The Fort Golf Resort

Perfect fall day for golf and the grounds keepers had blown the leaves, which really helped with the usual lost ball search. The course was in excellent condition and views were beautiful! The course layout is exciting...lots of bunkers in great condition, so I had confidence to really swing through, making for some of the best shots I've ever made out of the sand. Can't wait to play next season.

One of the best courses in Indiana

Pete Dye is a mater course builder

Great staff, and good practice facilities. Course was in excellent condition. Tee selections make the course very playable for about any handicap. Not the most challenging Dye course but a lot fun for the first time player.

We played The Fort on our way out of Indy at 8:30am on a Sunday. The course was cart path only due to a large amount of rain the previous day. Completely understandable and not a problem. Yardage cards in the carts helped plenty with the distances and which clubs to take out with us if we had a long walk from the path. The course actually drained very well. The fairways were in perfect condition and got plenty of rollout. The rough wasn't to bad but some lies were tough due to the wet grass. Plenty of bunkers on the course, especially in the fairways making you drive the ball well off the tee. The greens weren't cut that day, I guess due to the rain fall. I used to work on a grounds crew so I can understand that the greens would have soft spots and the mowers can "dig" a bit, but I thought the crew could have at least whipped the dew off the greens. We played the first eight holes with water spitting up off the ball on putts and putting through footprints and ball lines on dewy greens. Once the sun finally came out and the dew burnt off, the greens started rolling at a nice and quick pace. That was the only negative for me during the round. We had a group in front of us that was slowing the whole course up on the front and the ranger took care of that. We had no issues with the pace after about the 6th hole. The two or three rangers that we saw were very polite and would stop and talk to us to make sure our round was going great. It was very welcoming to have that, although I know some players don't want to be bothered during a round.

All in all, each hole was memorable and had it's own character. There are 5 sets of tees (if I remember correctly) so play the correct tees and you will have a fun, challenging day of golf.

Course was in Fantastic shape and was challenging yet playable!!

I played the Fort several years ago and couldn't wait to play it again this year. Some heavy rain had washed out some areas and the course was cart path only so the pace of play was very slow. Course was in great shape. Starter filled us in on the local rules before we headed out. Marshals on the course tried to keep things moving but it began to back up fairly quickly because it is a challenging course and cart path only that day. Expect to see deer crossing the fairways and other wildlife while golfing. Some forced carries and elevation changes make for a few very difficult holes. I thought the price may have been a little high, but overall a great place to play.

I enjoyed playing The Fort. It's got a lot going for it. Elevation changes, very good course conditions, four different tee boxes on each hole, golf carts in good condition.

18 holes of character. Not at all what I expected find in Indiana. A lot of risk reward shots available, with tee selections for every skill level. The true defense of the course comes alive on the greens. Playing here is a treat not to be missed if you have the opportunity. Do not be hesitant about the price it is a great value for the layout alone. The only negative I experienced was the same on almost every public facility. Divot and pitch repair. Look foreword to playing here again.

1 hour to play last 4 holes at 4 in the afternoon !!!! Course was in fair shape , no one seems to know how to repair ball marks. No ranger seen on back after apologizing at 10th hole for slow play (but on time according f to him).

Scenery and layout excellent..fairways generally in good condition..all sand traps in horrible condition..washed out..requires new base and top sand..greens are spotchy and bare spots..indoor staff pleasent..starters and rangers needs to encourage adherence to time and ready golf play..would be in the lower third of the courses I would recommend to friends to play in its current condition.

Roger

Starter and Ranger

12 Handicap

The greens are a mess ! And the pace of play was brutal

Unfortunately I use a handicap flag for my cart this year. Every course I have played (public and private) have been more than accommodating and respectful. Not here. This has been one of my favorite courses for years. However, I doubt if I return.

My friendliness rating does not apply to the starter. I would give him 5 stars.

This is my favorite public course to play in Indy, the staff and teaching professionals are top notch. The range and practice areas are head and shoulders above any other course around. The layoff with beautiful views and drastic elevation changes is unmatched even by the more expensive courses around. This course gets a lot of play and the greens have a tendency to get beat up slightly so please fix your pitch marks on the greens. If you read this review and you haven't played The Fort GC, please do you won't be disappointed.

This' was a splendid day out. We picked up a hot deal, but it would have been good value even if we had not. The course condition was exceptional for a state park. The design was suitably challenging & the native areas were full of flowers

Speed of play was very good at less than 4 hours

The staff were friendly & we would recommend this course strongly

Thanks. Pete & Jane

Since I moved to IN last year everyone has been telling me to play here. It's on everyone's top whatever list for public's in the state. After playing I sort of get it, but for what they charge it's nowhere near the other premium courses in the area. Nor is it worth all the accolades.

The course is different than others around here in that there's a lot of elevation change. It is an interesting, playable design. But the conditions leave a lot to be desired at their price point. Lots of fringes and fairways were brown and bare in spots. Greens are beat up from overplay.

I also played the whites, which that day were way up for some reason on some holes. Not knowing our way around, we found ourselves in bad positions off the tee on a few holes when we thought we'd hit decent tee shots. Had the tees been where they belonged, we'd have been out of trouble.

I guess I can recommend giving it a play if you get a hot deal. But it's not worth full freight. Go play Purgatory or Bear Slide or Prairie View - all are much better value for the money.

I was really excited to play this course. I had heard really good reviews from friends. I drove 2 hours to play course. The course is beautiful and practice area is really nice also. I love the design and enjoyed playing it. I was very let down to find they had been working on the greens and traps. The greens were just punched and top dressed the day before and bunkers were in AWFUL shape. On the second hole I was in a bunker where they had pulled all the sand out and was like concrete. I would play again but not worth the drive for me.

This was the third time playing the course this year -- and unfortunately probably the last. A short review follows:

Layout: I'd consider it one of the better ones in the Indy area. It has the gentle rolling hills that can produce some fun lies you're not normally exposed to around here, has a number of risk/reward holes that provide a test to your course management abilities, and has a good balance of hole difficulties.

Conditions: There had been a lot of rain a day or two prior, but for the most part was pretty well drained. Tee boxes, fairways, rough, and bunkers were all nicely groomed and maintained, and it seemed most of the divots in the fairway had been filled in. A number of soggy spots, but given the rain (wasn't cart path only), it could be unfair to judge this.

Greens: Very slow. Disappointingly slow. I also noted this the two previous times this year when there was not recent rainfall, discrediting that rationale. More often than not they ran true, but that's nowhere near enough for a course with one of the higher rates in town. Ball marks were generally fixed.

Service: This is what gets to me. There were no fewer than three marshals and a starter, only one of which was moderately pleasant. Having two separate marshals/starters radio to the clubhouse to confirm you're playing 18 because the rate appears too low (a supposed "deal" with GolfNow) is frustrating the first time, almost insulting the next -- especially when it's within one minute of the last one. To then be provided a 90 second tutorial on basic golf etiquette and common sense practices before being allowed to the first tee is perhaps only acceptable if the recipient of the lesson were a junior golfer driving a cart and playing more than a muni for the first time. Add in the various drive by sightings on the course without concern for impending shots (side bet for appearances on the back nine was at 4.5) and the hurried pace with which bags had to be pulled off of the carts at the end, and there are a lot of little things that begin to add up.

Price: Given the number of nearby courses in superior overall shape, hospitality, and with better/similar price points, I don't believe the peak fee (~$74) is justified.

Overall: I've been wanting to like this course for awhile, but unfortunately there consistently are too many things that preclude it from happening. If you're dying for some hills and can't make it out of the Indy area, perhaps this will suffice. Otherwise, there are better options.

Love the course. Not to long but very challenging for the occasional golfer.

You start off by noting how great the tee box look, then you look out and see this coarse is great looking and after checking the card to see what the slope is, you also see from the blue tee,s that this course is going to kick my butt.

At the end it was as great as the first hole said it be. What a great course for the money