Cincinnati can seem like a big city, but a 30-minute drive from downtown can land you in rural surroundings. Flagg Springs Golf Course is an example of just such a place. Were it not for Kentucky's AA Highway, which runs beside the course, the valley where the course sits would be as rustically relaxed as any hollow in Kentucky or Tennessee.

        The course spent most of the last 70 years as a family farm. Then, without another generation to farm it, Alan Ahrman designed and built his own course on the Campbell County property, 16 miles out from the Interstate 275 beltway.

        In its sixth year of play, Flagg Springs is nearing the end of its initial maturation process.

        “It probably took longer to mature than I thought it would,” Ahrman said. “I can still envision it out there, riding the tractor like it was before. But it looks so pretty now when you come around the curve (on the AA) and it lays out there.”

        Ahrman is no longer principal owner of the course, but he remains a partner with new owner Jack Morris. The years have produced a number of adjustments to Ahrman's initial design.

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        Flagg Springs' front nine is laid out across a parcel of gently rolling land, with the back nine heading up into steeper, more wooded terrain.

        Most holes are straightforward, relying on the contours of the land and smallish greens to provide a challenge to players. At only 6,200 yards from the tips, Flagg Springs sets up promisingly for short and straight hitters.

        The four par-3s are the course's toughest feature. Water comes into play on three of them, including No.11, an attractive downhill hole into the woods that can play up to 208 yards long.

        Major work has been done on No.12 this spring. A creek used to surround the green on all sides but the rear. Now the front has been filled in, creating a more forgiving approach.

        No.14, the other par-3 on the back, is getting a new back tee, which will extend the yardage to 167 for a tee shot almost entirely over water.

        Other tees are getting reseeded this spring with bluegrass, as time has shown them to be vulnerable to being worn down.

        The most problematic hole at Flagg Springs has been the par-5 No.5. The slope on a shelf where the green was located proved too severe, requiring rebuilding of the green three separate times.

        That hole has been successfully softened, which has been the goal of a number of other changes in the last couple of years.

        “All the changes we've made recently have been made to improve playability,” Flagg Springs pro Brian Lambdin said.

        Flagg Springs turned about 24,000 rounds last year, its best showing. The course has league play each weeknight, including a new scramble format on Monday nights that has open sign-up each week.

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