CaddieTrail Guide
Indiana's golf is anchored by Victoria National and French Lick — two of the Midwest's most celebrated designs — and reflects a deep Pete Dye legacy that runs from Crooked Stick to Brickyard Crossing to Holliday Farms.
Indiana's twenty premier courses, anchored at #1 by Tom Fazio's Victoria National — a private club carved from an abandoned strip coal mine near Evansville and acquired by Dormie Network in 2018. Pete Dye's imprint is unmistakable, with his work appearing on nine of the trail's twenty courses, but the list is broader than any one architect: Jack Nicklaus designs at Sycamore Hills and The Sagamore Club, Coore & Crenshaw's Warren Course at Notre Dame, Steve Smyers and Fuzzy Zoeller's Pfau Course at Indiana University, William Diddel's Golden Age work at South Bend Country Club and Woodland, and Donald Ross's 1917 Hill Course at French Lick all hold spots. Crooked Stick — Pete and Alice Dye's home course in Carmel, where the back nine opened in 1965 and the front in 1967, with Dye's Scottish-links inspirations built into Indiana cornfield — sits at #2 and hosted the 1991 PGA Championship. The Pete Dye and Donald Ross courses at French Lick Resort have anchored Indiana's public-access conversation for over a decade. The trail also includes daily-fee standouts like Purgatory and Rock Hollow, and Tim Liddy's first solo design at The Trophy Club. Eight of the twenty courses are private, making the public and resort portions the realistic target for most pursuits.
#1 on trail
Victoria National Golf ClubNewburgh, Indiana
Tom Fazio carved this 1998 private layout through rugged Indiana terrain, delivering dramatic elevation changes rarely found in the Midwest. Consistently ranked among the top 100 courses in the U.S.
#2 on trail
Crooked Stick Golf ClubCarmel, Indiana
Pete and Alice Dye design from 1964 in Carmel, IN. Private club that hosted the 1991 PGA Championship, where John Daly's breakout win made history. Classic Dye risk-reward layout.
#3 on trail
French Lick Resort Pete Dye CourseFrench Lick, Indiana
Pete Dye's 2009 design sits atop Hoosier National Forest ridgelines, delivering dramatic elevation changes and sweeping valley views. Home to the PGA Tour Champions' Legends of Golf event.
#4 on trail
Sycamore Hills Golf ClubFort Wayne, Indiana
Jack Nicklaus's 1989 design winds through mature hardwoods and rolling terrain in northeastern Indiana. The private layout features his signature strategic bunkering and demanding approach angles.
#5 on trail
The Pfau Course at Indiana UniversityBloomington, Indiana
Steve Smyers design on the IU campus in Bloomington, co-designed with Fuzzy Zoeller. Public access, 18 holes opened in 2020 across rolling Indiana terrain. A rare college-affiliated layout open to all.
#6 on trail
Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (Kampen Course)West Lafayette, Indiana
Pete Dye design on Purdue's campus, open to the public since 1998. Expect railroad ties, forced carries, and the architect's signature punishment for wayward shots.
CaddieTrail is the pursuit platform for serious golfers.