Pete Dye GC #2 & #3 - The Volcano Bunkers

Getting To Know: The Pete Dye Course at French Lick

An Insightful Interview With Jan Tellstrom, PGA, Head Golf Professional

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Jan Tellstrom, who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Etched into the hilltops behind French Lick Springs Hotel is the 18-hole Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort. This walkable course on one of Indiana's highest elevation points has narrow fairways, ever changing bunkers and rugged, intense terrain. Forty mile panoramic views of the countryside, three man-made lakes and a variety of elevation changes have been shaped into 5 sets of tees for golfers of all skill levels. A robust 8,100 yards from the professional tees punctuate Dye's signature sting from vista-to-vista.

The course's clubhouse stands at 906 feet above sea level and is a turn of the last century mansion built by Thomas Taggart, former owner of French Lick Springs Hotel, Mayor of Indianapolis and one-time chairman of the National Democratic Party. Impeccably restored and decorated in painstaking detail, The Mansion is available for lodging and the carriage house now serves as the pro shop.

Lunch at the Pete Dye Mansion
Guests may enjoy lunch during the winter season at the exclusive Pete Dye Mansion. Specific dates to dine will be determined by the Golf Department depending on the weather. Carved into the hills of southern Indiana the course itself is lauded as scenic and one of the best legendary course-designer Pete Dye has created. The clubhouse is the converted and updated mansion that once belonged to Indianapolis Governor, Senator, and former owner of French Lick Springs Hotel, Thomas Taggart. Open from 11am to 3pm daily, to the general public, seating is limited therefore reservations are required and may be made by calling extension 4044 or 7219. The view, the food and the course makes this simply a lunch to Dye for!

Daily Tours to Pete Dye Mansion & Pro Shop Available April 1 through November 1

Guided daily twilight tours of the Pete Dye Mansion & Pro Shop are no charge for the tour but seating is limited and on a first come, first served basis. Please call French Lick Concierge (x7016) or West Baden Concierge (x4049) for departure times.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
To play the Pete Dye Course, you must be a guest of the Resort. To make an advanced tee off time, you must be a guest of the West Baden Springs Hotel.

The Pete Dye Course will be a golfing experience like no other in the country. The course, by Pete Dye's own admission, may be his absolute best work. It is not an experience for everyone, but for those who expect a unique, and challenge course, this one is at the top of the list. Price is $350 per person (7 days per week), plus a $30 forecaddie fee per person.

The views the course make this and Indiana golf treasure!

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
At The Pete Dye Course at French Lick, we believe that the game of golf is best experienced by having a caddie - truly, golf as it was meant to be. When you use a caddie, you're helping preserve a tradition of French Lick and the Western Golf Association, giving junior golfers in our community the opportunity to perform at the most premiere level. Bag fees and gratuities are paid directly to the caddie. You may charge the fee to your room or credit card in our golf shop. The amount of any gratuity is the sole discretion of the player. No one else may determine a gratuity, nor may anyone demand one. Our hope is that a caddie's performance will exceed your expectations.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?

PETE DYE COURSE
2009 Best New Course Golf Digest
2009 Best New Course Golf Magazine
2009 Best New Course Links Magazine
2010 Indiana's Best Public Course Golf Magazine
2010 Best Course You Can Play Golf Digest
2010 Best Public Course Golfweek Magazine
2010 America's Top 100 Public (#28) Golf Digest
2011 America's Top 100 Public (#18) Golf Digest
2010 America's Best Casino Courses (#6) Golfweek Magazine

One of America's Longest Courses 8,102 Yards from Tips One of America's Highest USGA Ratings 80.0 One of America's Highest SLOPE Ratings 150

Host site 2010 PGA Professional National Championship Host Site 2012 Big Ten Golf Championship Host Site 2012 Indiana Open Host Site of the LPGA Legends World Challenge 2013 Host Site 2012, 2013, 2014 Big Ten Conference's Golf Championships Host Site 2010, 2011, 2012 Mid America Jr. Golf Championships

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
All 18 Holes!

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
This is a hard question because the course is constantly changing throughout the day and seasons. Any give hole could be your newest favor for a multiple of reasons. You just have to experience for yourself.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
For most of our guests it is the "Foursome Departure Gift" after the round, Woodford Reserve, and custom cigars making it a perfect ending for the day.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
From the back tees... 8102 yards

Jeff Overton, PGA 71 PGA tour
Craig Bowden, PGA 71 Nationwide Tour
Adam Marshall, PGA 71 Head golf Professional Valley Links at French Lick

Mike Small, PGA 65 43rd PGA Professional National Championship 2010

Back Tee Stats
Par: 72
Yardage: 8,102
Slope: 148
Rating: 80.0

More Information
The Pete Dye Course at French Lick
8670 West State Road 56
French Lick, IN, 47432
(812) 936-8062 x4064
www.frenchlick.com

Revised: 05/15/2012 - Article Viewed 37,980 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.