Rock Hollow Golf Club, Peru, Indiana - A Golf Course With Terrain Unlike Any Other Course in the State

When advising golfers new to the Rock Hollow Golf Course, it's jokingly said that they should "bring a pick axe'' in their bag. That's because the course has been laid out amid 300 acres that were once a stone quarry. The result is a course that's said to have "heaving terrain'' unlike any other in the state, with lots of elevation changes, wetlands, lakes and trees.

The course, which has been affectionately nicknamed "The Rock,'' was designed by Tim Liddy, who is a protygy of renowned golf course architect Pete Dye. The club was built in 1995 and features more than 50 acres of cat-tailed wetlands, and often plays 60 feet below the surrounding ground level, providing a golfing environment not typically seen in Indiana.

In designing the course, Liddy took advantage of the natural surroundings, mixing wetlands, old-growth forests and some strategically placed rocks to provide plenty of challenge and a picturesque setting. The par-72, 18-hole course is not overly long, playing to only 6,944 yards on Bent grass from the tips, but water comes into play on about half the holes.

One of the more noteworthy holes includes No. 2, a par-4 with a large water hazard that must be carried from the back tees. There's also a large fairway bunker on the right to contend with, and a deep, two-tiered green at the finish.

Hole No. 3 ups the challenge - a par-5 that plays to 537 yards from the back tees. The hole features water in front of the tee area, and two more water hazards that run along both sides of the fairway and past a shallow, well-bunkered green.

There's not much letup the rest of the way, and the course concludes with one of the best par-4s on the course. The hole plays to 427 yards from the Black tees, and water runs from the teeing area to the green. Any golfers choosing to play the back two tees must hit a tee shot over the hazard as the hole doglegs left around the water. A large sand bunker guards the left side of the fairway on the approach, while trees guard the right.

The course has been given a number of awards since opening, including being ranked as one of the Best New Public Courses in America by Golf Digest 1995, and being ranked as the 8th-best Course in America to Play for Under $50 by GOLF Magazine in 2004. Golfweek Magazine also named "The Rock'' one of the Best Golf Courses You Can Play in 2009.

Practice facilities at the course include a driving range and putting green, as well as a Pro Shop. Lessons are also available, including a Player Development Program. The course also features a newly remodeled, enclosed and air-conditioned pavilion.