One of my worst rounds of 2025 came on a course I fell in love with instantly — the Warren Course on campus at Notre Dame.
It was the Friday morning of Labor Day weekend, the final day of welcome week, so campus was still quiet when we arrived in South Bend, Indiana. But therein lies one of my favorite aspects of the Warren — it is as close to campus as university courses get. The layout sits right across the street from Notre Dame’s rec fields, and only a couple hundred yards from Dunne Hall, a dorm named after American golf baron Jimmy and his wife, Susan. Before I even hit a tee shot, I was already jealous of that proximity. I attended UW-Madison, which has an equally great university course, University Ridge, but that one’s located nine miles from any other university building.
We checked in at the pro shop, just ahead of the husband of Notre Dame coaching legend Muffet McGraw, who enjoys her own time on the course here and there. During my 15 minutes inside, the phone was constantly ringing, and with good reason. Tee times can be made two weeks in advance, and we were two weeks from Texas A&M’s football visit to Notre Dame Stadium. There was another lovely aspect: the course is open on home gamedays, but with an all-in, $135 deal. Rather than force course staffers to show up early, work all day and close up late, the course schedules out a morning shotgun start and closes down in the afternoon. Patrons can reserve a spot, get their 18 holes in and head straight to the stadium afterward.
Near the 1st tee is a classic Notre Dame totem, the Play Like a Champion Today sign — you’re welcome to slap it like an angry defensive end — and it feels fitting once you’ve looped around the property. You do have to work your ball like a champion.
The front 9 asks you to play a draw off the 1st, then a fade off the 2nd. A draw on the 5th and a fade on the 6th. Then, naturally, another draw on the 7th. No, you don’t literally need to hit these shots, but this shifting of boundaries forces different clubs into your hands and different thoughts into your head. Most holes are tree-lined, but not in the round-ending way. The trees are spread out, with grassy beds at their base, meaning you should be able to find your ball, but it will cost you a punch-out.
With top-notch conditions befitting one of the wealthiest athletics institutions, it was not surprising to find it ranked as one of the best courses in Indiana, but also in GOLF’s most recent Top 100 You Can Play: 85th. Whenever you master a course with that variability, it feels like you’ve accomplished something greater than whatever score you shot. Considering my score began with a 9 rather than an 8 or 7, I was clearly not made for that challenge on that day.
The good news is, it’s just a two-hour drive from Chicago. There will be another chance in the not-too-distant future. November 7th, when the football team hosts Miami, sounds like a perfect opportunity.
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