Moraine Country Club
Dayton, OH • Private
Jon Cavalier
Jon Cavalier
Jon Cavalier
Jon Cavalier
Jon Cavalier
Jon Cavalier
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 The Country Club in Brookline, site of the 2022 U.S. Open). As the name suggests, it 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 previously 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.
Current ranking: 146th.
Previous ranking: 177th.
Highest ranking: 146th, 2023-'24.
(Course was listed on the original 1966 ranking of America's 200 Toughest Courses.)
Best in State: Ranked since 2017.
2023-'24 ranking: 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
“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
Review
“Wonderful restoration by Keith Foster....bunkering, green complexes, playing corridors, and tree removal all well done. They removed over 2k trees. Some really great short par 4's, in particular #7 and #16. #5 is a really fun short par 3. Interesting displays throughout the clubhouse, host of the 1945 PGA Championship that Byron Nelson won"
Read More2022
Review
“One of the best and most playable golf courses I have played. Excellent work by Keith Foster to remove trees and restore the course to it's Nipper Campbell roots. Very playable, even from 7,270 yards. Some long par 5's and 3's to balance out the length and make the par 4's more manageable."
Read More2021
Review
“Classic Alex Campbell course that was recently renovated by Keith Foster. Great mix of long and short holes that will require the use of every club in your bag. Stay out of the steep bunkers and keep your approach shots below the hole or you will pay the price."
Read More2021
Review
“Major improvements made a few years ago. Private club that is well maintained."
Read More2020
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