Courtesy of Victoria National
Courtesy of Victoria National GC
Victoria National Golf Club
Newburgh, IN • Private
Victoria National Golf Club
2000 Victoria National Blvd
Newburgh, IN 47630-8488
United States
Overview
Built atop Peabody Coal Company’s long-abandoned Victoria strip mine in southern Indiana, Victoria National was a simple routing for Tom Fazio. He just followed the corridors (the perfect width for fairways) that existed between mining spoil mounds (long since overgrown with trees) and some 40 acres of fingery lagoons that had formed as steam shovels carving out coal deposits hit the water table. Chosen as Best New Private Course of 1999, Victoria National stunned most panelists. One gushed it was, “the most unusual, unpolished and unpretentious Fazio design ever.” Another called it, “probably the hardest Fazio course I’ve played. More penal than Pine Valley.” Fazio concurred with that assessment. “It’s U.S. Open-quality now,” he said soon after it opened. “If the wind blew, it’d be too hard.”
About
Awards
Ranking history:
100 Greatest: Ranked since 2001.
Highest ranking: 21st, 2005-'06.
Previous ranking: 53rd.
2025-'26 ranking: 60th.
Best in State: Ranked first since 2001.
2025-'26 ranking: 1st.
Panelists
Ratings from our panel of 1,900 course-ranking panelists
100 GREATEST/BEST IN STATE SCORES
Shot Options
Character
Challenge
Layout Variety
Fun
Aesthetics
Conditioning
Reviews
Review
“Visually stunning course hole to hole that was cut out of an old strip mine in the late 1990's. Conditioning has suffered over the years in this location with wall to wall bent grass. Very difficult hole to hole, if one misses a shot it usually will result in a double bogey or worst."
Read More2026
Review
“Visually stunning course hole to hole that was cut out of an old strip mine in the late 1990's. Conditioning has suffered over the years in this location with wall to wall bent grass. Very difficult hole to hole, if one misses a shot it usually will result in a double bogey or worst."
Read More2026
Review
“A real test of golf! Excellent separation of holes where each stood alone without distractions. Cart paths well hidden. Detraction was 3 of 4 par 5's played in the same compass direction. What variety of holes and looks. Danger everywhere. Played better the second time after getting to know the layout. Better forecaddies could have explained things more completely. Would be anxious to return."
Read More2026
Review
“Probably too hard to be enjoyable. It’s a test!"
Read More2026
Review
“It’s HARD, probably too hard to be enjoyable."
Read More2026
Review
“One of the most difficult courses I have ever played. Dramatic do-or-die shots with lost balls and double bogies waiting on almost every hole."
Read More2026
Review
“Dramatic rolling property. One of the most challenging courses I have played. Many do-or die shots limit shot options. Turfed with bent grass which is extremely difficult to maintain on this property. This creates a soft playing surface dramatically increasing playing distances and limiting rollout and limiting shot options."
Read More2026
Review
“One of Tom Fazio's best designs. Well worth its top 100 ranking."
Read More2026
Review
“I have played almost all of Tom Fazio's best designs in the United States. I think Victoria National may be his best work. It is seamlessly carved out of an old coal mine with a variety of interesting holes. Further, Mr. Fazio's use of the hills and fingerlike waterways creates a very intimate playing experience. Victoria National is a bold, challenging golf course. Some may criticize it as being too difficult, which I has some warrant. However, I think this is largely due to the high fescue grasses being so close to the fairways. Pulling it back in some areas to create more playability would be an easy fix and still not detract from the greatness of this golf course. Rarely do you play a golf course that provides one exhilarating golf hole after another, but that is Victoria National."
Read More2026
Review
“Target golf in southwest Indiana. Very challenging!"
Read More2026
