Indiana's 30 BEST Public Courses | Indiana Golf Journal

By Mike May

The Hoosier state has a love affair with the game of golf. Once the snow melts, the sun shines, and the checkered flag drops at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500, its time to beat Old Man Par.

In the recently completed booklet, Hoosier State’s Top Golf Destinations: 30 of Indiana’s Finest Public-Access Golf Courses, Mike May provides a short description of these outstanding public-access layouts.

There is a strong element of ‘star power’ affiliated with several of these designed by well-known architects and players. Donald Ross designed The Donald Ross Course at French Lick, which opened in 1917 and hosted the 1924 PGA Championship, as well as, two LPGA Championships.

Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designed the North and West Courses at Otter Creek in Columbus, while his son Rees Jones designed the East Course there.

Longtime Hoosier resident and Hall of Fame golf course architect Pete Dye supervised the re-design of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Club, as well as, the Fort Golf Club. He also designed the now acclaimed The Pete Dye Course at French Lick, which hosted the 2015 Senior PGA Championship.

Dye’s protégé Tim Liddy designed the Sultan’s Run Golf Club in Jasper and Jim Fazio was the mastermind behind the design of the Legends Golf Club in Franklin.

U.S. Open and Masters Champion, as well as, Indiana-born and raised Fuzzy Zoeller, co-designed both Covered Bridge in Sellersburg and Champions Pointe in Henryville with Clyde Johnston. Chariot Run Golf Club, located in Laconia alongside the Ohio River, was designed by Bill Bergin.

The 30 courses are built on a variety of landscapes ranging from gently rolling plains at the foot of southern Indiana’s famous Floyd Knobs, on the infield of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as, the Hoosier National Forest in French Lick which provides the dramatic backdrop for The Pete Dye Course.

Golf in Indiana is alive and well. The state is littered with great golf tracks and any Golfaholic will appreciate the great golf in the Hoosier state.

Learn more about the entire list at: https://www.indianagolf.com/articles/article.cfm?ID=26395.

Sidebar the list

The Donald Ross Course

The Pete Dye Course

Sultan’s Run Golf Club

Otter Creek Golf Course

Brickyard Crossing Golf Club

The Fort Golf Course

Plum Creek Golf Club

Maple Creek Golf and Country Club

Purgatory Golf Club, Covered Bridge Golf Club

Champions Pointe Golf Club