By Scott Kramer
Some 20 years ago, I was passing through Southern Indiana and wandered into French Lick. Avid golfers may have heard of the town, as it hosted the 1924 PGA Championship on its then seven-year-old Donald Ross Course. I didn’t have time to play golf that day, but vowed to someday return.
This past week, I finally got the chance. The property includes the nine-hole Tom Bendolow-designed Valley Links Course, as well as the Pete Dye Course that debuted in 2009. All are spectacular tests of golf.
I was part of a golf media trip. Flying into Louisville, I was driven about 80 minutes to the two-hotel resort. We arrive at the West Baden Springs Hotel, a beautiful historic yellow inn that’s been renovated extensively in recent years. Once referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World, it has a 200-foot-tall circular atrium surrounded by rooms looking down on it. I felt like I was under the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building. There’s so much history to this place, I can’t possibly do it justice in an article. Suffice it to say, it’s breathtaking and noted as a top-notch resort and mineral spa.
We convene about a mile away at the resort’s other hotel, the nearly-as-grand French Lick Hotel, for dinner at 1875 Steakhouse. We share every appetizer on the menu, then I order an outstanding porterhouse with Caesar salad and chocolate lave cake. It’s all awesome, especially when flanked by some smooth cabernet. It’s the perfect end to a long travel day. I get to bed early, to ready my body for golf the next morning.
Breakfast is in Sinclair’s at my hotel. The omelet I order is done perfectly, but it’s the blueberry-banana smoothie that really wins me over. Next it’s off to the 7,030-yard Ross Course. The layout has lots of rolling terrain. Because it’s a Donald Ross design, many of the greens bowl upwards to the middle. But it’s not all symmetrical — there are many steep hills on the greens. In fact, some green slopes are so severe uphill that by the time the ball reaches the apex it’s lost all steam – no matter how hard you strike it. That makes the greens deceptively slow. Many times I found that even though the ball crept over the hill onto the downslope, it still slowed down to a stop — even halfway down the slope. Yet sheer downhill putts were near-impossible to stop. The fairways are generous, but the traps are strategically located in landing areas. The course itself is lined by majestic trees that define the boundaries. Much of the rough’s second cut is made up of two-foot-tall, wheat-like grass. And missing the fairway by even a smidge can be very penal, even though the initial rough cut doesn’t look it. It’s just thick. I play 27 holes that day, and finally make a birdie on my 27th hole.
We eat dinner that night in downtown French Lick at 33 Brick Street, a friendly sports bar filled with memorabilia of hometown hero Larry Bird and lots of baseball items, as well. The next day sees a morning round at the Valley Links Course, adjacent to the French Lick Casino. It’s an outstanding nine-holer that plays roughly 3,300 yards with a lot of straight holes that are well manicured. It’s a Parkland-style layout that has less-severe terrain than the Ross course, but is still very challenging.
After the nine, we head five minutes up the hill to the 8,102-yard (yes, you read that correctly) Pete Dye Course. The on-property mansion that’s been around for almost 100 years was renovated nine years ago to include a snack bar and four deluxe suites. It’s really nice. The views from up top are absolutely amazing. You can see for miles. I’d heard plenty about the toughness of this course. First of all, it’s pricey — $350 per round. Second of all, it’s hilly. The elevation changes are extreme in some cases. I didn’t find the course to be unfair, with the exception of two particular holes, but I did find the tee-shot carries in some cases to be severely demanding. Playing from the blue tees — which were I believe the middle selection — still left us 240 yards on one of the par-3 holes. No question this is a long course from all sets of tees. But the downhill nature on some of the holes makes it play shorter. Missing the fairways is where the course really gets tough. You can easily find wayward tee shots resulting in ensuing shots where the ball is well above or below your feet. Bottom line for me is that I think this is a nice, upscale course that’s a real challenge for good players and nearly impossible for mid-handicaps and higher. Most of the holes are fun to strategize and some are nightmares. You simply have to be on your game for all 18 holes, if you want to score. Vistas from the last few holes of the front nine are dramatic.
After golf, our group meets at Ballard’s in the Atrium at our hotel. The wood-fired pizza hits the spot, as does the chocolate dome dessert. As I travel home early the next morning, I relish in the thought that my two decades of waiting were worth it.
Scott Kramer is veteran, Southern California-based writer primarily versed in golf and personal technology. Studying Computer Sciences in college, and then working as a programmer/software engineer for about a decade, triggered my passion for today’s high-end, high-tech gadgets. I can’t help myself whenever I see any kind of cool new personal technology. I feel compelled to further check it out and see what it’s all about. And even if I have no use for it personally, I’m always thinking who it might best suit. There are exciting new innovations emerging daily that are shaping the future and simplifying life. And I hope to be your eyes to that world, through the words of this column.