I really enjoy the snowmobiling and ATV "resorts" in MI and WI that are stuck in a time warp.
Looking for the clubhouse that Bob Hope, Bing or Dean could be imagined at.
Can someone direct me to such a jewel?
Not looking for a 5 star resort, just a throwback w/ character.

Mt Etna is the closest I've found... so far.

Not exactly sure of this fits the bill, but French Lick and the Donald Ross course are great. Gambling haunt for Capone back in the day, great customer service at the Hotel and course. The kicker is the Ross course is one of my favorites of all time.

I need to play that one too, mspencerod.

Specifically, I'm looking for the course that's not changed in 50 years, including the clubhouse and, if possible, the staff.

Ever roll thru that small town that has an old hardware store complete w/ wooden floors, rotating nail bins and the ladder w/ wheels that rolls parallel w/ the shelves?

I may need a flux capacitor!

i can't really think of anything.

i've not played french lick either (although i swore i would!), but i think for your purposes you may have just missed your opportunity. with gambling back in french lick the course was updated and so were many facilities, although i don't know about the golf facilities specifically. before gambling returned, it might have been old school because french lick was not really thriving.

the iu course in bloomington hasn't changed much anytime recently, but there's not much special about the feel there either. and i do remember hearing about the old clubhouse being close to the second tee, which routing wise would make sense. so, there likely have been changes since say jack nicklaus played there.

martinsville country club (now public) might be a possibility. older clubhouse and course which helps, but again not so different from anything else.

i'm more familiar with indianapolis.

a few of the muni's there are pretty old. south grove is old (1902) and to me anyway, great in an old, not updated anyway. the clubhouse, however, is not old. the range is amazing though. it's just a mowed tee 25 or so feet long between 2 fairways and some poles out to maybe 200 yards. no pickers and no rental balls, though. so bring your own and a shag bag. hit and go collect. that's definately very 50's. make sure not to get hit by the next guy as you're getting your balls though. in truth, there's rarely anyone there though. but it's a great place to work on short shots.

sarah shank and pleasant run (1922), might be more what your looking for, but i've not been in a while. seemed like they had older clubhouses, but i'm not sure. i always liked shank (what a name) quite a bit.

then there's douglas (1922). 9 holes, by far the cities shortest and worst conditioned course, but also the cheapest. good absolutely no frills golf.

these are all a million miles from a new upscale golf resort in many ways. all these courses are quite short by modern standards, but have many good, unique holes. i too enjoy places (especially diners) where time has stood still. none of these courses really fits that bill in my mind though. and, they're all quite modest and likely always were, so i have a little trouble imagining bob and bing working the clubhouse.

where's mt. edna?

played martinsville... nice course, really enjoyed it.

mt. etna's north of marion, in on sr 124, just w of sr 9. great folks!

First time poster, but wanted to chime in on French Lick. I've played there after the restoration, and from what you're describing, this is what you are looking for. The golf course was simply restored to Ross' original specs, and is still quite retro. The clubhouse is too. I might add that about 20 years ago, one of my playing partners stopped in there after nine while I was messing around in my bag. When I went in, I saw him talking to a guy I didn't know. He introduced me to the guy, saying "I want you to meet Julius LaRossa" I didn't know the name, but I guess he was a big-time singer in the 50's, and was blacklisted because he's Cuban.
The resort hotel is also very old school...it has also been renovated lately. I haven't been in it, but it has a very old vibe from the outside. Also check out the West Baden hotel just down the road. It is an old dome-shaped hotel that has also been restored recently.
The town itself also looks like it has been stuck in a time-warp. I don't know if there is an old, locally-owned hardware store or not, but one would fit right in there. It's also the hometown of Larry Bird.
Hope this is helpful to you.

if you like martinsville, i'd recommend trying the iu course in bloomington. after that, i'd recommend south grove and pleasant run in indianapolis.

Hey,

It might now be quite from the 50's, but the original 18 at Otter Creek feels kind of old timey to me.

Matt

I've played Otter Creek a few times (Columbus, right?), enjoyed it and look forward to playing it again soon... but still not what I'm looking for.

I'll try the others mentioned, like IU before it gets redone, and Fort Ben too.

fort ben's a great track, but i doubt it's what you're looking for. it's been redone recently, and it's more like a modern upscale course.

You saved me some time... but broke my heart.

The course I'm looking for prolly doesn't have bent grass fairways... or even watered for that matter. Slow play is prolly forgotten but the Pabst is extra cold. It's where the Coke guy prefers to take his lunch and where the squirrels live to a happy ripe age.

well then, the fort's definately not where you want to go.

i'd say those muni's in indy i mentioned before. sarah shank is the one that comes to mind, but i'd bet pleasant run (which is quite close) is probably close and is an older and perhaps more interesting course. as far as shank, no bent grass, and it's definately a pbr kinda place. i'm convinced it's the place to be if you're retired (hopefully with a nice pension) from a blue colar job and want to play everyday for your retirement.

Might try Harrison Hills in Attica