USA Today/The Pop Traveler: 10 reasons to visit Indianapolis!

By Lara Neal, Special Correspondent for Pop Candy
Although we've long been regarded as one of those flyover Midwest cities, Indianapolis took the world stage to host this year's Super Bowl -- and we killed it.

When I was growing up here, it was a much different scene. The city's sidewalks rolled up after the workday ended and people kept to themselves in their suburban retreats. After a few years living on the West Coast, I was pleasantly surprised by how far the city had come when I returned.

In the spirit of one of Indy's most famous sons, David Letterman, I now present my top 10 reasons you should come for a visit: Read More!

PGA.com Recognizes Pete Dye Trail Courses

Each week PGA.com writes a feature they call A Quick Nine. In this week's feature the friends of PGA.com Facebook ranked the 9 best courses open to the public in Indiana. Click here to see the article on PGA.com.

 

Here are the rankings and comments of the Pete Dye Golf Trail Courses who made the list.

9. The Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis, Ind. Located right beside Indianapolis Motor Speedway (home of the Indy 500), Brickyard Crossing has played host to several PGA Tour and Champions Tour events through the years. Plus, you get some pretty cool views of the race track.

Facebook fan quote:

"Brickyard Crossing, Speedway, Ind." -- Ron Allen

"Brickyard Crossing." -- Steve Ashworth

"Brickyard Crossing from the tips!" -- Jim Curley 

4. The Fort Golf Resort in Indianapolis, Ind. The course was redesigned by Pete Dye and Tim Liddy. In 1998, The Fort Golf Course was third under "Best Affordable New Public Courses" in Golf Digest. It's considered one of Indiana's best public golf courses.

Facebook fan quotes:

"The Fort Golf Course in Indianapolis for sure. They should have a tour event out here." -- Nick Crawford

"The Fort." -- Jeff Elliot
"The Fort in Indy." -- Dave Miller
"A friend of mine works at 'The Fort' never been but I hear it's a great track." -- Michael Moreno

3. French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind. This includes two absolute gems -- the Donald Ross Course and the Pete Dye Course. Both played host to the PGA Professional National Championship in 2010.
Facebook fan quotes:
"French Lick." -- Kathryn Elizabeth
"Dye Course at French Lick." -- Mike Liming
"Ross Course, French Lick." -- Roger Gain
"French Lick Donald Ross." -- Mikel Breeden

We would love to have you come and visit! For information about all the Pete Dye Golf Trail Golf courses, get in touch. bruce.rearick@petedyegolftrail.com or 574-933-1610.

Fall Golf on The Pete Dye Golf Trail

While it pains me terribly to write it as it foretells the end of the golf season, fall golf in Indiana is upon us. However, the final months of the season are very much my favorite time of the year to play. This is not necessarily just a state of mind, there are some real reasons why I like fall golf.

1.       Weather.   Yesterday in Indiana was a perfect example of a perfect day to play golf. I was fortunate to be at the BMW Championship watching the best players in the world battle it out at Crooked Stick. It was just a great day. There are many more days like yesterday forecast for the long term.

2.       Extended Season. In thinking about the weather, the golf season in Indianapolis is 6 weeks longer than can be enjoyed by our friends to the north. This is especially true at the end of the season. We are still booking golf rounds and visits well into the fall. Why fight the weather by going north when you can play in comfort by coming south?

3.       Finally, if you are someone who likes to make a fall trip to see the colors change, what better way than to see them on some of the Midwest's most beautiful golf courses?

Call or email today to book a trip to Indiana and finish the golf season on a perfect note.

bruce.rearick@petedyegolftrail.com or 574-933-1610

Purdue's Kampen Course Recognized.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue's Kampen Course, a component of the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, has been ranked the No. 3 course in all of college golf by PGA.com.

From PGA.com:
The Kampen Course, one of seven courses that comprise the Pete Dye Golf Trail, is an 18-hole, links-style, par-72 championship golf course featuring large bent-grass greens, fairways and tees. The layout presents a challenge for golfers of all abilities with vast sand bunkers, native grasslands, ponds and a natural celery bog. Kampen offers five sets of tees with the championship tees playing over 7,400 yards and the forward tees playing at 5,300 yards. Kampen is rated one of the top collegiate courses in the nation and has been awarded 4.5 stars on Golf Digest's "Places to Play." Kampen receives high marks as it is ranked as one of the most difficult golf courses in Indiana.
  The course has also played host to a number of prestigious collegiate and public tournaments, such as the 2000 Big Ten Men's Championships, the 2003 NCAA Women's Championship, the 2004 Indiana Open, the 2005 Women's Western Amateur, the 2008 NCAA Men's Championship and the 2011 Big Ten Men's Championships.   The course is named in honor of Emerson Kampen and his support of Purdue Athletics. Mr. Kampen's statue overlooks the first tee.   PGA.com's Top Nine College Golf Courses
1. The Scarlet Course, Ohio State University
2. The Claw, University of South Florida
3. Kampen Course, Purdue University
4. Karsten Creek, Oklahoma State University
5. Washington National, University of Washington
6. Rutgers University Golf Course, Rutgers University
7. The Course at Yale, Yale University
8. Stanford University Golf Course, Stanford University
9. The Walker Course, Clemson University

The Kampen Course is open to the public and a member of Indiana's Pete Dye Golf Trail. For additional information on playing Kampen or all of the other Pete Dye Golf Trail golf courses, contact us at bruce.rearick@petedyegolftrail.com or give us a call at 574-933-1610.

Holiday Golf?

I hope everyone finds the time to play some golf over the holiday weekend. The following pictures are posted to motivate you. Lets start with The Dye Course at French Lick.

Or maybe a round at The Fort at Fort Benjamin Harrison...

Plum Creek is a great choice

as is Maple Creek!

The famous Brickyard Crossing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

We think the Kampen Course at Purdue University does not get the recognition it deserves.

and last but a long ways from least, Mystic Hills in Culver.

Play one or play them all. Contact the Pete Dye Center Call Center at 574-933-1610 for information.

Crooked Stick - BMW Championship

A great summer of competitve golf  played on Pete Dye designed golf courses, culminates with the playing of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick. Practice rounds begin September 3, with the tournament proper played September 6 - 9. Here is a pre-tournment view from the Owners Pavilion.

Tickets are still available! Click here to purchase tickets online.

While not a member of the Pete Dye Golf Trail, Crooked Stick is one of the most famous of Mr. Dye's Designs and easily the most famous in Indiana. Opened in 1964, it has been the site of many of golf's greatest championships. Take a look at the following photographs and you easily see why. Here is the start.



#1

 A prototypical Pete Dye Par 3



#6


and the spectacular finsh.

You can have your own Pete dye experience while the bet professional players in the world are tested by Crooked Stick.

Send me an email to bruce.rearick@petedyegolftrail.com or give me a call at 574-933-1610. If you don't get me right away leave a message and I will get right back to you.

Golf Magazine Ranks the Best Golf Courses You Can Play.

In the current issue of Golf Magazine the have published the latest list of the Top 100 golf courses you can play.In addition, they have ranked the best courses you can play by state as well.

The Dye Course at The French Lick Resort

Number 70 on the top 100 and the number 1 ranked golf course you can play in Indiana is Pete Dye Golf Trail member, the Dye Course at the French Lick Resort. You have read about The Dye Course in previous blog posts. So all I have to add is an admittedly biased opinion; it deserves a higher ranking. I am pretty familiar with many of the courses listed and The Dye Course is as good as any of them.

We are fortuate to have a number fo great courses open to the public in Indiana. Of those recognized by Golf Magazine as the best in our state besides the Dye Course at #1, The Fort at #3 and and Brickyard Crossing at #6 are also members of the Pete Dye Golf Trail.



Brickyard Crossing  #13



1. French Lick (Pete Dye), French Lick2. French Lick (Donald Ross), French Lick ( don't miss this gem when you play number 1)
3. The Fort, Indianapolis4. Purgatory, Noblesville
5. Prairie View, Carmel
6. Brickyard Crossing, Indianapolis7. Rock Hollow, Peru
8. Warren at Notre Dame, South Bend
9. Belterra, Florence
10. Harrison Hills, Attica



The Fort at Fort Benjamin Harrison


The fun in these rankings is the fact that we can disagree. Take the other four Pete Dye Golf Trail courses. How the Kampen Course at Purdue misses the list is beyond me. Maple Creek and Plum Creek probably miss the list because fo their semi-private status. Mystic Hills in Culver, is as good a golf value as there is anywhere. All of these are easily available to one and all.

Obviously, we are very proud of the members of the Pete Dye Golf Trail and for that matter all of the great golf courses in Indiana.

It is time to think about a golf trip to Indiana, to play as many of these fine facilities as possible. I would love to help you make this trip possible.

Send me an email at bruce.rearick@petedyegolftrail.com