French Lick Resort - The Pete Dye Course

Our caddie Josh was great! Gave us some history and also was very helpful. Played with a wonderful couple from Mt Carmel, IN. Dye and Ross courses are easily two of the toughest courses I've ever played! Conditions were immaculate. Definitely want to come back!

Played the course as a gift from my wife. Course is pricey and a forecaddie is mandatory. My caddie was extremely helpful in overall Course navigation.

Course conditions were well below my standards for the price I paid; however, I played the course on opening day. Greens had recently been aerated and this was not relayed to me in advance. As the fees are not altered based on the time of the year one golfs, I recommended not playing early in the season as the course was cart path only, extremely wet, and greens still healing from aerification. I was generous with my rating as the early season conditions did not match the price tag.

There are not many courses in the country or anywhere else in Indiana that are this scenic or hilly. The views seemed to go on forever on my early April round. Be prepared for many uneven lies on this mountain golf course.

Finally I highly recommend staying in the West Baden Springs Hotel as there is nothing like this architectural gem anywhere in the US. The atrium is a step back in time when things moved a little slower and life was meant to be savored!

This place is incredible. Played golf all over the United States and this one made my top five. Immaculate conditions. Course design is fantastic. Caddy was awesome. Pace of play was great. A little pricey but worth it and you get a bag tag, cigar, and bottle of liquor as well. You can also play as much as you want for the one price. We ended up playing an extra 9 holes from the tips which stretch out to around 8100 yards making it one of the longest courses in the country. If you're near here make it happen!

Thinking about how to navigate a course Pete Dye has dug out of the dirt can cause a sleepless night. Especially when you drive out and survey the property on the afternoon of arrival to the French Lick Resort.

The fairways appear to be mere ribbons. The rough looks juicy enough to swallow a golf ball, and for that matter a 9-iron. Bunkers litter the property like the acne-pockmarked face of a 15-year-old boy. Slopes are harsh. Greens are small. Confidence is waning.

It is reported that upon visiting the extremely difficult site of the present golf course, Dye said he couldn’t build a track on it. He changed his mind, however, and moved 2.5 million cubic yards of dirt to create the fingers of land that the holes are draped on. The course basically wraps around the site and flows down from the mansion and pro shop that sits atop the property like a Christmas tree topper. The views from the second highest point in Indiana are dramatic and the wind usually blows. The genius in the routing is that it changes direction every three or four holes, so you will get varying winds that can help or hurt.

Dye is up to his usual antics, attempting to intimidate you with trouble that appears to be in play, but may actually not be. His uses all shapes and sizes of bunkers, including the “volcano” bunkers that are a signature.

That said, after playing 36 holes here today, I found the course’s bark to be much worse than its bite. The fairways are pinched, and the greens are small, but the Bluegrass rough allows stray drives to sit up nicely, allowing for recovery. The trade off is some nasty flyers. This may be a product of the early playing season. I have heard that in the summer the conditions can harshen.

You can make the experience as harrowing as you like by moving way back on the tee box, but I am not a sadist. The Gold tees tip out at 8,100 yards and possess a course rating of, wait for it... 80.0. Insane. It’s not an run-of-the-mill golf course, so the average player will probably struggle in stretches here. Don’t let that deter you, however, from playing it if you are a mid-to-high handicapper.

Finally, the $350 greens fee is steep, and you will be required to hire a forecaddie ($40+tip/pp), but the Dye Course goes above and beyond with the tee gift. Most high-end courses gladly give you a bag tag with your name engraved on it, and here is no exception. However, in addition, following your round you will receive a valuables pouch with a small bottle of local whiskey, a cigar, cutter, matches and shot glass. That, friends, is the proper way to say “thanks for playing here.”

The course is dramatic in scale, one of the most visually stunning and challenging courses. Caddies are great, course conditions are perfect. Bring your A game and a Camera.

If I've ever played a better-conditioned course, I don't remember it. The Dye Course at French Lick is everything you expect a Pete Dye course to be. It challenges your eye. It provokes a little self-pity. The greens are almost impossible. It brings out your "left brain" creative self. It's also the biggest golf course I've ever played, and the 18th hole is the largest hole on the biggest course. I have one complaint. The $350 greens fee is unnecessary. I think it's that expensive, because the resort wants to maintain a level of exclusivity for the course that, unfortunately, keeps many people from enjoying a golf course that should be played by many more golfers. We saw one other twosome during our entire round.

This round ranks top 10 all time for me. This was such a surreal experience. All of the contour changes and sites were amazing. It was pretty windy when we played, and the course is already hard as it is. The caddie that we had (Kyle Head) was second to none. Super knowledgeable about everything, had it not been for him, I could have shot a terrible round. The course was in MINT condition. As you can see by some of the photos, it is beautiful. The staff across the board was great. The food was amazing, highly recommend the filet for dinner! This is definitely a bucket list course and can't wait to come back!

Had an opportunity to play the Dye Course at French Lick Resort as part of a recent Golf Advisor Getaway to the south central Indiana classic.

The Dye course was designed to be intimidating from start to finish. The course is set atop a large hill above the resort and the views are spectacular. The course tips out at over 8,000 yds (we didn't play it anywhere near that far back) and includes visually intimidating and extremely tight tee shots, approach shots that require precision and greens that are undulating and and quick.

Each foursome is assigned a forecaddie and they are very useful. Randy helped us pick lines and more importantly, know the right place to miss. The Dye Course is a bear if you are out of position, but manageable if you keep it on correct sides of the trouble.

Overall, this is a stunner of a property and a perfect foil to the classic 1917 French Lick - Donald Ross Course only a few miles up the road.

They treat you like a king from the moment you pull up. Forecaddies pair with you on the practice facility, cleaning you clubs, which I've never seen at a public facility. Course is spectacular, the views are breathtaking. The clubhouse is small but has everything you need and the food was great. Overall a memorable destination.

The last time I was in French Lick, just prior to the Dye Course opening, a Hurricane blew through, wrecking havoc on this part of the Midwest just prior to the Valhalla Ryder Cup. So I suppose I was due for some idyllic weather this time around. That's just what we got, and our first-off tee time on the Dye Course in late-April blessed us with an incredible morning sunrise.

Well known as one of resort golf's toughest rounds, the Dye Course was really about as "gettable" of conditions as we'll ever get (I'm told it can blow up here - but we had no wind). And despite a few swing gags (Dye's always had my number off the tee) I was able to finish my round pretty strong - enough to leave with a few good memories of my game and not just good photos. Frankly, this is a distracting place to play because so many greens and tees have incredible backdrops. The course actually reminds me of Castle Stuart in that regard, so many green sites have infinity backdrops or incredible vantage points. We could have played in under 3 hours if it weren't for all of our picture-taking.

I don't love some of Pete Dye's stuff just because I prefer the shaping of holes to be a little more mellow. (I know, if he woke up one day with my career he'd jump out a window). But you can't argue with the course he managed to build on this elevated and severe site. He's always been a genius in terms of golf course construction, and this one's up there with any other in the Midwest. It's certainly fitting that a Dye design will be on some of Indiana's highest ground. The Hoosier-born genius certainly deserves a lofty place in this state and this game for many years to come.

Course played amazing and the views were absolutely breathtaking. Can't wait to come back

Indiana golf's favorite son Pete Dye in the home of Larry legend. Set on the highest point in the state it's a match made in heaven. That said I just liked the more traditional layout of the Ross. When I play courses I ask myself if I'd play it every day. This would be a tough loop. But I'm glad I saw it as it's clearly the most spectacular setting in this part of the Midwest.

They seem to keep the price high here because they don't want the course to be busy. It's an awesome place, but I can't think of another course in the state outside French Lick that even costs $100. The way I see it, you can burn through $300 on the tables in an evening so just don't gamble and play golf instead. If you don't want to pay it, it's fine just play the Ross which is really good itself.

I'm not sure if any course in the Midwest should cost more than $150-200 but it was a pretty spectacular round. It's hard to believe you're ever waiting on another group out here as it feels both expansive and isolating and so quiet. In some ways I liked it more than Whistling Straits, even though my score on both were a good 10-15 shots higher than my hcp. Fun weekend in the land of Larry Legend

This course was an absolute beauty. Meticulously designed and expertly manicured. One of the best I have ever played. Highly Recommended.

I had the privilege to play the Pete Dye Course at French Lick on a chamber of commerce day this summer. The course took my breath away with the course character, scenic views and conditions. To be honest, I wasn't expecting this with my first round in the state of Indiana. If you're in the area, French Lick is worth the trip and the $ for a round that you'll remember for a long time, regardless of how you play.