March 2022 Ohio Golf Journal

The Valley Links course provides golfers of all ages and skill levels, an enjoyable, as well as, challenging round of golf. French Lick partnered with U.S. Kids Golf to renovate and develop the course for the entire family, but it is especially designed for children and beginners. For those golfers needing to slip away from the gaming tables for a short practice session, the driving range and practice area are also located along the Valley Links course. The Donald Ross Course Set on the rolling hills that dominate the southern Indiana landscape, the Donald Ross Course opened for play in 1917 and incorporates several of Ross’ classic design features. The topography allowed Ross to perch greens atop hills, which created uphill approach shots to greens with false fronts. His devilish undulations on the greens always make the dreaded three-putt the rule, rather than the exception and four putts are never out of the equation. To add to the challenge, 80 bunkers with flat bottoms and steep faces litter the property. The bunkers surrounding the greens are deep and require a deft touch to extricate one’s ball with any hope to salvage par. The 1924 PGA Championship, won by Walter Hagen, was held on the Donald Ross Course at French Lick. The 1959 and 1960 LPGA Championships were also held there. Since 2017, the Donald Ross Course hosted the EPSON Tour’s (formerly the Symetra Tour) Donald Ross Classic, which features the talented young women professional golfers trying to make their way to the LPGA Tour. The Ross Course is annually rated the No. 2 publicaccess golf course in Indiana by GolfWeek. After your round, sit and enjoy a cold beverage and a tasty sandwich inHagen’s Clubhouse Restaurant. If the weather cooperates, the best seats can be found on the veranda with unobstructed views of the first and tenth tees, as well as, the ninth and 18th greens. Aerial of Donald Ross Course

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