West Baden Springs

[Thomas MacWood]

I've seen old pictures of this hotel and it was a very impressive structure -  a huge domed hotel. Yesterday in the local Sunday paper there was article on the restoration of the hotel, but there was no mention of a golf course. From what I understand there was a 27 hole golf facility there at one time, I believe Bendelow was the designer. Is the golf course gone?

[Chris_Clouser]

Tom,

West Baden Springs is the next town over from French Lick.  The Bendelow French Lick course would be the same thing.  Currently nine holes remain of the Bendelow course.

[Thomas MacWood]

Chris
Are you sure about that? In 1930 the French Lick Resort claimed they had 45 holes and West Baden Springs Hotel 27 holes.

[Chris_Clouser]

I am pretty sure that the 27 hole Bendelow course was considered part of both resorts.

The other 18 holes at French Lick would be the Ross course. 

I can double check that with the history I have on both resorts, but I'm pretty sure about it.

[Clyde Johnston]

West Baden had their own Bendelow course. Golfers Magazine in June 1904 reported Benedelow's first nine holes. There were nine holes down along the river and at least 9 more up on the hill behind the hotel. The hotel restoration is impressive. I was there several years ago. You could still make out some of the tees and greens of the course.

[Thomas MacWood]

I think I read somewhere that the resort at West Baden was based on the famous spa at Baden-Baden. Is the resort at Baden-Baden still around? Was it a similar domed structure?

[Brent Carlson]

From my recollection the courses are separated by about 3 miles.  The Ross course was recently restored and new tees were added.

Does anyone else think the Ross course is fantastic?  I thought the green complexes were challenging and there were many strong holes.  Playing from the tips can be a brute with most par 3s about 250.  It was also interesting that the fairways were Bermuda in Indiana.

[Adam Jeselnick]

Tom W.-
It appears that the domed resort at West Baden was loosely inspired by the domed spas at Baden Baden, including Friedrichsbad, which was built in 1877.

My dad played the Ross course last fall and also said that from the back tees, it was a monster.
-AJ

"West Baden Springs Hotel - originally built in 1902 and modeled after the greatest spas in Europe, complete with the world's largest free-span dome. Once dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World", the hotel was a haven for celebrities, gamblers and political figures."
--from frenchlink.com
  

[Pete Lavallee]

Tom,

My wife and I stayed at West Baden Springs last Oct. and really enjoyed our stay. The Hotel had fallen on hard times during the Depression and was a Jesuit Institution at one point. The atrium dome was the largest free standing one in the world until the Astrodome was built! There is a light show there at night that is quite impressive. If anyone is contemplatng visiting French Lick I would highly recommend staying at WBS instead of the French Lick Resort Hotel, which although historic, is very family oriented. The whole area was greatly improved by the new owner who has fixed up both Hotels and built a Casino, which is now the driving force. In order to build the Casino some of the land on which the Bendelow Course existed was used. There is now a 9 hole course which was built over the Bendelow one. We played it as a warm up and it is quite pleasant, although I doubt any of the origanal holes still exist there. The 9 holer is adjacent to the FLRH, with the BSRH being half a mile away. The Ross course at FL is about 4 miles away from these Hotels.