Western Hills Country Club

Since 1912, Western Hills Country Club has ranked among Cincinnati's swankier private clubs, with an 18-hole course designed by golf architect Thomas Bendelow - nongolfers can watch from the dining room - as well as a junior-Olympic swimming pool. The country club sits just 10 minutes outside of downtown Cincinnati.

A Scottish golfer and designer, Bendelow created several Midwest courses. Bendelow designed 800-plus North American courses, working with land he was assigned: In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, architects didn't get their turf, rocks and water features trucked in. Born Sept. 2, 1868, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Bendelow began golfing when he was 9 years old, with his dad at the Balgownie Links, which now goes by Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - founded in 1780, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is the world's sixth-oldest, and it's clear that Bendelow had rich inspiration to draw on back in Scotland.

After a round of golf at the Western Hills Country Club, head back to the Grill Porch for nibbles and sips.