Pete Dye, the Picasso of golf course design, began his career in Indianapolis when he transitioned from insurance sales to golf course builder. His work in the dirt is the foundation of modern golf course design and building. A trifecta of Dye-abolical golf courses in the Hamilton County area are a part of The Pete Dye Trail, a collection of Dye tracks that stretch from Culver to French Lick.
The Brickyard Crossing
While Dye’s first golf course build was in 1959 at El Dorado Country Club, now Dye’s Walk Country Club, forty years later his most renowned golf course in Indiana is The Brickyard Crossing. With four golf holes within the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, The Brickyard is truly a bucket list experience. Dye took the speedway’s greenspace and added his signature bulkheads and bunkering. The result is a unique golf experience where racing legends burn rubber within feet of the golf course. Ironically, The Brickyard Crossing has a calming effect, especially the holes inside the quad oval. The whine of the engines and the screams from 300,000 fans in the grandstands are replaced with an awe of a modern gem in golf architecture.
Plum Creek Golf Club
Plum Creek Golf Club, located in Carmel, is a Dye-Tim Liddy creation that seamlessly blends lakes and a meandering stream with risk/reward opportunities. Much of the front nine transverses the stream, so choosing correct tee boxes is the first step in improving players’ scores. Playing from the member tees ensures a hot dog at the turn instead of another sleeve of balls from the pro shop. While Pete Dye is renowned for severe fortifications around his green complexes, Plum Creek’s large, slick putting greens have subtle contouring—a trained eye and smooth stroke are required to score well.
The Fort Golf Course
Rounding out our trio of Dye-namic golf courses, The Fort Golf Course, is another Dye/Liddy collaboration. Confirming that the heart of Pete Dye Golf Trail is in the Indy area, The Fort’s undulating terrain has a northern Michigan feel, producing an invigorating experience. Set on the former Fort Benjamin Harrison military base, the Dye/Liddy renovation project is an exciting excursion for golfers of all levels.
For more information on golfing in Hamilton County, Indiana, request a golf guide today.