Nobody comes to Hocking Hills for golf — and then day three arrives, legs are trail-tired, and someone asks what else there is. The answer is better than expected: a genuine hill-country course five minutes from Logan, one of Ohio's oldest clubs twenty minutes north, and a scattering of oddball options from Scottish-themed vintage links to putt-putt over waterfalls.
The main event: Hocking Hills Golf Club & Urban Grille
Logan's 18-hole course (14405 Country Club Lane) dates to 1938 and a Jack Kidwell design — par 71, bent-grass greens and fairways, routed over genuinely hilly terrain with valley views and water in play. It's semi-private but open to the public, honestly priced, and famously walk-punishing: the terrain that makes the views also makes carts the sane choice (note it runs cart-path-only with GPS-limited carts, and there's no driving range). The clubhouse hides one of the area's best-kept dining secrets: the Urban Grille, whose prime rib nights and course-view patio earn it a spot in our dining guide independent of the golf.
Worth the short drive
- Lancaster Golf Club (~20 min north) — founded 1909, front nine redesigned by Donald Ross in 1926, back nine by Kidwell in 1956: one of the oldest courses in Ohio, public, with an irons-only range and Alfonso's Italian Grille on site. The history pick.
- Windy Hills Golf Course (Rockbridge) — the casual local nine-ish option minutes from the US-33 corridor; low-key and friendly.
- Scottish Links at Glenlaurel (Rockbridge) — the resort's vintage-style short course on its 140-acre Scottish-themed estate; a novelty round best paired with their prix-fixe dinner (and, on the right night, a bagpiper).
- Pumpkin Vine, The View, and Lancaster-area publics — a handful of additional semi-private and public courses cluster around Lancaster for anyone building a full golf day.
The rest of the golf family
Mini golf: Treehouse Treats & Treasures on SR 664 pairs putt-putt with ice cream and a petting zoo — the family-trip pressure valve — and the area supports putt courses with waterfall-and-windmill theatrics in season. Disc golf: Hocking College maintains a wooded course in Nelsonville that's free-spirited, hilly, and genuinely fun. Pickleball, since you asked: a growing number of rentals now include courts — Pickle Hill near Logan built its identity on one.
Fairways and forest, same trip
Logan-area cabins sit minutes from the golf club and fifteen from the trailheads.
Find Cabins & Lodging →Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a golf course in Hocking Hills?
Yes — Hocking Hills Golf Club & Urban Grille in Logan: an 18-hole, par-71 Jack Kidwell design from 1938 with bent-grass greens, hilly terrain, and a public-welcome policy, plus the well-regarded Urban Grille restaurant in the clubhouse.
What's the most historic course near Hocking Hills?
Lancaster Golf Club, about 20 minutes north — founded in 1909 with a front nine redesigned by Donald Ross in 1926 and a Jack Kidwell back nine from 1956, making it one of Ohio's oldest courses. It's open to the public.
Is there mini golf or disc golf in the area?
Both — Treehouse Treats & Treasures near Logan combines mini golf with ice cream and a petting zoo, and Hocking College maintains a hilly wooded disc golf course in Nelsonville.