One of the great things about golf is the different places in the world that it can take you to. Without golf I probably wouldn’t have made it to Florida, the west coast, Cape Breton Island or England this year. There has been one constant: My girlfriend flapping her arms
, wanting to go. Alas, she isn’t a golfer and the logistics never quite worked. Recently, though, I told her I was heading to western Kentucky for business and planned to spend Friday night in southern Indiana for the sake of seeing an old favorite golf course. Her response to my invite: Have fun.
Boy, did she miss out!! And it turns out that I had no idea what was ahead either.
Everything has changed since I was there a decade ago. I recall that Ted Sturges showed me a building with a grand history (so he claimed) hidden among trees but it looked overwhelmingly sad and hopeless. The Ross Course was the highlight of Larry the Legend’s town and was enough of a pull to warrant a return. Arriving late Friday afternoon in mid October, the fall lighting was perfect and I was lucky to grab many of the photos that populate the updated Ross Course profile. Since posting it, I have received several kind IMs and calls regarding their striking nature. If anyone else wants a particular photo as a screen saver, email me at rmorrissett@cabotlinks.com and I’ll shoot the jpg off to you.
After dark, Director of Golf Dave Harner gave me a history lesson about how two architecturally and historically significant hotels had been properly restored. I had no idea that so much had occurred in part because it is ludicrous just how much had occurred! It was great to see French Lick hopping, no doubt in part because Billy Ray Cyrus was playing there Saturday night. So many rural towns - as well as their interesting histories - are fading away in America
but not here.
The town’s transformation was driven by one man - one very successful man, Bill Cook who had fallen in love with French Lick. He spent lots and lots of time and money rolling back the decades of neglect and fully restoring two grand resorts without a prayer of ever seeing a financial return on his $500,000,000 investment. He did it for many reasons but money wasn’t among them. This one page article centers on that story and its link is here
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/frenck-lick-resort/ as well as the header for French Lick under Courses by Country.
We have never done anything like this on GolfClubAtlas.com but Bill Cook’s legacy (he died this past April) merits special treatment. You don’t have to be Howard Roark to appreciate the photo below and what has been brought back to life in French Lick.
A profile of the Pete Dye Course will be posted Thanksgiving Day. Here is a snap shot of the approach to the sixth as a preview.
Meanwhile enjoy this overview as the story is fascinating for all of us that appreciate architecture in general, not just of the golf variety.
Having opted to stay in the West Baden Springs Hotel I not very smartly sent some photographs of it via my phone to my girlfriend. She is now making plans for me take her there next year!
Cheers,