French Lick Resort and Casino returns to glory days

Historic Indiana icon has plenty to offer after record-breaking renovation 

French Lick has a humble population of just over 2,000 residents. Its most famous former resident, basketball great Larry Bird, helped transform the Hoosier State into a hoops hotbed and put his tiny Indiana town on the map during his stellar collegiate and professional careers.

Long before Bird and basketball was king, The French Lick Hotel was the town’s centerpiece attracting gamblers and golfers to stay and play long into the night and perhaps the early morning. 

Now entering its second golf season since a record-breaking renovation was completed, French Lick Resort and Casino is ready to compete for attention as a top tourist destination on the national stage.

The first of many renovation and development projects finished at the resort was an overhaul of the Donald Ross Golf Course (formerly the Hill Course) that was originally constructed in 1917.

The 18-hole, championship Donald Ross Course at French Lick officially re-opened in September 2006 after a $4.6 million restoration project that aimed to return the course to Ross' original vision. When the course was unveiled, it became the first of the southern Indiana resort destinations to be opened to the public.

Last year an Easter freeze hurt Bermuda fairways across the Midwest and the Donald Ross Course wasn't immune to problems and had to tolerate less than ideal playing conditions for a majority of its summer season.

After an unconventional overseeding process that wasn't recommended by many turf experts, the fairways are back and the course is gearing up for its first full season featuring ideal course conditions.

"It looks wonderful," said French Lick Resort Casino PGA Director of Golf Dave Harner, who says his approval rating has jumped from just over 50 percent to about 96 since the fairways have been fixed. "It's a huge turnaround and there is no better time than right now to come out and play."

Now new, improved and fitted with all of the amenities expected at a modern-day golf course, the Donald Ross Course is both up-to-date and steeped in tradition.

The course was the site of the 1924 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen. It also hosted the 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championships and was the home of the Midwest Amateur from the 1930s through the 1950s. The 1957 Midwest-Am was captured by one of the game's most recognizable course architects, Pete Dye.

The clubhouse, which is done in period design to resemble an earlier time, pays tribute to the history of golf in French Lick with photos of the 1924 PGA participants, pictures of past champions and original architect drawings lining the halls.

Dye is the designer of the second 18-hole course at French Lick Resort and Casino that is set to open in the spring of 2009. All but two of the holes were seeded last fall and the remaining holes are nearing completion as this spring.

"We're working on some minor changes, aesthetic things with the golf course," said Harner. "The tee boxes are perfect, the greens are perfect and several fairways are in excellent shape. It looks like you can drop a ball and play right now. We're on schedule."

Harner said the most dramatic element of the Dye Course that will jump out at players is the piece of property the layout is situated on. The grounds are 850 feet about sea level and Dye set up the course to feature unobstructed views with visibility of around 30-35 miles from the tee boxes that lookout over the horizon and down into the valleys below.

The course itself will feature narrow fairways and greens that can be classified as small to medium.

"A premium will be placed on accurate iron play," said Harner.

Dye's course will soon play host to a prestigious tournament when it co-hosts the 43^rd PGA Professional National Championship in June of 2010 with the Ross Course. It will mark the first visit by the PGA Professional National Championship to Indiana.

To give you an idea of the quality of courses selected to host this event, Dye himself has been the designer for previous PGA Professional National Championships in 1989-90 at PGA West-Stadium Course in La Quinta, Calif.; in 1999 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis., and in 2005 at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C.

"It is a rare opportunity to be playing two courses designed by two of golf's greatest architects, the greatest classic architect, Donald Ross, and arguably the greatest modern-day architect, Pete Dye, all on the same piece of property," said Harner. "We are very pleased and excited to have this championship come to Indiana."

Championship golf is just one of many reasons why travelers should flock to French Lick.

In addition to golf, this premier resort and casino destination features more than 100,000 square feet of meeting space; 689 guest rooms and 42,000-square-foot, single-level casino; two full-service spas with a combined 36 treatment rooms totaling 41,000 square feet and an array of dining and entertainment options.

"There are some good golf courses in Indiana, some great golf courses," Harner said. "But none have the lodging capabilities, the meeting facilities or amenities we have here."

The casino at French Lick brings gambling back to the area for the first time since 1949. At the turn of the twentieth century, tourists particularly came for the casino gambling, although it was illegal. Visitors to the gambling halls were notable dignitaries such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.

The premise is still the same but the gaming halls are significantly more luxurious than they were back in French Lick's gambling heyday. The Vegas-style gaming floor features 1,200 slot machines, 32 game tables, a 12-table poker room, high-limit gaming area, live entertainment and multiple dining options.

There are two lodging options for resort guests to choose from; The French Lick Springs Hotel, a classic retreat with an original wing constructed in 1901 and The West Baden Springs Hotel, a brand new complex with 246 guest rooms and suites.

French Lick Resort and Casino is currently offering a variety of travel packages focusing on golf, entertainment and relaxation. For more information on this resort and its golf courses, visit www.frenchlick.com.