Best Golf Courses in Indiana for 2026

Indiana is one of the better-value golf states in our directory. Six of the eight courses below charge under $50, and the hardest public course in the state by slope rating costs $23 to $31 for eighteen holes.

There is no high-cost metro market here doing to green fees what Chicago does in Illinois or the Bay Area does in California. What Indiana has instead is a deep supply of public golf spread across the state, from Terre Haute on the Illinois border to English in the far south.

We sorted our Indiana public records by slope rating, which measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch player. The national average is 113, and every course below rates 130 or higher. All eight are 18-hole public courses with complete slope, rating and yardage records.

How we picked: These selections come from our course directory records: slope rating, yardage, course rating, posted green fees, and the scorecard detail our records hold. They are not based on subjective play impressions. We have not played all eight. Everything stated below is drawn from the directory data, and every course links through to its full record. Conditions and policies change, so call the clubhouse before you drive out.

This is part of our 2026 state series, alongside Best Golf Courses in Minnesota and Best Golf Courses in Arizona. Jump to the comparison table if you just want the shortlist.

Looking for the earlier list? Our original best public golf courses in Indiana post covers the state from a different angle.

Indiana Public Courses Comparison Table

Course	Location	Par	Yardage	Slope	Green Fees
Hulman Links	Terre Haute	72	7,225	144	$
Purgatory	Noblesville	72	7,754	142	$$
Prairie View	Carmel	72	7,073	134	$$
Grey Goose	Decatur	71	6,447	133	$
Old English	English	72	6,156	133	$
Cattails	Elwood	71	6,641	132	$
The Legends of Indiana	Franklin	72	6,736	131	$
Royal Hylands	Knightstown	71	6,452	130	$

1. Hulman Links Golf Course

Location: Terre Haute, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 72 · Length: 7,225 yards · Slope: 144

The hardest public course in our Indiana records and one of the best-value rounds in the Midwest. A slope of 144 across 7,225 yards for $23 to $31 is a combination that turns up almost nowhere else in our directory.

This is a long, heavily bunkered course. Our record lists 100 or more bunkers, the heaviest band we carry, and the course rating of 74.9 against par 72 puts a scratch golfer nearly three over. At this length the difficulty is coming from both distance and sand rather than one compensating for the other.

Bent grass greens and fairways, water in play, opened in 1978. Terre Haute is on the Illinois border, about 75 miles west of Indianapolis. A junior discount is listed, and there is a driving range, putting green, teaching pro and chipping area.

Who should skip it: Short hitters. There is no comfortable way to play a 7,225-yard course with 100-plus bunkers if you are not moving the ball a long way off the tee.

Full details: Hulman Links Golf Course

2. Purgatory Golf Club

Location: Noblesville, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 72 · Length: 7,754 yards · Slope: 142

The longest public course in Indiana by a wide margin, and one of the longest in the country. At 7,754 yards this is more than 500 yards longer than Hulman Links and nearly a thousand longer than anything else on this list.

The course rating of 78.1 against par 72 is the highest here by four and a half shots. A scratch golfer is expected to shoot six over. That number, paired with a slope of 142, describes a course that is hard for a good player in absolute terms rather than merely punishing for a bad one.

Green fees of $65 with no discounts listed. Full practice facilities including a golf school, a pro shop, and a restaurant with beverage cart. Noblesville is just northeast of Indianapolis.

Who should skip it: Almost everyone, as a regular round. Play it once for the experience of a genuinely enormous golf course, then play somewhere your scorecard survives.

Featured on: Longest Public Golf Courses in America

Full details: Purgatory Golf Club

3. Prairie View Golf Club

Location: Carmel, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 72 · Length: 7,073 yards · Slope: 134

The most expensive course on this list at $90, and the third longest at 7,073 yards. Carmel is an affluent suburb north of Indianapolis, which explains the price relative to everything else here.

Slope 134 with a course rating of 74.3 against par 72 makes this a genuine test without the extremes of the two courses above it. Between 91 and 100 bunkers is heavy bunkering, second only to the three courses on this list carrying 100 or more. Bent grass greens and fairways, water in play, opened in 1997.

Putting green, teaching pro, chipping area, driving range and pro shop on site, with a restaurant and snack bar.

Who should skip it: Value hunters. Seven courses on this list cost less and two of them rate harder.

Full details: Prairie View Golf Club

4. Grey Goose Golf Club

Location: Decatur, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 71 · Length: 6,447 yards · Slope: 133

The best combination of practice facilities and price on this list. Green fees of $28 to $35 with a golf school on site alongside the putting green, teaching pro and chipping area, which is an unusual amount of instruction available at this price.

Slope 133 with a course rating of 71.1 against par 71 puts the rating almost exactly at par. That pairing describes a course that plays fairly for a good player while the slope says a bogey golfer finds it harder than average.

Our record for this course is thinner than most here, with no grass types, bunker count, water or year built listed. Decatur is in northeast Indiana, south of Fort Wayne. A restaurant, snack bar and beverage cart are on site.

Who should skip it: Golfers who want to know the layout before booking. Our directory record is incomplete for this one.

Full details: Grey Goose Golf Club

5. Old English Golf Course

Location: English, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 72 · Length: 6,156 yards · Slope: 133

The most interesting course on this list for anyone who assumes bunkers make a golf course hard. Old English carries between 1 and 10 bunkers, the lightest band we record, and still posts a slope of 133 and a course rating of 74.2.

Two shots above par for a scratch golfer, on 6,156 yards, with almost no sand. The difficulty has to be coming from water, trees, terrain or green complexes. Our record confirms water is in play and lists bent grass greens and fairways. Opened in 2002, the newest course on this list.

English is in Crawford County in southern Indiana, in hill country closer to Louisville than Indianapolis. Green fees of $32, with a snack bar and beverage cart but no restaurant.

Who should skip it: Anyone in a hurry. Southern Indiana hill country is a long way from any Indiana metro area.

Full details: Old English Golf Course

6. Cattails Golf Course

Location: Elwood, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 71 · Length: 6,641 yards · Slope: 132

One of two courses on this list with winter rye fairways rather than bent grass. Winter rye is an overseeding grass that keeps a course green through the cold months, and it plays firmer than bent grass does.

Slope 132 with a course rating of 72.5 against par 71 puts a scratch golfer a shot and a half over on 6,641 yards. Between 11 and 20 bunkers is light, so this is another Indiana course defending itself with something other than sand. Water is in play. Opened in 1970, the second oldest here.

Green fees of $30 to $35. Our record lists a putting green, teaching pro and chipping area but no driving range, and no restaurant. Homes line the course.

Who should skip it: Anyone who warms up with a full swing before teeing off. There is no driving range listed here.

Full details: Cattails Golf Course

7. The Legends of Indiana Golf Course

Location: Franklin, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 72 · Length: 6,736 yards · Slope: 131

The third course on this list carrying 100 or more bunkers, and the cheapest of the three at $36 to $38. Slope 131 with a course rating of 72.6 against par 72 puts the rating within a shot of par.

That is a notably gentler set of numbers than Hulman Links posts with the same bunker band, which is a reminder that a bunker count is a blunt instrument. Where the sand sits matters more than how much of it there is.

Winter rye fairways with bent grass greens, water in play, opened in 1996. Franklin is about 20 miles south of Indianapolis. Access is listed as “Path,” meaning carts stay on paths. A twilight discount is available, and homes line the course.

Who should skip it: Golfers who want a course rating that reflects the bunkering. This one plays more fairly than its sand count suggests.

Full details: The Legends of Indiana Golf Course

8. Royal Hylands Golf Club

Location: Knightstown, IN Holes: 18 · Par: 71 · Length: 6,452 yards · Slope: 130

The gentlest course on this list, which on a list where everything rates 130 or higher still means well above the national average of 113.

Course rating 71.9 against par 71 is just under a shot above par. Between 21 and 30 bunkers is moderate, water is in play, and the greens and fairways are bent grass. Opened in 1980. Knightstown is east of Indianapolis on the way to Richmond.

Green fees of $29 to $45 with full practice facilities: putting green, teaching pro, chipping area, driving range and pro shop, plus a restaurant and snack bar. Homes line the course.

Who should skip it: Low handicappers wanting a fight. This is the most forgiving set of numbers on the list and there are seven harder options above it.

Full details: Royal Hylands Golf Club

Frequently Asked Questions

Hulman Links is the pick for most golfers on this list. The hardest public course in the state, 7,225 yards, 100-plus bunkers, for about thirty dollars. Nothing else in our Indiana records offers that trade.

Purgatory is worth one round for the sheer scale of it, and the 78.1 course rating tells you what to expect from your scorecard. If you are in southern Indiana, Old English is the curiosity: a course that rates harder than most of this list while carrying almost no sand at all.

Browse every course we have on file in our Indiana course directory.