Sampler at the 19th Hole Sports Bar

Where do local people go on a weeknight to belly up to the bar for a few cold ones at the end of the day? One such place is the 19th Hole Sports Bar, out at Salt Creek Golf Course.

Located in the clubhouse next to the pro shop, the 19th Hole Sports Bar is, as its name suggests, a convenient place for golfers to gather after a round.

It’s a nice big place with a big bar area, many screens, a dining area and even a hardwood dance floor for weekend musical acts.

With plenty of beer and drinks at hand and a full menu available, the 19th Hole is a perfect spot to watch the big game, or even just catch a late-afternoon dinner with friends and family.

Accordingly, on an otherwise uneventful weekday afternoon, I liberated Mrs. Sampler from evening chores and squired her out State Road 46 to Salt Creek Road for some tasty “pub grub.” Along the way, we picked up grandson Nick, for some color. There was a healthy crowd at the bar, generating a friendly buzz of conversation. Various TV screens around the place depicted various interesting sporting events. Also, soccer.

We seated ourselves in the dining section and were soon very expertly and efficiently waited upon by our friendly server. I felt it was my duty to drink at least one beer, and the offer of a brand-name, two-dollar suds cheered me up a little. This is why you drop in to the local bar on a weekday afternoon. To visit your old friend, cold beer. Also, there are daily drinks and beer specials.

With a massive 15-item appetizer menu, 19th Hole offers almost any opener that you crave. Nachos? Check. Fried breaded cheese sticks, mushrooms or coconut shrimp? Yes. Wings? Boneless or bone in, with eight or nine different sauces! They don’t have onion rings proper, but something called an “onion string basket”. Regular French fries and also,

“Hoosier fries,” which are waffle-cut fries topped with cheese, bacon bits and grilled onions and jalapenos.

You want breadsticks? A large soft pretzel? Fried pepper-jack cheese cubes? How about an order of bunker bites? Bunker bites are giant tater tots stuffed with cheese, bacon bits and grilled onions and jalapenos.

Too much fried food? Is that really a thing? The 19th Hole Sports Bar also has salads: a small house salad, chef’s salad, or grilled chicken or salmon salads topped with tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese and croutons.

The menu includes all of the usual bun sandwich suspects, including a “sports burger,” chicken, fish, pulled pork; a Philly beefsteak and a “golf club” with ham, turkey, bacon and cheese. There’s also a bacon chicken ranch wrap, a grilled salmon bacon wrap, and a “Bogey BLT.”

Out of that plethora of sandwich options I found myself attracted to the Salt Creek tenderloin: an in-house breaded pork cutlet on a grilled bun with lettuce, tomato.

It was delicious, with the traditional tenderloinoverlapping-bun that makes the sandwich seem gigantic. It came with a little bag of chips, but I also managed to scarf quite a few of my grandson’s waffle fries.

Mrs. Sampler was in the mood for pizza, and the 19th Hole Sports Bar offers a number of specialty pizzas, including “meat lovers,” “Buffalo chicken,” “Porky Pig” and “rancheroni” with 12-inch, seveninch and gluten free crust options. Or, you can build your own pizza.

She ordered the pepperoni with black olives. The thin crust, extra-cheese beauty arrived hot and delicious. Despite my own tussle with the tenderloin, I felt I ought to eat at least one slice, purely for professional reasons, you understand. I found it very suitable indeed.

Grandson Nick figured out how to use his phone to activate the video jukebox, managing to get his beloved Red Hot Chili Peppers blasting out. Teenagers are all about their cell phones. Add some fries, and they’re happy.

There are also some healthier options down at the 19th Hole Sports Bar, including an Asian Maple glazed salmon dinner and a turkey burger or salmon burger.

When the weather is fine, there’s an outdoor dining space with a fantastic view of the Salt Creek Golf Course.

The 19th Hole Sports Bar also has live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights, a nice place to come for late-night drinks.

19th Hole Sports Bar offers carry-out for their entire menu. Call ahead at 812-988-4323 to have your order ready.

It is open all year round, seven days a week, and serves lunch, dinner, and, in season, basic breakfast items on weekends.

Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 to 11 (sometimes later).