Trine’s Zollner Golf Course ranked among nation’s top collegiate courses

ORLANDO, Fla. – Trine University’s Zollner Golf Course is the sixth-best collegiate golf course in the nation, according to reviewers on the GOLF Advisor website.

The site, which features nearly 1 million reviews of more than 14,000 golf courses, announced its Golfers Choice lists, annual rankings of the best golf courses in the United States, on Jan. 8. Formerly known as “Best of,” the new Golfers’ Choice lists recognize top courses in 10 categories, highlighted by the “Top 50” overall and including two new categories: “College Courses” and “Short Courses.”

Zollner Golf course was ranked sixth in the Golfers’ Choice ranking of the nation’s top 25 college golf courses. Reviews noted the care given to Zollner’s greens, the helpfulness of staff, the pace of play and even the comfortable seats in the carts.

Jon Busscher, director of golf operations at Trine University, praised the efforts of his staff as well as the work of Nick Wentworth, assistant director of campus operations, and the Trine University grounds crew.

“This season, in particular, was tough because we had more rain than we have had in a long time,” Busscher said. “Nick’s crew does a really good job and takes a lot of pride in taking care of the greens, in particular. Greens are the first things customers notice, but they also leave the final impression putting out on 18. If the green’s rolling pure, that’s what stands out and makes an impression on you.”

“When you see us matched up against courses on the Top 25 list that are higher end but a lot more expensive to play, it shows customers are happy with the value and the overall experience they get at Zollner.”

For its Golfers’ Choice Top 25 college golf courses, GOLF Advisor assessed reviews of courses across the nation, weighting recent reviews over older ones. Courses needed at least one 2019 review to be considered for the list, and also offer non-affiliated guest access.

GOLF Advisor contrasts the Golfers’ Choice lists to those “published by industry insiders who have access to golf courses the public may never have the opportunity to play.” GOLF Advisor says its Golfers’ Choice lists are totally consumer-driven – by recreational golfers, for recreational golfers, with the ages, handicaps and budgets of golfers using the website running the gamut.

“Our community of golfers engaged like never before in 2019,” said Brandon Tucker, GOLF Advisor managing editor. “These lists showcase the public-access golf facilities that are over-delivering to their golfers, whether on a bucket list or just providing hometown convenience. They’ve gone above and beyond to make a day at the golf course special, which is certainly getting noticed by our community of reviewers who come from and play golf all over the world.”

More than 3,300 golf courses received the minimum 10 reviews in 2019 to qualify for consideration and all Golfers’ Choice lists are based on more than 150,000 user-generated reviews received throughout the year.

GOLF Advisor serves as a one-stop, customized experience for golfers of all levels to find honest recommendations from their peers – and to offer feedback of their own – about any golf course they play, anywhere, anytime. A veteran staff of award-winning writers provides complementary, expert editorial content about golf travel, architecture and history.

For more information, visit golfadvisor.com.

Last Updated: 01/09/2020