By Mike May
Two world-class golf courses await to spoil golfers at the French Lick Resort. The Donald Ross Course opened in 1917 and The Pete Dye Course was added in 2009. For history buffs, the family-friendly, 9-hole Valley Links Course was built by ‘The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf,’ Tom Bendelow, in 1907.
French Lick Resort is the world’s only resort which boasts a classic Donald Ross design, as well as a modern Pete Dye layout. Plus, it’s the world’s only resort with two golf courses designed by two Hall of Fame architects.
The Donald Ross Course
The Donald Ross Course is a classic masterpiece is considered by golf purists as one of his very best, plus it has been completely restored to Ross’s original plans.
Many of the greens have false fronts, which are accentuated by the back-to-front slope of the greens. The 8th green is shaped like a square, as many greens were back in the day. The 1924 PGA Championship, won by Walter Hagen, was held on the Donald Ross Course.
The Ross Course has also hosted many other high-profile events such as, the 1922 Indiana Open, 1958 French Lick Open (LPGA), 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championship, 2012 and 2013 Women’s Big Ten Championship, among others. It also hosted the EPSON Tour’s Donald Ross Classic 2017-2021.
The Pete Dye Course
The Pete Dye Course, which includes three man-made lakes, was built on top of the surrounding hills. Many adjectives can be used to describe this one-of-a-kind property, breathtaking, dramatic, and spectacular. The clubhouse is an old mansion and sits perched on Mt. Airie, 972 feet above sea level. It’s Indiana’s second highest elevation point with a 360-degree view of the surrounding Hoosier National Forest. Golfers can see up to 40 miles in every direction. In the fall the hills are alive with vibrant reds, yellows and golds.
“As I built the golf course, I tried to get the tees, the fairways, and the greens in position that they have these long views over the valleys and hills,” stated Dye, soon after the course opened.
With volcano bunkers and deep ravines every hole is a wonder, but the most dramatic stretch of holes comes at Nos. 11-14. The 450-yard, par-4, 11th features an elevated tee with breath-taking views. The 12th is a true three-shot par-5 with a massive green. Keep your tee shot on the par-3 13th to the right side of the green as it has a severe right to left slope. The par-3 16th, over water, can be stretched to over 300 yards from the back tees.
The Pete Dye Course hosted the 2015 Senior PGA Championship, the 2015 and 2022 Big Ten golf championships for both men and women, the Senior LPGA Championship from 2017–2021, and the Epson Tour now annually holds the French Lick Charity Classic on the course.
Any golfer will be hard-pressed to discover a better 36-hole golf experience than French Lick Resort’s Donald Ross and the Pete Dye Courses.
