last visited: 05/25/2026.

Hartley Hills is currently rated “B3” on the Albatrace Track Index. Keep reading to learn more!

monday, may 25th, 2026 | vince

My first visit to Hartley Hills, part of the small Midwestern community of Hagerstown, Indiana, happened on a bright Memorial Day afternoon. It was somewhat of an impromptu affair, as I had been invited by my friend Jeff, who was traveling with his son through the area on their way back from Lake Erie.

I arrived early, in hopes of taking a few pictures and learning as much as I could about the course’s history; from the small amount of online research I had conducted, I knew this to be a product of the prolific architect William Diddel. Opened in the late 1920s, Hartley Hills was originally built for the employees of Hagerstown’s “Perfect Circle Company”, which manufactured piston rings and other integral components of early railway engines.

The course lives up to its name, as the rollicking hills of the Hoosier State countryside are a prominent feature of the routing, beginning at the very first shot of the day:

The first tee is located hard up against the pro shop and its adjacent patio, with the ninth green only a few steps away; the entire area around the clubhouse was buzzing that day, with members making the turn for their second nine, and the superintendent (along with his four-legged companion) stopping by to chat. Truly, I tell you, there are few things in life that make me happier than seeing a golf course come alive like this – no matter its architectural virtues, when a course functions as an asset to its community, I feel it has found its true purpose.

I’ve also recently discovered my own fascination with rural, somewhat rudimentary nine-hole golf courses; for some reason, they sing a note that seems to harmonize with the tune of my soul. Hartley Hills is one such place, and I was very excited to explore the property on this sun-soaked day.

In an attempt to exercise some amount of restraint, I’ll avoid recounting my thoughts on every individual hole at Hartley, although each of them are distinct and memorable. Instead, I’d like to briefly discuss the routing, which I know to have changed in some capacity since Mr. Diddel initially laid it out.

For example, at the first, a par-five extending due north, the original green site would have been further back and to the left from where the current green sits. Sometime in the mid-1900s, Indiana State Route 1 (which the hole runs alongside) was widened and flattened, requiring the opening hole to be shortened and moved further away from the road. This also pushed the tees for the second hole further to the interior of the course, turning what would have been a formidable par-four into a very short, driveable hole with a small, steeply-canted green.

As such, this later motivated the club to purchase an additional plot of land along its southeastern corner, making subsequent modifications to its sixth and seventh holes, in an effort to lengthen the course. The sixth, originally playing directly southward, now doglegs sharply to the left; after a tee shot of only 200 yards or so, players must traverse a small pond to a green set out in a soybean field, far removed from the rest of the routing. The seventh, at first a downhill par-3, now also functions as a dogleg-left par-4, still playing to Diddel’s original green site.

While I wouldn’t go so far as to say any of these holes are inherently “bad”, it is somewhat disappointing that this sizable chunk of the golf course feels so much different from the rest, all in the interest of chasing distance. To this end, I’ve conducted an experiment, coming up with an altered routing that would ideally restore some continuity to Hartley Hills:

Nevertheless, I’ve still been charmed by this little Midwestern nine-holer; it could use some help in the Substance category, but it is chock full of Soul, and accordingly I’m giving it a “B3” rating on the Albatrace Track Index.

I hope to make it back to Hartley Hills again soon, and when I do, I’m sure I’ll have more to write. Until then, please enjoy a few more photos from my visit this past Memorial Day:

Grace, peace, and craic on!