Quick: Which state has the most Pete Dye-designed golf courses? It’s Pete’s home state, Indiana, which has 22 of them including his very first ones.
Pete is something of a local hero (although born in neighboring Ohio, he’s made his home in Indiana for many years), a fact that wasn’t lost on former governor Mitch Daniels, who before leaving office last year pushed for the creation of a Pete Dye Golf Trail. Seven public-access courses make up the trail, which offers architecture geeks the chance to play a spectrum of Dye designs from early to recent.
From north to south, the courses are:
- Mystic Hills GC, in Culver, a collaboration between Pete and son P.B. that opened in 1998
- The Kampen Course in West Lafayette, home course for Purdue University, opened in 1997
- Plumb Creek GC, in Carmel, just north of Indianapolis, designed with associate Tim Liddy and opened in 1997
- The Fort GC in Indianapolis, that Dye and Liddy built on top of an old Army base, opened in 1997
- Maple Creek G&CC, Indianapolis, was Pete’s first 18-hole course, designed with wife Alice and opened in 1961 as Heather Hills
- Brickyard Crossing (below), which Pete and Alice built in and around the Indianapolis Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500. Opened in 1993, holes 6-9 are within the oval racetrack
- The Pete Dye Course at French Lick (shown at top of the page), the newest—and some say toughest—of the courses, having opened in 2009, is part of the grand French Lick Resort and sits atop the highest point in Indiana and offers panoramic views of Hoosier National Forest.
There are plans to add more courses to the trail, as well as create attractive stay-and-play packages throughout the Hoosier State. The website offers information on the courses, nearby hotels and attractions, and the opportunity to book tee times. And knowing Pete’s habit of continually tinkering with his courses, don’t be surprised if you see him out there on the trail that bears his name. A word of advice: Don’t play him for money.
