This feature is the fifth installment of a series of reviews for golf courses in the Kosciusko County area.

WARSAW – The course itself has seen several facelifts in recent years. But there is nothing fake about the quality Rozella Ford Golf Course provides to its loyal golfing community.

Spread upon the outskirts of Warsaw, just south of Zimmer and west of Warsaw Community High School, the hustle and bustle of two major town hubs are merely a faint hum in the background. More intertwined with its own networks of construction this summer, Rozella is trying to regain its foothold as one of Warsaw’s finest assets after a recent change in ownership and modification schedule for the course.

Jeff Johnson took over ownership of the course in 2013, and with it came several opportunities to overhaul the 18-hole, 6,305-yard par 70 landscape. Head golf pro Jeff Schumaker, who came over with the new regime, notes this summer will be one of cosmetics for the course to spruce up.

“All of the existing cart paths will be redone, as will all of the bunkers,” Schumaker said. “We’ve redone seven bunkers, and will get to all of them. We will put new sand in all of them and rework some of the structures.”

Schumaker added all of the tree removal work has been done, which helped open up the course from its previously narrowed existence. “We will also be putting in championship tees in time for the spring of 2015,” Schumaker added.

Rozella Ford is the home to Triton High School golf and is happy to have a thriving membership base. Schumaker is also confident the Indiana State Open Qualifier, once held at Rozella Ford, will return next summer. This summer, the course is set to host the Baker Youth Club and Warsaw Chamber of Commerce golf outings among its lot of outside events.

The public course also hosts a 19th hole restaurant which is open all year, and features a driving range and practice putting green for golfers to utilize.

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Day Played: June 23, 2014 on a tolerable but muggy morning. We beat the rain by about 30 minutes. Nick and Mike played the front nine.

Best Hole: We found the fifth hole, simply a 140-yard par three, to be the easiest of the nine we played. Both of us found the green, Mike in one shot and Nick shortly thereafter. The hole is pretty straight forward, with an incline on the front and doable fringes if you overclub and take to the left or right. Nick also appreciated the true nature of hole six and Mike nailed a 20-foot putt on nine to make par after hitting into the sand/gravel to the right of the green on his approach.

Worst Hole: A double and triple bogey, respectively, on the seventh led us to tab it the toughest. The creek in front of the green, the maintenance shed on the right and a surprisingly fast green all made for trouble. Nick found the water; Mike didn’t learn from his first putt and made a mockery of his putting sheet. The par-three second didn’t propose a ton of issues structurally, but the 167 yards seemed like a lot less as we both missed the green off the tee. Ten strokes later, we put the flag back in the cup.

Major Hazards: Any time there is a cemetery on a golf course, the ghosts of golf’s past is worth the caution. Sitting to the left of hole nine, it does present a problem for those fading off the tee. The water on eight, and less menacing on five, present their obvious problems. Construction on the walkways, the bunkers and the occasional stump will offer the less-than-straight golfer a hiccup or few.

Rozella Ford Golf Course
1700 Rozella Rd., Warsaw
(574) 269-9582

Links to our previous reviews:
1. Maxwelton Golf Club
2. Tippecanoe Lake Country Club
3. Wawasee Golf Club
4. Raccoon Run Golf Course