Pure golf on rolling, wooded hills

Stonelick Hills Golf Club

Batavia, Ohio

Amp Score
7.4
Established
2004
Architect
Jeff Osterfeld
Access
Public
Par
Par 72
Length
5,145 – 7,145 yds
The verdict

Strategic, scenic, and superbly conditioned

Stonelick Hills offers one of the Cincinnati area’s most enjoyable public rounds—a hilly, wooded layout where shot-making, not sheer length, rules the day. You’ll enjoy pure golf off the map of real estate, with fast greens and smartly routed holes laying out risk and reward.

Course DNA
Difficulty82
Scenery86
Conditioning93
Shot Variety88
Walkability70
Green Complexity79
Architectural Interest73
At a glance

Quick facts

Location
Batavia, Ohio (near Cincinnati)
Opened
2004
Designer
Jeff Osterfeld
Par
72
Yardage
7,145 yds (back tees)
Slope / Rating
133 / 73.9 (tips)
Access
Public
Green Fee
$110
The lore

How it came to be

  1. 2004

    Stonelick Hills opens, conceived as a pure golf-only project

  2. 2004

    Founder Jeff Osterfeld (of Penn Station East Coast Subs) designs every hole and bunker

  3. 2008

    Rapidly develops strong regional reputation for conditioning and layout

  4. 2012

    Local newspapers call it "the best in the county"

  5. 2018

    Course guide and strategy resources expanded online

Stories & legends

What makes it special

Origins

From Subs to Subtle Doglegs

Stonelick Hills is the passion project of Jeff Osterfeld, a sandwich shop entrepreneur who poured his resources into creating a pure golf experience. Forgoing the real estate trend, he designed every hole himself – and still personally tweaks the course to this day.

Wildlife

Buffalo on the Back Nine

Reviewers are charmed by the sight of live buffalo just outside the property—a quirky touch that adds to the authentic, local feel. A glimpse of these gentle beasts reminds you this is Ohio, not just any golf corridor.

Philosophy

No Houses, Just Tee Boxes

Unlike most modern courses, Stonelick Hills has no homes ringing its fairways. Its founder rejected real estate plans, devoting the entire property to pure, uninterrupted golf.

The design

The architecture

Stonelick Hills is a labor of love, conceived by Jeff Osterfeld to strip away distractions and deliver authentic, pure golf. The routing cleverly exploits the rolling, wooded terrain, winding between ponds, lakes, and elevation changes to keep every hole distinctive. Osterfeld’s course, while not professionally pedigreed, surprises with strategic nuance—balancing risk and reward, especially on the back nine and in the five-par-5, five-par-3 arrangement. Conditioning is excellent, greens are fast and honest, and each hole feels thought-out for maximum enjoyment.

Jeff Osterfeld personally designed every hole, making Stonelick Hills his golf magnum opus.

Defining features
  • Heavily wooded corridors
  • Numerous ponds and lakes
  • Balanced mix: five par 3s and five par 5s
  • Climactic closing stretch
  • Fast, pristine greens
  • Strategic landing areas and risk/reward options
Hole by hole

Signature holes

Hole 9

The Risk/Reward Pinnacle

PAR
5
YARDAGE
510–559 yds

This dramatic par 5 marks the front nine’s crescendo: your tee shot skirts water on the right, with a bold chance to go for the green in two over a lake. It's no accident—the risk is exhilarating, and the reward is real.

Play it smart

Aggressive drives can set up a bold second, but smart players lay back for a safe wedge.

Where it bites

Miss right off the tee or overcook your second, and you’re wet—layups are never wrong here.

Course management

Shots to think about

Attacking the 9th green in two
Only go for it if you have a perfect angle and no wind—otherwise, lay up short of the lake.
Short par 4s (7 and 16)
Trust your wedge play unless you’re absolutely confident in your driver accuracy.
Long par 3s (6 & 17)
Club up, play to the fat of the green, and walk away content with par.
Par 5 second shots
Smart layups beat forced heroics—don’t let eagerness cost you a lost ball.
Downhill tee shots
Adjust yardage for elevation—shots can carry further than you expect.
Wind swirling by the lakes
Double-check the flag and treetops before picking your club.
On the day

What to expect

Conditions

Exceptional conditioning—firm fairways and fast greens

Pace

Fast for a public course; usually under 4.5 hours

Vibe

Golf-forward, welcoming, not stuffy

Build the trip

Building a Cincinnati golf trip around Stonelick

CourseAccessWhy it's on the listTrip
Shaker Run Golf Club
Public

A strong public companion with destination-caliber variety and a fun, playable routing.

Camargo Club
Private

The area's preeminent classic private architecture for a bucket-list round—if you can secure an invite.

Kenwood Country Club
Private

Longtime local favorite with a championship pedigree.

Walden Ponds Golf Club
Public

Friendly layout and public-accessible, good for a lower-stress encore round.

Milford or northeast Cincinnati for quickest access to both Stonelick Hills and the region’s best clubs

Before you tee off

Your game plan

01

Study the Course Guide

Use Stonelick’s online guide to plan your start and highlight risk/reward holes in advance.

02

Bring Your A-Game Wedges

Short par 4s and reachable par 5s mean wedge play swings scoring.

03

Prep for Elevation Changes

Practice clubbing and shaping shots up- and downhill; the hills matter.

Watch

See it before you play it

For the group chat

Fun facts

1

Created by the founder of Penn Station East Coast Subs

2

Sometimes buffalo graze beside the fairways

3

No homes line the course—just pure golf

4

Five par 5s and five par 3s create a unique balance

5

Osterfeld continues course tweaks every season

The clubhouse

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