Pete Dye - from insurance agent to Hall of Famer... in one week.
-Arrive at Indianapolis International Airport mid-day and head south of the city for a quick 9 (the original of what's now 18) at what's now called "Dye's Walk". Mr. Dye delights in talking about this, his first formal layout. Says the 9 holes originally crossed the same creek 13 times. Certainly a sign of evi..., er impishness, to come.
-Day #2 is for those interested in the early years before the Dyes' perspective-shifting visit to the UK. Morning rough at 18 at Maple Creek on the east side of Indianapolis and then 18 in the afternoon at Sahm Park on the northeast side. The best way I can describe Maple Creek is a 7/8 scale version of the future. Odd angles, brinksmanship, even some unusual earth-moving - but lacking the width/elbow room that makes for strategic fascination. Sahm is too short to stand up to the modern game, but in terms of strategic intent, it is directly representative of what Dye would go on to do.
-Day #3 - Crooked Stick. He acquired the land, laid out the neighborhood, built the course, and commenced to living his life there. Love his designs or loathe them, what you will see at CS -is- Pete Dye. This will be your first exposure to the bulkheading... the water's edge landing zones... the draw--to-set-up-a-fade-or-vice-versa demands... etc that became his signatures/stereotypes/whatever. Bonus if you happen to catch him out walking his dog - ask him about his inspiration for 15 green and bunker - he claims he lifted them right out of Mackenzie's playbook.
-Day #4 - Drive up to West Lafayette to play Kampen. This is representative of the courses that brought him the most fame: those set up specifically to test the best or kick them around, depending on your perspective. [In terms of views, it's a million miles from Whistling Straits or TOC or Teeth of the Dog, but we don't have direct flights to those.]
-Day #5 - The Fort - Indianapolis. First course on our tour to show what Dye could do with an "interesting" site. Roughly half of it is draped over very rolling terrain. I see it as evidence that he doesn't necessarily wrestle the land if the land is interesting in its own right.
-Day #6 - Brickyard Crossing - A carnival. A tightly-routed explosion of reclaimed Speedway concrete, concession stands in play, towering bleachers, and dramatic greensites. I asked Mr. Dye what Indiana course should be next to host a major and he said this one. I don't believe that he really believes that, but it was a fascinating response. The evening of Day #6, we will drive to French Lick for a night's stay at one of the historic hotels there.
-Day #7 - The Dye Course. Much has already been said on this site about it. To me, it represents where Mr Dye is right now, in the wintertime of his career. It is bold. It is extreme. It is polarizing. It is unconventional. And it is not the least bit ashamed of any of that.