The only thing better than playing a Golfweek #1 rated course?
Tackling both #1 and #2 on the same trip.
For 13 consecutive years, French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye and Donald Ross Courses have been ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in Golfweek’s “Best You Can Play” in Indiana. They’re also an answer to a question. That “where we headed for this year’s golf trip?” question.
Small-town Indiana is home to big-time golf, with Ross’ classic design and Dye’s modern layout coexisting beautifully in the rolling hills of the Hoosier State. The only place worldwide to play Dye and Ross Courses together at the same property, French Lick Resort proves that Hall of Fame designers from different eras can play nice together in the sand.
- One of Pete Dye’s final creations is a stunning hilltop layout that always leaves first-time visitors with the same reaction: “We’re really in Indiana?” The terrain is so rugged that when Dye initially walked the landscape, he said a course couldn’t be built here. But he changed his mind a day later and took on the challenge. He sketched the layout on a napkin at a local restaurant and brought it to life — spectacular vistas with 40-mile views, narrow and immaculate fairways, volcano-style bunkers, and constant elevation changes spanning an ambitious 8,102 yards. Those wanting to tackle this Dye gem again and again are in luck with the course’s “Package to Dye Four,” which has four rounds over two days of unforgettable golf.
- While the Dye Course is a modern marvel, The Donald Ross Course at French Lick is an old-school thrill. Golf as it was meant to be played. Ross designed this countryside course in 1917, and restored for today, it maintains nearly all the classic elements of its original layout. Among the trademark Ross features: 80 deep-faced bunkers that can challenge even the expert golfer and severely undulating greens, some of the most radically shaped and contoured in the game. Preseason rates through May 1 are available to experience this hardy Ross design in all its glory.
- Proving that golf is an entrenched tradition and also a legacy in progress, there’s more to experience beyond Dye and Ross. Valley Links Course is a Tom Bendelow design that’s stood the test of time as the area’s oldest golf course — perfect for a quick 9 holes, warmup round or family-friendly session. And coming to French Lick Resort in 2024 is something brand-new: a short course that will bring a whole new flavor to the golfing experience.
- While golf may be the main mission during a trip here, French Lick was built to be a grown-up’s playground. French Lick Casino has 24/7 gaming with table games, a sportsbook and slots, and the shooting ranges feature sporting clays and archery. (Oh, and while you’re in Larry Bird’s hometown, go find his old house and driveway hoop — Google Maps can show the way.) Back at the resort, there are also spas, stables, concerts, and events, plus a complimentary resort shuttle service to get you from the hotels to the golf courses and anywhere else resort-wide.
- Golf is a booming business in French Lick — with tee times already filling up in a hurry for the 2024 season, and the addition of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. The tour’s season-ending championship and PGA TOUR Card Ceremony will be played at French Lick’s Pete Dye Course for the next five years, with the first installment set for Oct. 3-6, 2024.
