The good people at French Lick Resort generally don’t mind being referred to as a “bucket list’’ destination – just don’t try to pigeonhole the southern Indiana property as simply the next checkmark on that list.
“It’s more of a destination resort that covers all the bases from golf to spa to pickleball to sporting clays and archery… and a great place just to relax,’’ said Dave Harner, the resort’s director of golf operations, who began his golf career in the bag room in 1976. “The common statement from people the first time is, ‘We never knew.’ But we’re really centrally located within eight hours of places like Indianapolis, Chicago, and St. Louis.
“We just had a group from Peoria, (IL.) This was their 48th time. They have over 30 guys doing a buddy trip annually. There are new guys all the time, but they consistently come here. We have other groups that do the same. They tell us that after coming here, they aren’t interested in going anywhere else. We are also popular for girlfriends’ golf getaways as well!’’
Later this year the resort will launch a “catch and release’’ fishing initiative on its two lakes near the Valley Links course, so fishermen now won’t have to leave the property.
Trolleys are a popular mode of transportation at French Lick Springs
Each of the resort’s three hotels – French Lick Springs, Valley Tower, and West Baden Springs – features outstanding spas and restaurants. Shuttles take guests on the short rides in between the hotels – and even into town upon request.
Each hotel has its own amenities and perks. French Lick Springs, for example, is within easy walking distance of the new Sand Creek, par-3, nine-hole golf course; the Valley Tower is home to the French Lick Casino, event center and Valley Links course; .West Baden Springs, which is dominated by its ornate atrium, this fall will have a new billiards and bowling pavilion; French Lick Springs, built in 1901, is a great to relax in a rocker on the porch and take in people watching and admire the hotel’s finely-manicured grounds.
French Lick Springs’ 1875: The Steakhouse is the premier dining facility throughout the entire resort, but a lunch or dinner at Ballard’s in the Atrium at the West Baden Springs is not to be missed, not only because of the food, but because of the famed atrium dome – 100 feet high and 200 feet in diameter. Built in 1901, the atrium sets the stage for any visit to the resort and is a reminder that the 3,000-acre property is more than just a bucket list destination.
Atrium at West Baden Springs
Fifteen years following the atrium’s construction, Donald Ross came from the sandhills of Pinehurst, N.C., to French Lick to create the French Links Springs Golf Club for hotel owner Thomas Taggart. The course became known by locals as the “Hill’’ course to differentiate it from a course Tom Bendelow built on the property in 1903.
In 1924, the Ross course hosted the seventh PGA Championship, won by Walter Hagen. For those keeping score, that’s 12 years before Pinehurst No. 2 – Ross’s masterpiece – hosted its first major championship – the 1936 PGA.
The Donald Ross Course at French Lick Resort stands as testament to the master’s genius. A par 70 layout that plays more than 6,900 yards from the tips, the course features Ross’s signature humpback greens, false fronts and 80 deep-face bunkers. Unless you’re a single-digit player, the wisest to play the course is from its 5,980-yard tees. It gives you the best chances to reach most greens in regulation and – if you’re accurate – avoid most of the bunkers.
Second hole on Donald Ross Course (French Lick Resort)
The course has been renovated a few times since Ross first built it (most recently in 2005), but as always when playing Ross’s early work, take time to ponder the genius of creating a design with horses and minimal earth moving.
“I once asked Pete (Dye) about how to improve the course,’’ Harner said. “He said, ‘I wouldn’t touch it.’’’
High praise, indeed, from one design legend to another, which again is a key to French Lick Resort’s appeal. If Ross sowed the seeds and plowed the ground that first put French Lick on the golf map, Dye sealed the deal. His par 72 layout is on the highest point in Indiana (atop Mt. Airie at 906 feet) is nearly as legendary as ol’ Pete himself. The Pete Dye Course this October will host the PGA Tour’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship.
With tee boxes as far back as 8,102 yards (don’t even think about it), narrow fairways – the widest if which is 85 feet – elevation changes and Dye’s signature mis-direction tee boxes, it’s little wonder a forecaddie is mandatory.
“It’s torture from there,’’ Harner said of the back tees. “Pete is very deceptive in his design. Where you think you should play from isn’t always where you should play. Every hole has a little turn to it. That’s what we have the forecaddies out there to direct some play.’’
Memo to higher handicap players: Put your ego aside and play from 6,100 yards or less. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long day.’’
The Valley Links, originally built in 1907, is a great way to warm up for the Ross and Courses. A friendly, playable layout at 3,600 yards, the Valley is ideal for families and beginners, and a good complement to the Sand Creek par-3. Ideally, it should take less than three hours to play the combination, or you can choose to play separately.
Next on the agenda, French Lick will be adding a third regulation, championship course with vistas that will rival the Pete Dye Course and incorporate portions of the current Valley Links.
The resort already has a “third course,” of sorts, in Sultan’s Run, a terrific Tim Liddy design in Jasper, about 30 minutes away, which is included in its stay-and-play packages. But a third course on the French Lick property will reinforce the resort as the premier resort destination in the Midwest.
Feature Photo: The Pete Dye Course
