One of my worst rounds of 2025 came on a course I instantly fell in love with – the Warren Course on the campus at Notre Dame.
It was 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 Warren—it’s as close to campus as the undergraduate courses. The layout is located just across the street from the fields of Notre Dame, and just a few hundred meters from Dunne Hall, a dormitory named American golf baron Jimmy and his wife, Susan. Before I even hit a shot, I was already jealous of that closeness. I attended UW-Madison, which has an equally great university course, University Ridge, but it’s nine miles from any other university building.
We checked into the pro shop, just ahead of the husband of Notre Dame coaching legend Muffet McGraw, who enjoys her time on the course here and there. During my 15 minutes inside, the phone was constantly ringing, and with good reason. Game times can be made up to two weeks in advance, and we were two weeks away from Texas A&M football’s visit to Notre Dame Stadium. There was another cool aspect: the course is open on home game days, but with a general deal, $135. Instead of having course staff show up early, work all day and close late, the course schedules a shotgun start in the morning and closes in the afternoon. Patrons can reserve a seat, get their 18 holes and head straight to the stadium afterwards.
Near the first tee is a classic Notre Dame totem, the “Play Like a Champion Today” sign — you’re welcome to hit it like an angry defensive end — and it feels appropriate after you’ve circled the property. You have to work the ball like a champion.
;)
The front 9 requires you to play a draw from the first, then a fade off from the second. A draw on the 5th and a fade on the 6th. Then, of course, another draw on the 7th. No, you don’t literally 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 lined with trees, but not in the round. The trees are flat, with beds of grass at their base, meaning you should be able to find your ball, but it will cost you a punch.
With top-notch facilities befitting one of athletics’ wealthiest institutions, it was no surprise to find it ranked as one of best courses in indianabut also in the latest 100 GOLF you can play: 85. Whenever you own a course with that variability, it feels like you accomplished something bigger than whatever score you scored. Considering my score started with a 9 and not an 8 or 7, I wasn’t prepared for that challenge that day.
