Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Indiana about 60 miles west of Louisville, Ky., you will find one of the most underrated golf destinations in the U.S. in my opinion.
French Lick Resort has become a go-to for residents in the Indianapolis, St. Louis, Nashville and Cincinnati areas. It’s known for its casino, winery, mineral springs and historic hotels that date back into the 1840s. Stepping into the resort is like going back in time to the Gilded Age.
In French Lick’s heyday, movie stars, gangsters, politicians and various celebrities—from Bing Crosby to Al Capone to President Theodore Roosevelt—regularly stayed at the 600-room resort. The area started to fade in the 1940s but expansive renovations have been brought it back to its former life in the 21st Century.
More recently, it’s carved out a niche as a reputable golf resort. French Lick has five courses in its profile: the Pete Dye Course, the Donald Ross Course, the Valley Links Course, Sultan’s Run and the Sand Creek Course.
By some raters, the Dye and Ross Courses are the top two public tracks in the state.
If you are a regular MGS reader, you might recall that I labeled the Dye Course as overrated. That doesn’t make it a bad golf course—it’s a gorgeous piece of land and in phenomenal condition—but it’s also extremely hard (like the highest course rating in the country), expensive and the shaping is a little too wild for me in some places. Having said that, it is incredible visually and has a ton of defenders.
The Valley Links is a nine-hole regulation course. I haven’t played that one but I have made it out to Sultan’s Run, about 30 minutes away in Jasper, Ind. French Lick Resort took over the management of the course in 2012. It’s more tree-lined, parkland-style golf and I really enjoyed it. At around $75, it is an absolute steal given how nice the condition was. I considered adding it to my list of underrated courses I’ve played. I’m jealous locals get to play that track on repeat.
Sand Creek is a little pitch-and-putt next to the Valley Course. I walked by and was impressed. A great place for kids to learn the game.
However, the focus of this story is about the Donald Ross Course. I’ll run you through my experience and will answer the question of whether French Lick should be on your golf to-do list.
I paid full price for the green fee and this is a fully unfiltered review with no connection to French Lick.
Setting the scene at the Ross Course
This particular French Lick experience was a day trip for me as I drove the 3.5 hours each way back and forth from Nashville. I got to meet up with my cousins, Bryan and Brad, for an awesome afternoon of golf.
One of my few complaints of the day was that the Ross Course does not have its own driving range, so we had to go over to the Valley Course about five minutes away to warm up. Not a big deal, but it is a little surprising a course of this caliber doesn’t have a range.
The Ross Course opened in 1917—designed, of course, by the legendary Scotsman himself—and has been known as the “Hill Course”. It hosted the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen. He defeated four-time major champion Jim Barnes, 2-up, in the final match (back when the PGA was match play).
The original moniker of the “Hill Course” is for obvious reasons. There is some wonderful undulation to this property, which is largely treeless and exposed. It would be a tough walk if you were so adventurous.
This layout went more than eight decades being virtually untouched—one of the few remaining Ross designs that can claim such a thing. Like the historic hotels at the resort, the course is an heirloom of sorts. Ross himself surveyed the French Lick area and picked this hilly spot to build a course.
A 2005 restoration, led by Lee Schmidt, was careful to maintain that signature Ross character while making small updates to beautify the original vision.
This is vintage Ross in many respects. You are getting raised greens that fall off on all sides, although it’s more rough than short grass in the surrounds. The deep-faced bunkers, generosity off the tee and tilted greens with steep slopes are also Ross trademarks.
The heartbeat of the course is the contouring of the greens. Nearly every putting surface has a significant slope or defining feature. Navigating them is fun and intriguing.
The clubhouse is old and in desperate need of an update, but it does the trick. Some of the 1920s’-era photography that lines the halls is really cool.
One oddity is that the drive into the course cuts directly through the ninth fairway. My tee shot ended up a few feet from the road so it’s very much in play. Look both ways!
Assuming you make it through without getting nailed by a ball, you will soon be in the parking lot and getting ready to pay $150 to play what is essentially an original Ross.
The course does not fool around
My first piece of advice is to play one tee up from where you think you should play. This is a tough track. We played the bronze tees, 6,517 yards, and got thoroughly pants-ed by Mr. Ross.
The first tee sits next to the clubhouse and overlooks the property. What you see on the opener is much of what you will be getting off the tee throughout the day. It’s fairly open, but wild misses into the lurking fescue means a near-guarantee of a lost ball due to how thick it is. You don’t even need to look in there.
You better get your ball in play, because it will be a long afternoon if you can’t. That’s the easiest part of the course.
The real challenge comes with approach play. It’s a course that demands a lot from your irons.
Nothing represents that more than the set of par-3s. The first three are 194, 210 and 228 yards, respectively. The final one of the group, No. 16, is a 133-yard shot to a heavily guarded, wildly sloped green.
Those long par-3s are not the only time you have to hit a mid to long iron.
You will get a few wedges and short irons in your hands on approach shots, but there are some death spots around the greens. As you would assume, missing long is usually a bad idea given how the greens are tilted from back to front.
We were greeted with wet conditions and the dreaded “cart path only” instruction, so it made the course play even longer than usual. The softness helped on some approach shots, but the rough also felt a little thicker. Being in the rough was a real disadvantage.
Despite the wetness, the course was in tremendous condition. I was particularly impressed with the tee boxes and fairways. The greens were smooth and well maintained but on the slow side, understandable given all the rain the area had received.
At a 73.0 rating and 146 slope from the bronze tees, we had all we could handle.
My favorite holes
This is a cliche of Donald Ross courses, but his track at French Lick is definitely a second-shot course.
He’ll give you room off the tee. Misses with your approach shot are going to be punished heavily.
I prefer this style of golf to narrow, treelined courses. The part I appreciated the most about the course was that there were a handful of distinct, interesting designs. Combined with some wonderfully intricate greens, I was fully engaged with each shot.
Here are a few of my favorite holes.
No. 2 – Par-4, 379 yards
A cool tee shot with a fairway that slopes hard left to right. The approach shot is defined by a jarring shoulder on the right edge of the green. When the hole is on the right, it’s an intimidating shot.
No. 4 – Par-3, 194 yards
This is just a beautiful par-3 over a valley. Beyond the green is a massive slope that brings everything back onto the putting surface. The bunkering is a standout feature here. A handsome golf hole.
No. 7 – Par-5, 513 yards
One of just two par-5s on the course, No. 7 features a tough tee shot that bends left around the corner. If you squint your eyes, it kind of looks like Bethpage Black.
No. 8 – Par-4, 368 yards
A fairly straightforward tee shot with a fairway wood or long iron will set up a dramatic downhill approach to a heavily sloped green.
No. 14 – Par-4, 409 yards
There are a couple of blind tee shots on the course and this is one of them. It’s a straightaway drive and then a gorgeous downhill approach to a receptive green with water in the background.
No. 16 – Par-3, 133 yards
After getting punched in the face with long par-3s, the final one is a fun shot to a green that has a handful of sections. It could be a quick birdie or, if you miss the green like I did, get ready to start stick-handling back and forth across the green.
My least favorite holes
I only have a couple on this list but I thought they were worth mentioning.
My main criticism of the course is that I like to see more short grass around greens to allow for different styles of shots. There are some run-offs like that at the Ross Course, but it’s mainly rough and bunkers.
When you are asking golfers to hit a lot of mid to long irons, it sometimes feels like that combination doesn’t work.
No. 5 – Par-4, 461 yards
Although the tee shot is downhill, this is a lot of golf hole considering it falls between two long par-3s that will take your lunch money. There is not as much room around the green as you would hope for on a long-ass par-4.
No. 13 – Par-3, 228 yards
I don’t mind long par-3s but I think they are at their best when they allow some room to miss—and space for the ball to run up onto the green. This hole doesn’t offer that. Right is dead and there is fescue left. Naturally, I made a par on this hole while making a mess of the easier holes.
The final word on the Ross Course
I really enjoyed my round here. Even a few weeks after playing, I still vividly remember all the holes.
It’s in nice condition and there are plenty of holes that are attractive but not tricked up to be goofy.
Mr. Ross will beat you up at times so don’t expect to set a personal best. However, there is plenty of room to work with off the tee. It’s not a lost-ball festival out there—it is just going to paper-cut you to death with bogeys.
The $150 green fee is reasonable. If you combine this with Sultan’s Run, you can play two very solid courses for just over $200. The Dye Course is a little rich for my taste but it’s a beautiful place and has a lot of backers.
French Lick is not in the category of Bandon, Streamsong or Sand Valley, but it still makes for an outstanding getaway if you are traveling with family who have non-golf interests. There aren’t many multi-course resort options in this part of the country—French Lick fills that void nicely.
My overall grade for the Ross Course is a B+. It’s worth the trip.
Should you go to French Lick? If you’re within reasonable driving distance and want a weekend getaway, I would highly recommend it. If you are looking to just play golf and you live well outside of driving distance, I don’t think it’s an absolute must ahead of other golf resorts.
Have you played any of the French Lick courses? Let me know in the comments.
The post MGS Experiences: Donald Ross Course At French Lick appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
