Columbus Airport MGC

Columbus, OH

www.columbuscitygolfcourses.com

Fat Guy Review, 2010:  I was ready for a typical disappointing muni experience, but I couldn't have been more surprised.

Something about this course felt more like the Texas foothills than suburban Ohio, more like a ride through a pecan grove than ducking incoming planes.  This gently sloping, sporty-but-playable layout has fairly generous tree-lined fairways, a general absence of fairway bunkers, and readable greens occasionally guarded by tranquil, shaded ponds.

Perhaps the best part was the value; this was a fun little course in very good shape.  The greens were in great shape with no pockmarks, the fairways were near-plush if a hair long, and there wasn't even so much as a sparse patch in the rough.  Five quaint holes (#s 2, 3, 10, 11 & 12) skirt two well-groomed ponds among a shaded grove of trees at the bottom corner of the property.  We were the second group off and played in less than 3 hours as a twosome.  All this for a $29 weekday riding greens fee?  You must be joking!

Stands of tracking lights for the runway directly across the street line the 7th, but even the expected plane noise was virtually unnoticeable.  The only minor complaint was some standing water in a few bunkers after some heavy spring rains.

I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone as a great value track.  Fat Guy Rating:  8

Where To Booze, Grub & Stay Nearby:  Nearby Easton Plaza is one of those new little "retail towns" of brick buildings with character and wide sidewalks along narrow streets with music piped into outdoor speakers turning the whole thing into a smile-inducing party atmosphere.  Here you'll find nearly every chain store, restaurant, and bar you've ever heard of (and a few new ones I'd never seen before).  For shopping, the complex was developed by the guy who owns all the Limited-related chains (The Limited, Victoria's Secret, etc.), plus everything from Abercrombie & Fitch to boutiqes to independent bookstores (when's the last time you saw one of those?) and even on down to Target and Wal-Mart.  There's even a Caddillac dealer with a covered parking deck for car shopping in inclement weather.  Grab a parking spot on the street or in one of the parking garages, or better yet, grab a room at the stumbling-distance Courtyard by Marriott and make a bar tour of it.  Highlights include Mitchell's Ocean Club for seafood and martinis on a 2nd floor outdoor wraparound deck, Martini Park for more martinis in a loungy colored-lights vibe, Bar Louie for a great 20-something happy hour and a good TV set-up for sports watching, Smokey Bones Barbeque, and there's even a fun multiplex with a neon lobby.  This thing is HUGE, and great for an afternoon of retail therapy for your golf widow, or a boys' night out after a round at Columbus Airport.

Where To Booze & Grub, Columbus:  Fat Guy Research:  Being a golf geek and sports guy, my entire frame of reference for Columbus centered around two things:  Jack Nicklaus' PGA Tour stop at Muirfield Village in suburban Dublin, and Ohio State football.  Having never been there previously, I'd always pictured Columbus as more of a college town, forgetting that it's not only the state capital, but also a central business center for Ohio, and big enough to have it's own NHL franchise (although arguably, when you start hearing team names like the Columbus Blue Jackets, the league has jumped the shark on expansion).  They also have an MLS soccer team, AAA baseball (the Columbus Clippers, affilaiate of the Cleveland Indians), a great conservatory, and plenty of great party spots, restaurants, and shopping.

Admittedly I spent one night and one round of golf out in the Columbus suburbs, but my buddy Tracy has lived there for a few years and gave me the scoop on the local scene.

The area epicenter for golf bars seems to be Powell OH.  Check out Caddyshack Pub (www.caddyshackpub.com), or hit The Bogey Inn, with a sand volleyball court.

As to be expected, the area around the Ohio State campus is jumpin'.  Check out the Scarlet & Grey Cafe (www.scarlettandgreycafe.com) for the full OSU experience.

The area between the Blue Jackets' and Clippers' stadiums, known as the Arena District, is another popular spot for bars and restuarants.  Eat at Martini Modern Italian by Columbus restauranteur extraordinaire Cameron Mitchell.

For Columbus' best burger, hit 3rd generation family-owned Thurman Cafe for the 12-oz. Thurman-ator burger.

Esquire digs Columbus' Surly Girl Saloon (www.surlygirlsaloon.com). "Outfitted with a tin ceiling, a baroque chandelier, and walls crawling with painted scorpions, the Surly Girl is a midwestern take on an Old West bordello. The fairer sex rules at this female-owned saloon, but rest assured: The womanly wiles are dispensed with Mae Westian sass, not post-riot grrl angst. Pigtailed roller derby queens sit elbow to elbow with middle-management types, everybody digging into down-home grub such as Frito Pie and Cherry Cola-Glazed Ribs. The superb draught selection runs from Brasserie de Rocs Grand Cru to PBR, with a special nod to high-gravity and woman-brewed beers that'll put a boot in yer ass. In the unlikely event that the suds fail you, order up their 'Surly Temple,' a vodka and red pop, three bucks all the time. Or order a 'Sass'parilla (bourbon and root beer)."

My buddy Matt has been to a couple bachelor parties in Columbus, and says that the area Gentlemen's clubs are surprisingly top notch, upscale, and loaded with high-end talent.  The Centerfold Club fills a niche for the over-30 crowd; hit Private Dancers for the obligatory BYOB nekkid dancers club; Dreamgirls does eclectic themes like a recent "Carnival Freak" night; The X does classier theme nights like their White Party; and Columbus' biggest Gentlemen's club is Columbus Gold (www.columbusgold.com), bringing in big name feature dancers, with an Adam & Eve store right on site.

For what's hot tonight, check out local weekly rag The Other Paper (www.theotherpaper.com).