The French Lick Resort has been serving travelers since 1845. When the West Baden Inn was completed in 1902, with its free-span dome that extends 200-feet above the floor, it was considered the 8th wonder of the world.
French Lick Resort has been the winter home of a traveling circus, the Chicago Cubs held spring training at the resort before they won the 1908 World Series and the 1924 PGA Championship was held on the Donald Ross Course. Through time, this National Historical Landmark has also been a Jesuit Seminary and U.S. Army Hospital, as well as a private college.
Yes, French Lick has a rich and storied past, but its present is pretty amazing, as well.
There are no golf resorts in the country that can boast courses designed by Tom Bendelow, Donald Ross and Pete Dye. Bendelow designed the nine-hole Valley Links Course in 1907. The Donald Ross Course opened for play in 1917 and hosted the 1924 PGA Championship, won by the great Walter Hagen. When Pete Dye first viewed the hilly terrain allotted for a golf course, he thought it would be impossible to build. After some head scratching and scribbling on a napkin, he came up with a routing that created one of the most memorable layouts in the world. The views, atop the second highest hill in Indiana, stretch for 40 miles in every direction.
In addition to a major championship, French Lick Resort has been hosting professional golf tournaments for several years. The French Lick Charity Classic was held 2017-2023 and featured the best young women golfers on the EPSON Tour.
French Lick has always been a huge supporter of women’s professional golf and in 2017 they hosted the very first Senior LPGA Championship won by Trish Johnson on the Pete Dye Course.
The Pete Dye Course has also hosted the BIG Ten Championship, the PGA Professional Championship and the Senior PGA Championship.
In 2024, French Lick Resort enters a new era of professional golf as it will host the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Ronald D. Romain, United Leasing & Finance Executive Chairman said,
“We are looking forward to our partnership with French Lick Resort and working with their team of great people. I am very pleased and excited for the new partnership with Steve Ferguson, Joseph Vezzoso and Dave Harner. The Pete Dye Course is a world-class venue and I am anxious to see how the Korn Ferry Tour players navigate their way around this difficult course.”
The Korn Ferry Tour Championship will be held October 3-6 on the Pete Dye Course and will award 30 PGA Tour cards for the 2025 season.
French Lick Resort is also planning to expand its golf by developing a totally new golf experience near the existing Valley Links Course. More details on that project will be released soon.
In addition to the great golf at the Ross, Dye and Valley Links Courses, the training center has the latest technology and teaching professionals to improve any game. Plus, the practice facility at the Dye Course is second to none.
Visitors to the West Baden Inn will be happy to know that the repair efforts for the hail damage to the roof is well underway. Contractors have been working feverishly to replace 12,000 square feet of glass panels that were destroyed last summer.
The construction timeline remains on track and should be complete by late April. The first section is already finished and allows the sun to shine once again in the West Baden Inn’s awe-inspiring atrium.
The golf is wonderful at French Lick, but there is so much more that, even if you have a rain out, there are plenty of activities to keep one from being bored.
The Billiard and Bowling Pavilion is being renovated and will open this fall. The historic building on the West Baden Inn grounds has been sitting empty for decades, but the sounds of tumbling pins and the crack of pool balls will echo off the walls once again later this year. Six lanes, plus several billiard tables, as well as a dining area offering pizza and sandwiches, will certainly become a highlight for guests.
New hiking and walking trails traverse over 3,000 acres on the property. Additional Pickleball courts have been built to accommodate guests that want to work up a sweat, plus Yoga classes and two world-class spas will keep visitors relaxed, refreshed and ready to tackle anything.
World-class dining is one of the best reasons to visit the French Lick Resort. They added more menu options for the popular Power Plant Bar & Grill. A new awning has been added to 1875; The Steakhouse for outdoor dining and a food trailer will offer tasty treats for swimmers splashing around in the French Lick Springs Hotel outdoor pool.
Dinners at Sunset will also return for this year. Enjoy a world-class dining experience while taking in a gorgeous Southern Indiana Sunset.
Last, but certainly not least, the French Lick Casino has every type of slot machine, a renovated sports book and popular table games to lure thrill seekers to the casino floor. It is one of the most elegant and friendly casinos that you will ever visit.
The French Lick Springs Hotel, the West Baden Inn and the new French Lick Valley Tower provide the best in accommodations and will please even the most demanding traveler.
French Lick Resort is one of the best resorts in the country and has been recognized as such by all the major travel and golf publications over the years. Their staff is always looking for new ways to create the perfect vacation for their guests.
Come see for yourself and you will wonder why you didn’t visit sooner.
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