course.
Why it matches: Clearwater Country Club is a natural next stop after The Ohio State University Golf Club - Gray Course: it has a similarly satisfying rhythm on foot.
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