Where to Play: Indianapolis, In

[David Neveux]

I will be attending my cousins wedding at the Omni Severn Hotel which I assume is in "downtown" Indianapolis.  I have heard of Purgatory Golf Course which is about 45 minutes north of the city.  Is there anything anyone can recommend that is of closer proximity or is it worth the drive to see this one?  Any and all opinions welcome, many thanks.


D.P.N.

[Andy Doyle]

Purgatory is worth the drive IMO.

Closer would be the Pete Dye course at the Speedway - Brickyard Crossing.

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[Matt Rossman]

If you can find someone to get you on Crooked Stick or Wolf Run, you would be very pleased. Played in a qualifier at Crooked Stick 4 or 5 years ago, it's great. Classic Pete Dye. As far as public courses, I'm not really sure. my father lives 20 miles from Indy, but every course I've played with him has been a ranch.

[PCCraig]

Used to go to Indiana-Bloomington, and have spent some time playing golf in the Indy area.

Crooked Stick and Wolf Run are great. But in terms of public, take a look at Prarie View,  RTJ Jr. design that is, IMO really good, right behind CS and WR. Another option is The Fort, a Pete Dye public course built in a very good property.

Check them out online and letme know if you went to either!

[Chris_Clouser]

Purgatory is maximum of 45 minutes if you start at the Omni Severn downtown.  I can get there in 30 minutes and I only live a five minutes from Purgatory.  

Purgatory and Prairie View are two of the best.  

Brickyard Crossing is near where you will be at as the Speedway is only a short drive from downtown if you are staying there.

Broadmoor would be a good place to go as well if you can get on and it is pretty close to downtown.  Tom Doak might be able to talk more about what work was recently done there.  Hopefully it involved a chainsaw to some degree.

Crooked Stick and Wolf Run would be great as well, but you are talking the same amount of travel to get to them as Purgatory and Prairie View essentially.

When will you be coming in?  If it is in the next couple of weeks, conditioning might be an issue.  We are in the midst of a cold rainy snap right now and it might take a couple of weeks to really get some of the better courses in shape for good play if the rain goes away like it is supposed to.

You might look into somewhere on the SW side that would be really close downtown.  Links at Heartland Crossing has had some good comments from people I've talked with.

[David Neveux]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.  Chris I will be in town the weekend of May 12-14.  I'm leaning toward purgatory as of now, possibly playing that on my way in from Michigan.  Being that I hate to give up playing golf on the weekends I may attempt to play saturday morning as well, even though the ceremony begins at two which is why I'm looking for something a little closer.  Thanks again,

D.P.N

[Chris_Clouser]

Man, I'm probably going to be out of town that weekend.  

If you come down I - 69, it is really pretty easy to get to.  Plus you would drive right by my house, more than likely.

[John Nixon]

I agree with Purgatory as a good choice. The Fort is my favorite in the area, and is a little closer to downtown. Bear Slide is about as long a drive as Purgatory and is good also - though it doesn't get as much press as the other top courses in town. Most of the courses in closer proximity to downtown are not quite as nice. Coffin is, IMO, a great Tim LIddy design with major maintenence shortcomings. The Brickyard is very close to downtown, though I've not played it.

There's a map here that can give you an idea of where the courses are, and links to their websites. The info on the Indygolf site itself is badly outdated though: http://indygolf.com/map.html

[Chris_Clouser]

Good point on Bear Slide John.  I was just thinking that might be even a little too far from downtown Indy.  

I've heard great things about the design of Coffin, but awful things about the maintenance.

Really, April golf in Indiana can be hit or miss.  But compared to Michigan there won't be any ice on the ground...

[John Kavanaugh]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.  Chris I will be in town the weekend of May 12-14.  I'm leaning toward purgatory as of now, possibly playing that on my way in from Michigan.  Being that I hate to give up playing golf on the weekends I may attempt to play saturday morning as well, even though the ceremony begins at two which is why I'm looking for something a little closer.  Thanks again,

D.P.N

David,

Given that you weren't all that about Tobacco Road..I think you will find Purgatory to be like seven holes and a bowl of soup.  Purgatory might some day be a poster child for what went wrong during a given period of architecture..

[jg7236]

Wolf Run if you can get on.  I really enjoyed this course.  The layout and the site is like no other courses in the area.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Where does one play to relax after beating the hell out of Bruins in the area of the Hoosier dome/or whatever they call the place that Peyton Manning loses big games in?

[jg7236]

I thought of a few others:

The Hawthorns Golf and Country Club (If you can get on)

Trophy Club
The Links at Heartland Crossing
The Fort
Plum Creek
Prairie View

The Purgatory is a great course.  It is one of the longest golf courses I have ever played.

[John Kavanaugh]

Where does one play to relax after beating the hell out of Bruins in the area of the Hoosier dome/or whatever they call the place that Peyton Manning loses big games in?

Tiger,

If the courses are full you could always drive the 90 miles to play Canyata...I would love to know if it is open yet or for that matter, if it ever closes..

[John Nixon]

I thought of a few others:

Plum Creek

Plum Creek is another overlooked course in the area. Pete Dye, and it's not much to look at until you're actually on the course. I live just down the road from it, and was never tempted to play it for about two years after it opened because it just didn't have any curb appeal to my eye. But it's worth a play.

[Matt_Ward]

Let me second what John N. Gunning IV offered -- The Trophy Club is well done by Tim Liddy and for a flat site offers plenty of unique challenges.

On the Purgatory Club -- I liked the course but the 750-yard hole on the back side is a bit of overkill. Played at 600+ yards and the dynamics of the hole are increased substanially.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

John I am at the Masters that week or you would have my smiling face a bit south at Victoria National. I hope all is well with your Auburn child.

[Bob Barriger]

Wolf Run will cost you $100 accompanied or $150 unaccompanied if you have a pro that can call ahead. Crooked Stick will be about the same.   From downtown you could go to Heartland Crossing, A Steve Smyers design with Nick Price's name attached. Fort, Prairie View, BearSlide, and Purgatory are the best public tracs.  We have had a  very slow early spring and at this point the grasses are not growing in well. But in May, who knows.  Brickyard is a treat in May with the cars practicing at the Speedway.  One of my best memories in golf is playing there, smelling the methane fuel as the cars go flying by at 230+mpg in the early 90's. Depending upon your road of travel on your way to Michigan, if going up US 31 go to Rock Hollow in Peru, IN, a great TimLiddy course. if going up I-69, see if you can get on Sycamore Hills in Ft. Wayne. I am a member at Wolf and may be around at that time and might be able to accompany you to Wolf Run, but bring your game. Back tees go 153 slope and 76.1 course rating at 7100 yds par 72, next tees up go 74.2 and 143 at 6900 yds.

[PThomas]

Bob - could you pls provide more thoughts re Heartland and Sycamore Hills?  I haven't played either just yet...

thanks!

[David Neveux]

Thank you everyone for your tremendous help.  

Bob B.
 
-  It would be awesome to get a game with you out at Wolf Run, briefing looking at the website I see a very intersting site with what appear to be some spectacular golf holes.  The only thing standing in the way would be the timing, as I have committed to playing with my father and two uncles on friday the only other time I can foresee having available would be very early saturday morning or sunday (depending on how the girlfriend feels about driving back with my parents???)  Although my father has a membership to a club back home, I plan to play by myself most likely on saturday / sunday.  Not to mention, I don't think he or my uncles would survive that course, nor do I feel like playing a six hour round on account of those ratings and the shape of their respective games.  


D.P.N

[Bob Barriger]

Paul, Heartland is a Smyers course with Nick Price's name on it for whatever reason. Definately Smyers bunkering.  He took a flat piece of farmland, moved some dirt and large, numerous bunkers.  Backside better than front side. Par 3's go from a pitch/9iron to about 210+, good variety. Good mix of par 4's, some risk/reward on the par 5's.  Did the best he could with a flat piece of ground, the back side terrain does have some movement.  Played Sycamore Hills once, and from what I remember they had some trees that needed to be trimmed back, and some routing issues where cart paths crossed and needed some signage to direct you. #16 is a great par 4, but the course stops and you have to travel across the parking lot to find the final 2 holes. Definately routing issues.
David, send me the days you expect to be in the area, I only posted around 360 rounds last year, so you can find me at Wolf just about every day. WE get a good group of guys playing on Sat am, but you need thick skin, while it is not a mens only club anymore, I doubt you will see any females there.Send me a private message and lets see what we can work up.