By Kevin Frisch
A golf test: circle the item that best defines great golf buddy trip destinations:
- Quantity of golf
- Quality of golf
- Great dining and lodging venues as well as fun activities in addition to golf
- All of the above
Write us down for a 4 and note that destinations like French Lick Resort in southern Indiana, Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst, Streamsong, Kiawah and Kohler fit the profile and have earned reputations as great trip destinations for golfers.
Regarded as one of the Best Golf Resorts in the America’s by Golf Digest magazine, French Lick Resort is a top resort in the Midwest that fits in with those same courses and is a destination that circles all the items.
Situated atop the rolling hills overlooking the Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana, this historic resort is located in the small town of French Lick, where for over two centuries the Pluto Mineral Springs has attracted visitors. French Lick is also well-known as the hometown of basketball legend Larry Bird, and his former high school gym is only a few blocks away form the font doors of French Lick Resort.
For quantity and quality of golf the resort features 45-holes of championship golf designed by Donald Ross, Pete Dye, and Tom Bendelow.
For dining, lodging and activities there is a choice between a pair of historic and iconic hotel destinations with great restaurants, a casino and many other amenities, as well as short, quick trip access to restaurants and activities like fishing and hunting in the welcoming resort community around French Lick.
Since the early 1900’s, golf has been an integral part of this resort area. Tom Bendelow designed the first course in the area in 1907, and the great Donald Ross designed a course 10 years later that has withstood the test of time. Speaking of time, in 2009 Hall of Fame architect Pete Dye designed a visually stunning masterpiece on timeless property, and it has quickly become one of the most highly acclaimed courses in the country.
French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course and Donald Ross Course are rated the No. 1 and No. 2 best public golf courses in the state of Indiana by GolfWeek magazine and have been every year since 2011. Add to that more than two dozen national rankings and awards – including No. 2 Casino course in the country by LINKS Magazine.
The Pete Dye course achieved a rare double honor in 2009 by being selected as America’s best new course by the two leading golf publications in the country – Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine.
What stands out the most about the Dye Course is the illusion that many holes are suspended in air as they appear to “hang” onto the side of a long mountainous ridge. That would not be most people’s first thoughts of an Indiana landscape, but it reflects the reality that the Hoosier National Forest area is essentially foothills leading to the mountainous Kentucky region.
“I have spent over five decades designing golf courses all over the world, including courses on great coastal sites, and this course at French Lick is on arguably the best inland site I have ever worked on,” Dye has proclaimed.
As for the historic Donald Ross course, it underwent a $4.6 million restoration project in recent years that brought the course back to Ross’s original genius plans. If the Ross course could talk, what stories it could tell from a rich history. It was the site of the 1924 PGA Championship won by the legendary Walter Hagen and has hosted other golf greats and celebrities including Gene Sarazen, Chick Evans, and Bing Crosby. Locals also are proud that 1979 Masters winner Fuzzy Zoeller lives not far away and often proclaimed he would play the course to prep for his trips to Augusta National.
The Ross Course is a parkland gem that meanders up and down the rolling hills a few miles from the main resort. The wonderful routing of the holes takes full advantage of the many elevation points for classic Ross green sites, which are sloped dramatically and in classic form – from back to front. 
French Lick is the only resort in the world that combines the classic historic work of Ross with the extraordinary modern-day work of Dye providing a spectacular opportunity for golfers to experience two of the best designers in golf history on one trip.
A trip that scores a perfect 4 for buddies can be best experienced through French Lick Resort’s Hall of Fame Golf Package. It provides opportunities to play both the Ross and Dye courses all day over a two-day period. Golfers can opt to stay at either the French Lick Springs Hotel, which is connected to the 51,000-square foot casino, or the elegant West Baden Springs Hotel. Both hotels underwent a $600 million historic restoration back in the mid-2,000’s bringing the resort back to national prominence and both hotels back to their original sophistication and luxury.
Whether the group opts to play 27 or 36 holes or more in one day, the value can’t be beat with an all-day, one-price option. On the arrival day, golfers also receive a 9-hole welcome warmup round on the Bendelow course, which is a classic, fun parkland design.
If all-day golf is not everybody’s option, beckoning are the spa, pool area or outdoor area activities such as fishing experiences and shooting range – or testing your luck at the casino.
In the evenings the group can experience a variety of fine dining options at each hotel, or head into the town of French Lick and check out the likes of Brick 33, which is named after its beloved basketball son, Larry Bird.
Write us down for a 4: All of the above.
Visit www.frenchlick.com.
