KENTUCKIANA

Indiana’s Pete Dye Golf Trail just gets better

Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort • French Lick, Ind.

Birck-Boilermaker Golf Complex • West Lafayette, Ind.

olfers travel to Indiana to enjoy the scenic views and challenging courses G designed by master architect, Indiana’s own Pete Dye. He, along with his wife Alice, created a golf course design legacy revered around the world. Indiana is honored to highlight seven Dye designs that together form the Pete Dye Golf Trail and provide an enjoyable challenge to golfers of all skill levels while capturing Dye’s signature design style.

The Pete Dye Course at French Lick is the southern-most course on the trail and is a highlight of the opulent French Lick Resort. The hilltop course is located at the highest point in Indiana, offering panoramic views of the rugged, wooded landscape. Every season paints the rolling hills with exquisite color and new challenges.

On the west side of the state, Birck-Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette boasts two Dye designs. He rerouted the Ackerman-Allen course, building two new holes and switching to bentgrass. The reimagined course opened in 2016, and has been attracting golfers from far and wide ever since.

Dye’s other layout at the Birck-Boilermaker Golf Complex is the links-style Kampen Course, which challenges golfers with vast sand bunkers, native grasslands, ponds, and a natural celery bog. Dye designed the course to be environmentally-friendly, with incredible views of the surrounding nature.

In nearby Monticello, the Tippecanoe Country Club borders beautiful Lake Shafer and welcomes competitive golfers and casual golfers alike. This meticulously-groomed course, considered one of the finest in the state, extends to 6,850 scenic yards and is a favorite among trail regulars.

There are more courses Indiana’s Pete Dye Golf Trail — this is just a few. If you complete all of the courses on the trail, you can receive a free Pete Dye Golf Trail pin flag — and bragging rights for life. The legacy of Pete Dye welcomes you to Indiana’s premier golf experience. Visit PeteDyeGolfTrail.com to plan your trip and book tee times.

Mountains to the bluegrass

General Burnside Island • Burnside, Ky.

Kentucky State Parks Golf brings 13 dynamic course options

entucky is famed for bluegrass, bourbon, beautiful mountains, and thor-K oughbreds. Spurred by a renewed focus from the state park system, golf is now becoming a large part of Kentucky’s recreational reputation. Famed since 2001, Kentucky State Parks Golf Courses are situated in every region of the state, offering exciting championship play amid the pastoral beauty in one of the nation’s finest park systems. Each course offers an outstanding experience for players of all ages. These five courses have received Golf Digest honors: Grayson Lake, Pine Mountain, Dale Hollow, Yatesville Lake and Mineral Mound.

Both Boots Randolph GC and Mineral Mound GC have benefitted from complete greens renovations from bentgrass to Bermuda. Boots Randolph plays along a flat valley with relatively few blind spots. Blue Springs Creek meanders through the course, coming into play on nine holes. Mineral Mound, 30 miles to the north, is located on the shores of Lake Barkley, and was designed by Dr. Michel Hurdzan and Dana Fry. Four holes on the front-nine provide splendid views of the water. There are plenty of elevation changes and an abundance of on-course wildlife.

Kentucky offers 17 state resort parks, which is more than any other state. This wealth of resort parks has helped Kentucky develop what is largely considered the finest park system in the country. They were created to provide visitors with exceptional recreational opportunities amid unspoiled nature. Six of the 18-hole courses — Barren River, Kentucky Dam Village, Lake Barkley, Pennyrile Forest, Dale Hollow Lake, and Pine Mountain — can be found in the resort parks land. Attractively-priced packages include lodging and golf along with other activity options such as boating and fishing, and great dining. The state park resorts and golf courses are the perfect spot for a golf getaway.

If you love to travel, their golf packages offer the perfect mix of championship play and relaxation in the peaceful surroundings of their park lodges. With 13 state park golf courses in a variety of settings, there really is something for everyone. Visit parks.ky.gov to view all theircourses, and pick your park.