Local and club materials agree that Delaware’s course originated as a nine-hole layout by Donald Ross in 1922, when the property and club traded under the name “Dornoch Golf Club,” a nod to Ross’s home town in Scotland. A concise institutional record from Ohio Wesleyan University, which long used the course, refers to “a tremendous 9-hole layout of traditional Donald Ross design” under the Dornoch name. Primary Ross field notes, plans, or correspondence for this commission have not been located in readily accessible archives; the absence of such documentation limits the precision with which one can describe his planning sequence or on-site visits.
The present-day 18-hole course resulted from a later expansion that joined a second nine to the original Ross holes. The club’s own description credits the expansion to Dr. Michael Hurdzan with PGA Tour professional Fuzzy Zoeller. Public golf directories commonly date the expansion to the late 1990s (often 1998), which aligns with the course’s capacity to host the 2003 NCAA Division III Men’s Championship soon thereafter; however, the club website does not publish a specific construction year. No evidence surfaced in public sources that Ross returned for a second phase, and no Ross-era redesign dates are cited by the club or regional associations.
Unique Design Characteristics
The most concrete way to locate Ross’s hand in the present course is by the club’s own characterization of “two unique nines,” with a “classic Donald Ross–designed back nine.” That identification is significant because the back-nine yardages and par sequence are fixed on the official scorecard, allowing discussion of specific holes that carry through to today. The inward half comprises holes 10–18 totaling 3,375 yards from the Black tees, including a stout run of two-shotters at 10 (425 yards), 11 (421), and 16 (460), punctuated by a 578-yard par-5 at 13 and a 170-yard par-3 at 14. The round concludes with an uncommon par-3 finisher at 18 (187 yards), a distinctive feature that helps mark the identity of the “Ross” side within the modern 18. The course’s general topographic description—repeated crossings of valleys and ravines—matches the more dramatic feel of the inward nine as presented by the club, reinforcing that the back-nine corridor likely retains the original routing spine. These attributions rest on current club materials rather than surviving Ross drawings; confirmation from early aerials (late-1920s/1930s) or green-site surveys would strengthen hole-by-hole provenance.
Within that inward nine, the 13–16 stretch reads as the clearest surviving expression of the early layout: 13 is the longest three-shotter on the side (578 yards), followed by mid- to long-iron demands at 14 (170) and the exacting par-4 at 16 (460). The rhythm of long approaches interspersed with a single, crisp par-3 and then the short 17th (325) into the home par-3 creates the compact, valley-to-ridge cadence the club highlights in its site description. Again, the present scorecard certifies distances and par; topographical claims derive from the club’s published characterization of “three dramatic valleys” and “ravines,” not from original contour maps.
Historical Significance
Within Ross’s Ohio portfolio, Delaware represents one of the many smaller, community-oriented nine-hole commissions of the early 1920s that later became the backbone of a public or collegiate venue. Its long association with Ohio Wesleyan University under the Dornoch name and the subsequent ability of the expanded course to host the 2003 NCAA Division III Men’s Championship give the site an institutional profile beyond local play. While the course does not regularly appear in national Ross rankings, Golf Digest and other directories routinely note its hybrid authorship—“a 9-hole Donald Ross design from the 1920s” later expanded by Hurdzan and Zoeller—which has become central to how the course is understood today.
Current Condition / Integrity
The course today plays as a par-71 at 6,925 yards from the back tees. The back nine is publicly presented as the Ross-designed nine, suggesting the routing and a number of green sites persist, although the club does not publish a hole-by-hole Ross inventory, and no public record details which bunkers or greens have been rebuilt to modern specifications. The front nine dates from the Hurdzan/Zoeller expansion and contrasts with the back in scale and style. Alongside the course, the modern clubhouse and the comprehensive practice complex (lighted and heated range, putting and chipping greens with bunkers) were added during the late-1990s/early-2000s period of change. Ownership appears to be private (Delaware Golf Club, LLC), with public access. Absent primary construction files, it is not possible here to enumerate specific Ross features that were altered or lost; aerial photography comparisons and original construction notes would be needed to assess changes to bunkering, green perimeters, and tree lines.
Sources & Notes
Delaware Golf Club — Home page. States original 1922 Ross design and later expansion to 18 by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Fuzzy Zoeller; provides location and public-access statements.
Delaware Golf Club — Course Details page. Describes terrain (“three dramatic valleys,” “ravines”), facilities, and practice complex (lighted/heated range; putting and chipping greens with bunkers).
Ohio Wesleyan University athletics: “Delaware Golf Club” page. Notes the venue’s former name (Dornoch Golf Club), Donald Ross authorship of the original nine, later additions (clubhouse, practice facility, 9 new holes by Fuzzy Zoeller), and the 2003 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships.
Delaware Golf Club — official Facebook video/post. States “two unique nines: a classic Donald Ross–designed back nine and a scenic front nine crafted by Michael Hurdzan and Fuzzy Zoeller.” (Attribution of back-nine authorship.)
Better Business Bureau profile: Delaware Golf Club, LLC (owner listed as Ronald Sabatino). Supports private ownership while retaining public daily-fee access.