Invitation & Access · Northwest Indiana
Sand Creek Country ClubChesterton
Chesterton, Indiana's private 27-hole club and the home of the Northern Amateur.
Par
72
Yardage
7,062
Rating · Slope
75.3 · 144
Holes
18
Green Fee
Members only
The Course
About Sand Creek Country Club
Sand Creek, a private Chesterton club for members and their guests, spreads 27 holes across three nines named Creek, Lake and Marsh. Concert Golf Partners has owned it since 2014, and it counts more than 500 member families. The 18 on this page plays 7,062 yards from the Gold tees at par 72, rated 75.3 with a 144 slope. The club says winds off Lake Michigan, just to the north, often come into play.
History
Sand Creek Country Club — History
Bethlehem Steel broke ground on about 600 acres in the fall of 1974 and founded Sand Creek in 1976, with the original 18 by Chicago architects Killian and Nugent, who also designed Kemper Lakes. From 1991 Lake Erie Land Company added new tees, greens and bunkers and the Marsh nine by Jerry Mobley and Charles Howard, opened in 1995 with Tom Kite shooting 67. Concert Golf Partners bought the club in 2014.
Design
Sand Creek Country Club — Design
The club describes the Creek nine as wrapped around Sand Creek and Lake Billington, with a premium on club selection and accuracy; its par-4 3rd lets long hitters carry the lake's eastern edge, and its 4th plays about 190 yards over water to a tiered green. Lake Michigan is close enough for its wind to shape club choice. Sand Creek was the first fully certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary in Indiana.
What Sets It Apart
Why Play Sand Creek Country Club
Sand Creek hosts the Northern Amateur, an amateur championship that draws players from as far as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, and in 2000 it won the GCSAA's National Environmental Steward Award for private courses.
The Round
The Journey at Sand Creek Country Club
I.
The Opening
The card opens with a 503-yard par 5 and the 380-yard 2nd. The front nine appears to be the Creek nine, since the club's description of Creek's 3rd and 4th fits these holes: the 404-yard 3rd offers long hitters a carry over the eastern edge of Lake Billington, and the 193-yard 4th plays over water to a tiered green. The 438-yard 5th, rated third-hardest, and the 543-yard 6th follow.
II.
The Middle
Two hard par 4s follow the 177-yard 7th: the 430-yard 8th, the No. 1 handicap, and the 435-yard 9th, which closes a 3,503-yard front nine. The back nine starts with the 535-yard 10th and the 190-yard 11th. The 430-yard 12th, rated fourth-hardest, is the first of three straight par 4s over 400 yards.
III.
The Finish
Par 4s of 405 and 412 yards bring up the 556-yard 15th, the longest hole on the card. The 408-yard 16th and the 180-yard 17th, the easiest hole by handicap, set up a hard finish: the 443-yard 18th is the longest par 4 and rated second-hardest, so a good score has to survive the final hole.
How to Play It
Sand Creek Country Club — Playing Strategy
Beginner / High Handicap
Pick a forward tee: the Gold tees play 7,062 yards at a 75.3 rating. Start patiently on the opening par 5, play away from the lake on the 3rd rather than trying the carry, and aim for the widest part of the tiered 4th green. Allow for wind off Lake Michigan when choosing clubs.
Intermediate / Mid Handicap
The 144 slope shows in the par 4s: the 8th, 18th, 5th and 12th are all 430 yards or more and are the four hardest holes. Accept bogey there and score on the four par 5s, none longer than 556 yards, and on the 380-yard 2nd. Club selection, which the club stresses on the Creek nine, matters most on the par 3s.
Advanced / Low Handicap
Birdie chances sit on the par 5s, 503 to 556 yards from the Gold tees, and taking on the lake carry at the 3rd shortens the approach for a long hitter. The finish is the test: the 443-yard 18th is the longest par 4 and the No. 2 handicap, and it comes straight after the 17th, the easiest hole on the card.
Signature Holes
Sand Creek Country Club — Signature Holes
The Card
Sand Creek Country Club Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 72 |
| Yards | 503 | 380 | 404 | 193 | 438 | 543 | 177 | 430 | 435 | 3,503 | 535 | 190 | 430 | 405 | 412 | 556 | 408 | 180 | 443 | 3,559 | 7,062 |
| Handicap | 13 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 9 | — | 10 | 16 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 2 | — | — |
Good to Know
Sand Creek Country Club — questions answered
- How do I get on Sand Creek Country Club?
- Sand Creek Country Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Who designed Sand Creek Country Club?
- Sand Creek Country Club was designed by Ken Killian and Dick Nugent and opened in 1976.
- What is the par and yardage at Sand Creek Country Club?
- Sand Creek Country Club plays to a par of 72 over 7,062 yards from the championship tees, with a course rating of 75.3 and a slope of 144.
- Is Sand Creek Country Club public or private?
- Sand Creek Country Club is a private member club — not open to public play. Access is by membership or a member's invitation; there is no public tee sheet.
- Where is Sand Creek Country Club located?
- Sand Creek Country Club is located at 1001 Sand Creek Drive, Chesterton, IN 46304, in the Northwest Indiana area of Chicagoland.
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How to Play It
How to Play Sand Creek Country Club.
Sand Creek Country Club is a private club — play is reserved for members and their guests, with no public tee sheet. The only way on is a membership or a member's invitation.
Golf in CHI is an independent guide — we don’t sell tee times or mark them up. We map the exact way on.
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