David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
David J Youngdahl
Moraine Country Club
Dayton, OH • Private
Moraine Country Club
4075 Southern Blvd Unit 1
Dayton, OH 45429-1199
United States
Overview
Nipper Campbell, one of the all-time great names in golf, was a prolific golf architect in Ohio, but is mainly remembered for his design of Moraine, where he also served briefly as head pro (he was also highly involved in the expansion of The Country Club in Brookline, site of the 2022 U.S. Open). As the name suggests, Moraine Country Club was created on glacial moraine topography, which over the years had become obscured by massive tree planting. Keith Foster, soft-spoken but carrying a big chainsaw, wiped out nearly all the trees to reveal all the domed hills that members had never noticed during play. Moraine sits right next door to NCR Country Club, which was built by Dick Wilson in the early 1950s. At the time, a Moraine assistant pro would sneak over and watch the construction progress. He finally told Wilson he’d like to get into that golf design business, so Dick hired him away. The assistant pro was Joe Lee.
About
Awards
Ranking history:
Second 100 Greatest: Ranked since 2019.
Highest ranking: 146th, 2023-'24.
2025-'26 ranking: 152nd.
(Course was listed on the original 1966 ranking of America's 200 Toughest Courses.)
Best in State: Ranked since 2017.
2025-'26 ranking (and previous): 7th.
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
“Great golf course with fantastic views and wonderful conditioning."
Read More2025
Review
“Moraine is a nice golf course just outside the top 10 golf courses in the State of Ohio. However, bring your "A" game because this is not a golf course for below average golfers. Deep bunkers surround many greens that can cause more than one "pick-up"."
Read More2025
Review
“Terrific classic golden age course. Great variety in the layout. Firm, fast, true conditions. Poor (and even mediocre) shots will be punished. Do your best to stay below the hole and NEVER short-side yourself!"
Read More2025
Review
“Amazing that Moraine and NCR back up to each other, literally touching property yet the two courses couldn't be more different. the land parcel for Moraine is interesting, you have holes 1-9 and 14-18 that run up and down the hillside with twisting fairways and elevated greens and then 10-13 that run down in the flats of the property, almost feels like two different courses. I also have to comment on the 3rd green and the 4th hole. Very interesting that they did not soften the hills during the redo as this could get unfair. For a normal player these holes could lead to huge numbers and really can be seen as unfair."
Read More2025
Review
“Incredible front nine set of different and dramatic holes. Fairways undulate and shift causing many tee shots to end up in same area. Greens quick, fair, but very challenging. Couple holes 10-12 are pretty pedestrian compared to rest of course. Good variety of distances on par 3s."
Read More2023
Review
“Classic era golf course expertly restored in 2016. Beautifully presented, it is a throwback to a time of strategic design using a variety of features to encourage shot making through the air and the ground. A must play in golf-rich Ohio."
Read More2022
Review
“Classic course with great elevation changes."
Read More2022
Review
“Moraine Country Club has been the beneficiary of a fantastic Keith Foster restoration. The work expanded greens, and took thousands of trees away to re-open vistas the membership had not seen in decades. The course takes great advantage of tremendous glacially-tilled land for golf, with sidehill lies, perched greens, and deep bunkers to navigate, all while the player enjoys vistas that put the course in the upper echelon of Midwestern golf. Unique also here is the commitment since the restoration to firmness. Many Midwestern layouts suffer from overwatering in response to elevated summer heat, but Moraine shows that healthy, firm turf can be maintained in the Midwest, adding another level of challenge. If this isn't one of America's top 50 courses, I don't know what is!"
Read More2022
Review
“Outstanding design from the Golden Era of golf course architecture. Great conditioning with firm, fast fairways and pure fast and true greens."
Read More2022
Review
“Lots of fun, with a very Scottish/Irish feel. A lot of elevation changes with humps and bumps in all the fairways. Amazing condition. Worth the trip!"
Read More2022
