Indiana: Golf Heaven In The Hoosier State

For those who might not think of Hamilton County as a golf destination, well, think again. The area is blessed with some of the more distinctive, attractive, best-designed and best-conditioned courses anywhere.

For the avid golfer — or even the not-so-passionate golfer — it’s a place to make a day of it. Or two, three or four days of it. This is a place to stay and play, and then play some more.

From the distinctive architecture of none other than world-renowned designers Pete Dye and Robert Trent Jones Jr., to the hellish challenge of an aptly named course called Purgatory, Hamilton County boasts six courses that will delight, challenge and tantalize golfers of all abilities.

Add in two more Dye designs in nearby Indianapolis, including the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort that features four holes inside the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and golfers are certain to be amazed by the variety pack of golf to be found in the area.

Perhaps what these courses do best is provide the services, amenities and conditions commonly found in private clubs and deliver them — affordably —to the public.

But they also deliver the total golf experience — the experience of courses and holes that leave lasting impressions.

Start with Prairie View Golf Club. The first course in Indiana designed by Jones, this par-72 layout is framed by towering oaks and sycamores along the banks of the White River.

“From the moment you pull into Longest Drive, the winding road which leads to Prairie View, it is obvious you are not in store for an everyday golf experience,” says head professional Darren Thomas. “The exceptional attentiveness by the staff only enhances the character of the golf course and allows the golfer an experience they will soon not forget.”

Situated on 206 acres, Prairie View is a feast for the eyes, featuring 90 white sand bunkers, five lakes, a meandering creek, tall fescue and natural wetlands. Single-handicappers can challenge themselves from the championship tees, set at 7,073 yards, but strategy and precise shotmaking are required from any of the four sets of tees.

Nearly adjacent to Prairie View is Plum Creek Golf Club, a par-72 layout designed by Dye. Water comes into play on 13 of 18 holes, but the stiffest tests come when you’ve finally reached the greens, where a straight, flat putt is the exception, not the rule.

Typical of Dye, Plum Creek offers several holes where the reward is in direct proportion to the risk. It is not a bombs-away course, but one that requires placement and careful thought. It’s an 18-hole chess match.

“Plum Creek features great greens, spectacular conditions and fair prices,” says owner John Adams.

A branch of the Pete Dye tree can be found at Purgatory Golf Club, in the Hamilton County seat of Noblesville. Gaining instant statewide and national recognition when it opened in 1999, Purgatory was designed by Ron Kern, a second-generation member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects who was sponsored into the organization by Dye.

Purgatory was so named because, according to Director of Golf Mike Merchent, “In religious mythology, Purgatory is where souls gladly pay for their earthly mistakes to gain entry to heaven. The name is fitting because it conjures up images of overcoming obstacles to reach eternal happiness.”

Eternal happiness is difficult to come by at Purgatory, especially for any golfer so brave to play the course from the tips, which measure at a staggering 7,700 yards and include the 741-yard par-5 13th hole.

Yet, despite the name, Purgatory can be eminently playable as long as the golfer recognizes his or her limitations and chooses wisely among the six tees on every hole. Please know that the front tees measure only 4,400 yards.

Aesthetically, it’s a beauty. Kern, in consultation with Merchent, invoked design features from a number of classic architectural styles. All you have to do to conquer Purgatory is hit it long and straight, avoid the bunkers and tall fescue grass, then solve the riddle of the firm, fast greens. Oh, and bring your sand game. There are 125 bunkers, which combine with significant mounding to define the fairways.

Purgatory has been recognized as one of America's 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest, one of the top 50 Courses for Women four years in a row by Golf for Women, the No. 1 course in Indiana by Golf Week and the best place to take out-of-town guests by Indianapolis Monthly.

Another Hamilton County course recognized among the best Indiana has to offer is Bear Slide, in the town of Cicero. Designed by former PGA Tour veteran Dean Refram, Bear Slide is actually two courses in one. The first nine is a Scottish-style links course, fairly flat and defined by mounds, tall fescue and several lakes. The back nine is old-style traditional, with significant elevation changes, multitudes of oaks and maples lining the fairways, and the challenges of Bear Slide Creek. Players are certain to remember the par-3 16th, which features an island green, and the par-4 18th, which is carved into a natural amphitheatre that makes it one of the state’s most memorable finishing holes.

Bear Slide, a par-71 that plays to 6,998 yards from the championship tees, has been designated by Great Lakes Golf Magazine as the “best course in Indiana.” It has also been rated as one of the top 75 most affordable courses in the USA.

Yet another Hamilton County gem is River Glen in Fishers. Founded in 1990, River Glen is a par-71 built along the banks of the White River.

“Like all the championship golf courses in Hamilton County, we provide a challenging golf course with superb playing conditions, but there are two additional attributes that bring golfers back to River Glen time and again,” says pro Scott Casey. “First, is the tranquil natural environment of the White River Valley. River Glen has an abundance of trees and numerous elevation changes that are not found anywhere else in the area. The second feature is the relaxed, social atmosphere that we create for all of our golfers. You will not find a stuffy, uptight staff at River Glen.  Our staff likes to have fun, and most importantly, we like for our golfers to have fun.”

Also designed by Dye protégé Gary Kern, River Glen makes the golfer pull out every club in the bag with narrow fairways, numerous water hazards and bunkers, and undulating greens.

Located in Westfield, Wood Wind Golf Club, formerly Bent Tree, is another outstanding Hamilton County course. Though it measures only 6,519 yards from the back tees, this course is a test of placement and strategy with numerous lakes and a meandering creek that dissects the fairways of five holes. Ninety bunkers and rolling hills add to the challenge. Also designed by Kern, it’s among the older courses in the county.

Of course, no golfing trip to Hamilton County and the Indianapolis area would be complete without a visit to the Brickyard Crossing. Another classic Dye design, it twice has been named to Golf Digest’s prestigious “America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses” rankings. Impeccably manicured, holes 1 through 6 route the golfer outside the Speedway before the cart path leads under a tunnel to holes 7 through 10 inside the famous track, surrounded by 260,000 seats and the iconic Pagoda Plaza.

And yes, play is allowed on days even when the stars of Indy car racing and NASCAR are practicing and qualifying.

“We believe it’s a must-play for the true golfer visiting Indianapolis,” says Sam Foley, director of instruction at Brickyard Crossing. “Teeing it up during one of the 30 or so days throughout the year when there are cars on the race course is an intense golf experience like no other in the world.”

Anyone who thinks Indiana is flat and barren needs to play The Fort Golf Course on the city’s northeast side. So named because it was built on and around the corridors of a course on a former Army post, The Fort is the combined work of Dye and locally renowned designer Tim Liddy. Over 238 acres, they carved out a rolling, wooded gem that plays to a par of 72 and 7,148 yards from the championship tees. Within a year after it opened, Golf Digest rated The Fort third-best among new affordable public courses.

Finally, no mention of golf in Hamilton County can overlook Crooked Stick, Dye’s most famous Indiana course. Unless you know a member — such as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning — you can’t play there, but you can watch championship golf there. Home to the memorable 1991 PGA Championship won by John Daly, the 1993 U.S. Women’s Open captured by Lauri Merten and the 2005 Solheim Cup won by the U.S., Crooked Stick will welcome the U.S. Senior Open in 2009 and the BMW Championship — part of the PGA’s season-ending FedExCup — in 2012.

Making a day of golf heaven, or two, three, or four days, is a no-brainer in Hamilton County.  Each of these fabulous public courses come together as Indiana's Premier Golf Country offering stay and play packages for the golf traveler. Their web site, IndianasPremierGolf.com explains the particulars and is up-to-date with 2008 rates, or the toll-free number 800-776-TOUR connects to the local visitors bureau and a plethora of brochures, maps and planning assistance. Twelve nearby hotels partner with the group and provide the stay portion of the stay and play.  A golf sales director at each hotel makes all the arrangements in advance for a seamless trip sure to be repeated over and over again.

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