French Lick Resort’s highly anticipated Sand Creek Course is now open at the popular Indiana resort.
The Sand Creek course features nine holes between 40 and 90 yards, and golfers can expect to complete a round in approximately 75 minutes. The green fee includes four clubs with a bag and three golf balls, but guests may use their own clubs if they wish.
Located adjacent to the Valley Links course and driving range, Sand Creek Course takes its name from the stream that winds through it. This brings French Lick Resort to a total of 54 holes of golf resort-wide, complementing the 18-hole championship Pete Dye and Donald Ross courses and the 9-hole Valley Links.
Sand Creek Course – Open Year Round
The Sand Creek Course will be open year-round (weather permitting), and more special touches are in the works. A food truck will be on site to keep guests fueled up all day. Eventually, the course will be lit for play after dark, piped-in music will play on the course, and there will be designated family-friendly hours.
The beauty of Sand Creek is that it is friendly for everyone, from the serious golfer to those wanting to try golf for the first time.
“It will be a straight-forward design that will be friendly for even the beginner, and above all, a fun venue for everyone,” said Dave Harner, French Lick Resort’s Director of Golf. “It adds to our already world-class experience in providing an alternative to the championship courses, with still a bit of challenge.
“Beginners, families, corporate groups, whether they all play golf or not, they’ll be able to play this course. It’s a lot of fun, and I think when people get out there and play, they’ll get hooked on the game.”
Russ Apple, the head superintendent at French Lick’s Pete Dye Course, has spearheaded the construction, and the resort’s entire golf team assisted in designing the new Sand Creek layout, which borrows features from the resort’s two championship courses.
“It’s going to have a few miniature versions of the Dye volcano bunkers, and some of the Ross greens contours. The rock formation that we use around the lakes at Dye we’re using around the water retention area here,” Harner said. “You’ll see a few things that are common to both golf courses.”
The short course isn’t the only new attraction in this corner of French Lick Resort.
Nearby, four new pickleball courts will be opening soon, in time for the Fourth of July holiday. The courts are located next to the parking lots behind the French Lick Casino and the French Lick Springs Hotel parking garage. That’ll make for a total of 7 new pickleball courts, joining the three that opened last fall at West Baden Springs Hotel.
Franz envisions adding more to this area eventually, considering the guests’ interest in outdoor activities and the land available for growth.
“The Sand Creek Course was the featured project we wanted to start with, and with the new pickleball courts there as well, this area can be a little hub for a lot of things for guests to do,” Franz said. “Down the road, there are a lot of other things activity-wise that I think we can do for guests to enjoy the outdoors and be active during their visit to the resort.”
French Lick Resort Logs Record Number of Rounds
French Lick Resort has logged record numbers of rounds at Pete Dye, Donald Ross and Valley Links the last few years, and as Resort CEO Chuck Franz explains, adding a short course feeds a current demand while reviving a piece of French Lick’s past. A short course existed at the resort in the early 1900s, and now, decades later, what’s old is new again.
“We’re always wanting to play into our history with different attractions and projects across the property. With the increased interest and demand for golf here at the resort, we looked at ways to integrate another 9 holes and advance to 54 holes of golf resort-wide,” Franz said. “The more people you can get on course enjoying golf here at French Lick, that’s a great thing.”
French Lick Resort is a $600 million historic restoration and casino development project that includes West Baden Springs Hotel, French Lick Springs Hotel, Valley Tower Hotel, and French Lick Casino.
The resort features 756 guest rooms and suites, a 51,000-square-foot, single-level casino, 54 holes of golf, including the fully restored 1917-designed Donald Ross Course at French Lick and the 18-hole Pete Dye Course at French Lick, two full-service spas with a combined 36 treatment rooms totaling 42,000 square feet, meeting and event space totaling 169,000 square feet, and an array of dining and entertainment options.
Photo Courtesy of French Lick Resort
