Photos of So. IN trip: Belterra, Cambridge, Victoria Nat'l, & Fr Lick Ross

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #13.  Par 3 (252 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #14.  Probably my favorite hole, an up-then-down par 4 (452 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #15.  Long par 5 (665 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #16.  Par 3 (151 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #17.  Par 4 (379 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

French Lick Ross #18.  Uphill par 4 (420 yards).

[Joe Bausch]

Ok, that's all folks for this summer road trip.  I hope you enjoyed the tour.

[Harvey Dickens]

Joe,
     I played the Ross course two years ago and it was not in the best of shape to say the least. I assume the conditions have improved? How many courses have you played that had more interesting greens? We basically had the course to ourselves that day, so we spent an abnormal amount of time playing around the greens.....some amazing holes. Thanks for the photos, they brought back some fun memories.

[John Mayhugh]

It would be great if photos could really show what is going on with the 16th green.  It's a treat.

[PCCraig]

It would be great if photos could really show what is going on with the 16th green.  It's a treat.

I don't 4-putt very often so I remember when a green flat out kicks my butt. The 17th on the Ross Course was one of those. Great green esp. with the pin on the right high side.

[Joe Bausch]

Joe,
     I played the Ross course two years ago and it was not in the best of shape to say the least. I assume the conditions have improved? How many courses have you played that had more interesting greens? We basically had the course to ourselves that day, so we spent an abnormal amount of time playing around the greens.....some amazing holes. Thanks for the photos, they brought back some fun memories.

Harvey, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give the conditioning a 9+.  I'd have to really nit-pick to complain.

Gosh, to say how many courses I've played with more interesting greens is a difficult question!  Let's just say these greens are near the top in terms of flat out fun to play into and putt.

[Jay Cox]

Joe, you do an excellent job of using pictures to give us a feel for each hole.  Thank you.

Harvey asked Joe how many courses he has played with more interesting greens.  I know that my answer to that question is zero.  Going in with no expectations whatsoever, I came away thinking that the greens were the best set I've ever played.  At least six -- 2, 4, 9, 13, 16, and 17 -- stood out as not only memorable and fascinating and endless fun to putt, but also perfectly suited to the hole.  The 8th green, with its incredibly severe front-to-back slope, is a perfect example of a green that by itself defines the strategy of a par 4 hole from the tee shot.  And while not one in the set seemed over the top to me, not one was dull either.  Just among Ross courses, I would take French Lick's greens over Pinehurst No. 2's any day -- and that's not a knock on No. 2.

Based on the greens alone, isn't the Ross course among the most underrated in the country?  Shouldn't it be not only in the top 100 but in the top 50?

[Chris Flamion]

Joe-

Thank you for such a great thread about one of the most underrated golf areas in the country(Central Indy being another one).  Have to say I did not know the Ross course was so long. 

Thanks Again.

Chris

[Joe Bausch]

For more photos (and larger size), go here:

http://www80.homepage.villanova.edu/joseph.bausch/images/albums/FrenchLickRoss/index.html

[Matthew Petersen]

I love the look of that 17th green!

[Joe Bausch]

An update on Victoria National:  a change in the ownership.

http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/Article/New-owners-for-Victoria-National/1886/Default.aspx

[Joe Bausch]

I have moved all the photos of this thread to another server so they are again showing.  I happen to feel this is a very nice tour of four courses from southern Indiana:

Belterra (Fazio)
Cambridge (Liddy)
Victoria National (Fazio)
French Lick (Ross)

With all the new members here, I thought a bump is warranted.

[Carl Nichols]

Now I have some understanding of John  Kavanaugh's many posts about fans.

[Wayne Freeman]

Joe-    great job!  I'm really looking forward to my trip to Indiana at the end of the month.  I've played VN and Wolf Run and
  we're starting in Shipshewanna, so I'm going to play Notre Dame and try to squeeze in Sycamore Hills before playing
  Crooked Stick and both courses at French Lick.  Really looking forward to the Ross course after seeing it here.
  Question:   did Ross really build 3 250 yard par 3's there?  I don't think I've ever played one of his courses with that
     kind of length.

[Bart Bradley]

Joe:

Great job with the photos, as always.  The French Lick Ross course was my first experience with ODG architecture.  What a treat.  I have always thought that the greens there were best set in Indiana.  Was the contour appropriate to the green speed?  I have played there something like 40 rounds but none since the mid 90s.  I remember thinking that the contour would be unplayable with exceedingly high green speeds.

Bart

[Joe Bausch]

Joe:

Great job with the photos, as always.  The French Lick Ross course was my first experience with ODG architecture.  What a treat.  I have always thought that the greens there were best set in Indiana.  Was the contour appropriate to the green speed?  I have played there something like 40 rounds but none since the mid 90s.  I remember thinking that the contour would be unplayable with exceedingly high green speeds.

Bart

Bart, I played FL Ross the day before a big pro tourney.  And that day they had them running at what I thought was a very fair speed, probably 10ish.  Yea, one or two places I was above the hole and two putting was difficult, but overall those are wonderful greens.