If you are seeking a getaway to a resort that combines memories of yesteryear with the amenities of today, choose the French Lick Resort in the adjacent towns of French Lick and West Baden, Indiana. It’s fair to say that the French Lick Resort, which includes the French Lick Springs Hotel (443 rooms) and the West Baden Springs Hotel (243 rooms), truly rivals what is offered at, say, the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, which proclaims itself as ‘America’s Resort.’ When you enter the French Lick Springs Hotel or the West Baden Springs Hotel, both lobbies exude ‘old world charm’ from the Roarin’ ‘20s. The West Baden Springs Hotel, featuring its massive free-span dome that was once the largest in the world, is so magnificent that it once earned this hotel the designation as the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World.’
Golf has been played at French Lick ever since the Tom Bendelow Valley course was unveiled in 1907. A fine Donald Ross layout appeared in 1917 – becoming the site of Walter Hagen’s victory in the PGA Championship seven years later – and so these two courses served the area for almost ninety years until 2005 when the French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs hotels were amalgamated to. Experience the ultimate in golf at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick, voted No. 1 course in Indiana on GolfWeek’s Best You Can Play for 11 years in a row. The Donald Ross Course at French Lick has been named Indiana’s No. 2 Course in GolfWeek’s Best You Can Play rankings every year since 2011. Golf Courses in French Lick; Water & Amusement Parks in French Lick. Returned again to French Lick casino. This time stayed in the new Valley Towers.
The French Lick Resort was built in the early 1900s and quickly established itself as one of America’s premier destinations. In its early days, French Lick and West Baden were a destination playground for the rich and famous.
- Since the restoration of the French Lick Resort by the Cook family, a number of awards, honors, and accolades have been bestowed upon this property’s meeting space, spa, casino, hotels, and golf courses by publications and organizations such as Golf Digest, Golfweek, GOLF Magazine, LINKS Magazine, Southern Gaming, Reader’s Choice Awards.
- French Lick Casino and our golf courses are open to the public. Dining venues in hotels are open to resort guests only. By state mandate, masks are required at all indoor resort venues. Your health and safety is our #1 priority, and you can click here to learn more about our enhanced safety protocols and other resort amenities.
THE FRENCH LICK COMEBACK: A FACELIFT
Like many business ventures, the French Lick Resort was unable to keep up with the changing times and business suffered in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The French Lick Resort had lost its luster and the ‘bloom was off the rose,’ so to speak. But, that just meant the French Lick Resort was poised for a comeback. Enter successful medical professional and entrepreneur Bill Cook from nearby Bloomington. His Cook Group oversaw the infusion of enough funds to resuscitate this resort that had fallen on hard times. The property was literally falling apart. The West Baden Springs Hotel was in such bad shape that it once appeared on the National Trust’s list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Properties in the United States. But not for long.
Restoration efforts on both hotels started in 1996. After a decade of work and nearly $600 million, the French Lick Resort opened its doors to visiting tourists and businesses from around the world. Business has been brisk ever since.
The total restoration of this destination has been dubbed the “Save of the Century.” That may be an understatement!
The recreational appeal of the French Lick Springs Resort is now on par with resort competition around the country. It includes an indoor and outdoor pool, a six-lane bowling alley, bicycle rentals, horseback riding, and a 27,000-square foot spa. The area also boasts 5.5 miles of hiking trails and a 9-mile mountain biking trail.
FORE! — A FRENCH LICK TRADITION
Today, golfers are spoiled at the French Lick Resort, as there are two world-class 18-hole championship golf courses in this small southern Indiana town — The Donald Ross Course (originally named the Hill Course, opened in 1917) and The Pete Dye Course (opened in 2009). There’s also a nine-hole course – the Valley Links Course, designed by Tom Bendelow. As the names on the 18-hole layout suggest, both courses are named after their respective architects. It’s worth noting that the French Lick Resort is the only resort in the world which boats a classic Donald Ross design and a more modern Pete Dye layout. And, it’s only resort with two golf courses designed by two hall of fame architects.
The Donald Ross Course is one of two public golf courses in Indiana which were designed by Ross. In recent years, the Ross Course in French Lick has been renovated, courtesy of a $4.6 million investment. It has now been restored to Ross’s original plans, which are brilliant. Many of the greens have false fronts, which are accentuated by the back-to-front slope of the greens. When you play this course, check out the configuration of the 8th green. It’s in the shape of a square, as many greens were, back in the day. After playing this course, you can understand why the 1924 PGA Championship was held here. It’s a true test of anybody’s ability to play golf. By the way, Walter Hagen won that year’s event, defeating England’s Jim Barnes, 2 up, in the final.
It’s worth noting what took place during the 1924 PGA. When the official photo was taken of that year’s field of contestants, both Barnes and Hagen appeared in the group photo twice – on both the left and right side of the picture. And, this was not accomplished with Photo Shop! Truth be told, Barnes and Hagen were able to run from one side of the group photo to the other as they were able to outrace the slow-moving camera used to capture the image of the 1924 field.
That picture hangs on the wall of the clubhouse at the Donald Ross Course. By the way, the restaurant at the Ross Course is now called Hagen’s Club House Restaurant. Would that restaurant, which serves delicious breaded tenderloin sandwiches, now be called Barnes’ if the tall Englishman had prevailed back in 1924?
The bar at Hagen’s has an interesting story. According to Brendan Sweeney, the director of golf media relations for the French Lick Resort, the bar is actually from the Chicago stockyards and was shipped down when the bar area at Hagen’s was built. On that bar, you will see a message that was carved into the wood by former gangster Al Capone.
Besides that 1924 PGA, the Ross Course has hosted many high-profile golf events such as the 1922 Indiana Open, 1958 French Lick Open (LPGA), 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championship, 1983 Senior Open Championship, 2012 and 2013 Women’s Big Ten Championship, among others.
The Dye Course, which includes three man-made lakes, was built on top of the surrounding hills. Many powerful adjectives have been used to describe the Dye Course — breathtaking, dramatic, exciting, and spectacular, to name a few. The clubhouse on the Dye course is the old Taggart mansion. This hilltop peak is Mt. Airie — 972 feet high and roughly 450 feet above the town of French Lick.
When you arrive at the clubhouse, it’s Indiana’s second highest elevation point, but it probably has the best view of any vantage point in the Midwest. It’s Indiana’s own ‘Rocky Mountain High’ – a 360-degree view of southern Indiana and the surrounding Hoosier National Forest. From many parts of this golf course, you can see 30-40 miles in every direction. When Dye built this course, he wanted to give golfers a panoramic view of southern Indiana. He succeeded.
After playing golf at the Dye Course, don’t rush away. Instead, have a bite to eat at The Mansion at the Pete Dye Course, where you can continue to enjoy the hill-top and birds-eye views of southern Indiana.
“As I built the golf course, I tried to get the tees, the fairways, and the greens in position that they have these long views over the valleys and hills,” stated Dye. “A lot of southern Indiana is natural forest, a lot of it is state owned, so you can see for miles. The ambience of the course is the look, the vistas from all the different tees, greens and fairways.”
The most dramatic stretch of holes is the early part of the back nine – 11, 12, 13, and 14. On 11, steer clear of the volcano bunkers which hug the fairway along the right. The 12th is a true three-shot par five with a massive green. The views of the area as you play the par-three 13th are memory makers. The 14th is the Signature hole. It’s a lengthy par five with a split fairway, divided by a massive green hollow. Pars are celebrated at 14.
Another 18-hole course in the area that’s worth playing is Sultan’s Run — located in nearby Jasper, a 30-minute drive from French Lick. Sultan’s Run was designed by Tim Liddy, a Dye protégé. Sultan’s Run features rolling hills, wonderful bunkering, and a scenic waterfall behind the 18th green. The 18th hole is the signature hole at Sultan’s Run and is named Supreme Sultan. Sultan’s Run is a brilliant creation.
You would be hard-pressed to discover a better 36-hole golf experience than French Lick’s dynamic duo of the Donald Ross Course and the Dye Course. And, if you include Sultan’s Run, that’s a terrific trifecta.
It’s worth noting that the Pete Dye Course hosted the 2015 Senior PGA Championship (presented by Kitchen Aid), which was won by Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie and it also hosted the Big Ten golf championships for men and women in 2015. The Dye Course is also the current host of the Senior LPGA Championship (presented by Old National Bank), which was first held there in 2017 and 2018 and is slated to continue on The Dye Course through 2021. It’s the first-ever senior major on the LPGA Tour, another historical moment at French Lick.
DINING @ FRENCH LICK: AN EXPERIENCE
Believe it or not, but the kitchen of the French Lick Springs Hotel is where tomato juice was created for the first time. It was 1917 and the chef needed a breakfast juice for his guests and he didn’t have any oranges left, only tomatoes. Hence, tomato juice. But, tomato juice is not the only great item that emerges from those kitchens.
Dining options abound in French Lick. They range from fine dining to casual dining to grab-and-go. If you like steak, there’s no better choice than 1875: The Steakhouse, which is located in the French Lick Springs Hotel. Why 1875? It’s named after the date of the inaugural Kentucky Derby — May 17, 1875.
Another fun, fine dining option is Table One, the private chef’s table (for ten) in the kitchen at the West Baden Springs Hotel. From your table, you can watch the chef prepare your meal as you look through glass walls. Then, with the flip of a switch, the walls can become frosted which provides you with privacy and seclusion.
If you want another combination of food and history, enjoy the breakfast buffet in the Grand Colonnade Family Restaurant in the French Lick Springs Hotel. This is where Franklin Delano Roosevelt received the nomination to run for President back in the early 1930s.
In 2019, a sports bar is being opened.
FRENCH LICK’S HIGH HONORS
Since the restoration of the French Lick Resort by the Cook family, a number of awards, honors, and accolades have been bestowed upon this property’s meeting space, spa, casino, hotels, and golf courses by publications and organizations such as Golf Digest, Golfweek, GOLF Magazine, LINKS Magazine, Southern Gaming, Reader’s Choice Awards, Conde Nast Traveler, and U.S. News & World Report. The national recognition has been steady and strong since 2008.
Historians have also taken note as both the French Lick Springs Hotel and the West Baden Resort Hotel are designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
Suffice it to say, it won’t be easy leaving The French Lick Resort and its world-class golfing and dining opportunities – and its gaming and entertainment options — but it will be easy making plans for a return trip to this getaway in the Hoosier National Forest.
French Lick and Jasper are a Southern Indiana golfer’s paradise! Few things get the blood pumping like the mention of Donald Ross, Pete Dye and Tom Benedelow in the same sentence. Nowhere else in the world can a golfer play courses designed by each of these noted and prolific designers at one resort destination. During your time in southern Indiana, we are recommending the Donald Ross Golf Course at French Lick, Sultan’s Run Golf Club, and Buffalo Trace Municipal Golf Course. Challenging and rich in history, these courses offer the perfect French Lick golf trip for any enthusiast.
Visit Indiana Golf has mapped out road trips around the state of Indiana for you to enjoy the game of golf, eat delicious food, and make unforgettable memories! Known as Indiana’s Fairway Drives, each trip is a perfect getaway for golfers of any skill level who are looking for a new adventure. Click here to see all 9 of Indiana’s Fairway Drives.
Travel is permitted, and golfing is great for mental and physical health, but it is still best to practice social distancing as we continue to fight COVID-19. Not every single Indiana business is choosing to be open right now, so call ahead or check their social media accounts before visiting. Please take precautions, plan ahead, and follow CDC and local guidelines.
Donald Ross Golf Course at French Lick
Considered one of Donald Ross’ most challenging designs, the Donald Ross Golf Course at French Lick is also one of the most classic and iconic courses. The course went through a restoration in 2007 where 80 of Ross’ trademark bunkers with flat bottoms and deep, gnarly faces were restored along with expanded, square, or rectangular-shaped greens that severely undulate. Thirty-five of these bunkers are original to the course that Ross constructed back in 1917. The course is a par 70 and plays to 7,000 yards. The Donald Ross Golf Course was the site of the 1924 PGA Championship won by the legendary Walter Hagen and has hosted other golf greats and celebrities such as Gene Sarazen, Chick Evans, and Bing Crosby.
Sultan’s Run Golf Course
Nestled in the heart of beautiful Southern Indiana and stretching over 224 acres of rolling hills is another popular golf spot, Sultan’s Run Golf Club. Located just 30 minutes outside of French Lick, this course is a must during your trip. On the 18-hole course, the zoysia tee, fairways, and greens offer a world-class playing surface. The roughs are a Bermuda and fescue blend, while the green surfaces are made of bentgrass. The course’s namesake is Supreme Sultan, a show horse of history and a legend of his time. It was over these same Southern Indiana rolling hills that Supreme Sultan claimed title to a record number of World Championship American Saddlebred horse shows.
Buffalo Trace Golf Course
The third golf stop we recommend making during your trip is Buffalo Trace Municipal Golf Course. This challenging, 18-hole course is also located in Jasper, Indiana. Buffalo Trace has been an important part of the Jasper community since 1970, playing 5,985 yards with a par 71 and featuring beautiful zoysia fairways.
French Lick Casino
In addition to world-class golf, a French Lick golf trip also provides a perfect getaway. Whether you’re relaxing at the spa or sipping on a glass of wine and enjoying the beautiful Southern Indiana scenery, there are so many different ways to enjoy the French Lick West Baden area. Play to win at the French Lick Casino, a 51,000 square-foot, single-level gaming venue, located on the grounds of the resort. Whether you are shooting for 21 at blackjack, taking a spin on the roulette wheel, or going on a roll at the craps table, you are sure to experience a great deal of Southern Indiana hospitality.
French Lick Casino Promotions
French Lick Wine & Spirits
We also recommend stopping into French Lick Wine & Spirits during your stay. This family-owned business began making and selling wine in 1995 and has been growing ever since. The winery and distillery are located in the town of West Baden Springs, not far from the West Baden Springs Resort. French Lick Wine & Spirits feature over 30 different wines to sample, ranging from dry to sweet, sparkling, and fortified. Go and enjoy the tasting bar, or simply grab a cold beer or glass of wine and just relax.
33 Brick Street
Just as Southern Indiana is home to world-class golf, it is also home to delicious eats. While you’re in town, we recommend stopping in at 33 Brick Street to grab a bite. 33 Brick Street provides a unique restaurant experience that includes a showcase of sports memorabilia, including personal awards owned by Larry Bird. A wide range of beer chilled to 22 degrees, plus a large selection of local and craft beers are available on tap. You can’t go wrong with any choice from the menu, but the burgers are to die for!
Schnitz Pub – Jasper
Another popular spot for grab some grub is Schnitz Pub in Jasper. Sporting a unique atmosphere and an outdoor dining patio that overlooks Jasper Parklands, this local favorite can’t be missed. Try the famous “Rosie’s Pizza,” created from Rosie and Ed Rees’s original 1950s recipe and inspired by the very first slice they ever tasted.
French Lick Resort
French Lick Resort And Casino Golf
There’s a lot to do on a French Lick golf trip, so consider making your road trip a multi-day getaway! Plan your Fairway Drive Road Trip to French Lick and stay at either French Lick Springs Hotel or West Baden Springs Hotel, both located at the French Lick Resort.
French Lick Casino Golf
If you’re interested in other golf courses in Indiana, check out Visit Indiana Golf on social media. To see all of Indiana’s Fairway Drives, click here.