The Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club near Columbus offers pure golf bliss
LOCKBOURNE, Ohio -- Members call the longest, toughest stretch on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club "Hell's Half Acre."
The three-hole run beginning at no. 14 -- including back-to-back par 5s at holes 14 and 15 -- adds up to 1,525 yards of narrow alleys, foreboding trees, wetland and rolling hills. In other words -- pure golf bliss.
"I have played a lot of golf courses in central Ohio. I can't think of another set of holes with such exacting approaches and tee shots," said Mark McMillen of Grove City, Ohio. "For anybody who has played here, you won't get any argument."
Foxfire opened its original 18 holes in 1975, before adding additional nines in 1984 and 1993 to become a fine 36-hole facility 12 miles south of Columbus. Local architect Jack Kidwell did the first three nines with protege Barry Serafin doing the final nine.
The Players Club battered so many players over the years from the 6,705-yard white tees that the tees were reconfigured last year. The new whites (the old green tees) play a more manageable 6,192 yards. They are still a handful for most players, while allowing a few more scoring chances. The other defining sequence incorporates the many lakes on the site. Cape holes at the par-4 sixth and par-5 eighth tempt players into biting off more water than they're capable of handling. The 470-yard ninth requires more thinking. Players must choose between a layup on the fairway before the water, or a more heroic blind tee shot that carries longer up the left side.
![The sixth hole is a beauty and beast at the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne, Ohio.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42601.jpg)
![The 14th hole is the start of what the locals call "Hell's Half Acre," a three-hole stretch on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne, Ohio.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42603.jpg)
![The par-3 seventh on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club can be dangerous.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42606.jpg)
![The par-5 eighth hole on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club demands a heroic carry to the fairway.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42608.jpg)
![The ninth hole is tricky on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club in Lockbourne, Ohio.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42610.jpg)
![Four bunkers give the 17th hole on the Players Club at Foxfire Golf Club a traditional look.](/departments/photo-galleries/images/small/42614.jpg)
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