Brickyard Crossing Golf Course (Indianapolis, IN)

Playing under the shadow of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Brickyard possesses one of the coolest settings in all of golf! 

(In typical Pete Dye fashion, the finishing hole is a complete ballbuster. The line of charm draws your eye to challenge the creek, but the smart play is down the left. There’s plenty of room short of the green to up n down. It’s into the prevailing wind. Par is a great score.

491/437/380)

The opportunity to play inside the oval was what compelled me to drive five hours to Indianapolis. What’s more Americana than the Indianapolis 500?! The history..the names..it’s pretty awesome! 

(The short par four third is a tricky hole. The large mound on left hides the green from the tee. It’s three tiered with the front and rear tiers lower than the middle...
...this is the bunker that guards the back right half of green. It’s pure Pete Dye.

369/342/322)

(The par three fourth plays over Little Eagle Creek in intimidating fashion. It seems like Dye never gets cheated on the one shotters. 

215/194/165)

In Pete Dye’s book “Bury Me in a Pot Bunker” he speaks very fondly about Brickyard Crossing. His involvement with the course goes all the way back to 1960 when the tour played the 500 Festival Open. He was the general chairman of the tournament. [this is one of the few courses to hold all three tours. PGA, Champions, LPGA]  The original course was designed by Bill Diddel in 1929. It had nine holes inside the oval. Diddel redesigned it in 1965, but the championship eighteen had no holes in the oval. When Dye redid the course in 1993, his biggest enjoyment was having players once again go into the oval. 
(The tunnel which transfers players under the track to the seventh tee.) 

(Standing on the tee at the par three seventh, Dye talked about the player looking around at the stands, the turn, the final stretch in the distance, and imagining 220,000 people cheering as cars race 155 mph around the track. Note the lack of bunkering. The elevated green really needs no defense, but more importantly, one can soak the unique atmosphere in. 181/174/155)

(Holes 7-10 play in the oval and this is the tenth. When the LPGA plays here, they reconfigure the routing so the tournament ends inside the track. The green cascades from front to back, making the rear bunker in this pic very much into play. It’s a short par four, but the approach must be very precise to make birdie. 353/340/308)

Besides playing in the oval, several holes play alongside it.  Some courses have ocean views or mountain views, here there’s grandstand views. It’s something that is very unique. 

(The thirteenth is the final hole that intertwines with the speedway. It’s a solid par three that becomes more challenging the further right the pin goes. 193/175/158)

While admittedly the setting is amazing, the golf course suffers from the lack of land. Dye had to shoehorn several holes into the design including the ninth and tenth which are inside the oval. Tom Doak stated in “The  Confidential Guide” that Dye ran out of ideas. This is seen during the first six holes where some of the holes look similar and by the abundance of short par fours throughout the routing. 

(The driveable fourteenth is a great opportunity for a birdie. The pot bunkers really make the hole look intimidating, but there’s plenty of green grass to plot your attack. 311/298/270)

This was a passion project for Pete, and he made it work despite the railroad tracks, power lines, and concrete barriers. The last four holes along Little Eagle Creek are classic Dye holes. Getting into the clubhouse at even par for these four holes is difficult. Regardless of any shortcomings the course has, the intimate connection with the speedway will be the only thing you’ll talk bout on the way home. I give Brickyard Crossing a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play)

Wanango Country Club (Reno, PA)

What a super fun golf course! Wanango sits above the Allegheny River on a roller coaster of a ride piece of property that delights with an abundance of engaging golf shots. 

(Looking back from ten green, one can clearly see the ravine that fronts the tee along with the quaint clubhouse in the background. My cga friends would highly approve of the patio with action being seen on several holes.) 

I really wasn’t surprised by how good the course was. Donald Ross, Tom Bendelow, and Albert Tillinghast all had a hand in designing it. Ross did the original nine with Bendelow adding a second nine, and Tillinghast remodeled.

(The 300 yard third is a classic short par four. It’s on the cusp of being driveable for the longer hitter...
...the treacherous green tho will make one think twice before nonchalantly reaching for the driver. Approach shots must stay below the hole to have a good chance at birdie and being out of position can lead to a quick bogey.) 

With a piece of property such as this, in my opinion, the routing is of the utmost importance. Keeping the uphill holes to a minimum, or at least a manageable distance, is key and with this trio of architects, is one of the strengths of the course. 

(This is the view from behind fifteen green. It doglegs left from the tee, and can play surprisingly long for its 320 yards, especially if one lays back and doesn’t challenge the turn.) 

(The beautiful 538 yard par five seventh amazes with long range views of the countryside. Golfers will want to open the shoulders a little more and unleash their best drive of the day on this downhill hole.) 

(The short par five ninth is only 480 yards but is elusive to hit in two thanks to it’s small angled green. Note the pin location in pic. The bunker behind it has a raised shoulder so balls that hit this slope are propelled off the back...

...this view from short right best illustrates the complexity of the front bunker. This is slso the optimum angle for the short hitter trying to gain an unhindered look for his third shot.)

Wanango is only 6,246 yards, but don’t be misled by that number. The course plays much longer than that. It also possesses a set of greens that will befuddle the player many times over.  Add in the elevation change with the wind, and one can quickly see how this course defends par against even the best players. 

(The 164 yard tenth is a wonderful par three played across the valley. It caught my eye the moment I walked down the path to the clubhouse. It’s definitely set the tone for the round.)

(The 400 yard par four fourteenth demands a well struck drive followed by an exacting approach shot. It’s parallel to the tenth hole, so it’s in view from the clubhouse too. That’s some good action for those drinking on the patio.) 

Western Pennsylvania is a treasure trove for golden age architecture. A one time, this was a booming area with the lumber, oil, and steel industries, and there was a lot of money flowing through the hills, so Ross, Tillinghast, Park, Travis, all have courses throughout the area. The little towns that people today don’t give much attention towards can have a wonderful golf course, like Wanango. I love finding them! I give Wanango a 6 (very good)(worth driving two hours to play.) 

(The 526 yard sixteenth plays uphill before cresting over the top and racing down to the two tiered green. It’s an exciting hole where eagle is a possibility if one can chase it down the slope.) 

Stonelick Hills Golf Club (Batavia, OH)

Stonelick Hills was designed by Penn Station founder Jeff Osterfeld in 2004, and it has been a mainstay on Ohio’s Top 10 Best Public Golf Courses list ever since. 
(The par five yard ninth features an island green. It’s reachable in two shots, and has a generous size green with rough and sand protecting it. It’s a birdie opportunity yet can be a disaster for those trying to squeeze a three out of it. 559/518/496)

It’s surprising how good Stonelick is considering Osterfeld’s lack of experience. His routing boldly attacks the hilly topography and produces strong shots with little empathy. The greens are precisely where they should be. Several are across valleys, some are placed atop knolls, while others are tucked next to the water. They’re gallantly defended by bunkers and demand well struck approach shots. 

(The opening hole is a short par four. The right half of the green is plenty big but gets more staunt as the pin rotates to the left. 400/372/297)

(The beautiful par three third is all carry over water. It sits in an idyllic setting, and is previewed by players as they go to the second tee. The left hillside and bunker receive a lot of action but it’s a dangerous recovery with water staring you in the face. 184/169/146)

Besides being placed in the right spots, the greens are nicely tilted with no outrageous contours in them. They’re beautiful to putt on. The ball rolls very well. A couple have a second level where a pin can be tucked, but anything within fifteen feet is makeable. 

(The fifth is an awesome par four that is the class of the front. It’s a long, strong hole with a full carry over the valley to the green. A long iron and even fairway wood is needed here. Par is a terrific score. 502/433/394) 

(The seventh requires multiple tries to figure how best to attack the hole. Laying up leaves a long iron, while challenging the water is the only way to get a short iron in hand. It’s a birdie opportunity if you can pull off the drive.

400/367/353)

Being a novice, I feel Osterfeld was able to attempt a few ideas that other architects wouldn’t do. The sunken green at the second was something I haven’t seen before, and I loved it. As you can see in this picture, there’s 

probably a three foot drop. I think it makes a front pin more exciting. Come up short and putting down the slope might be the best option. As the pin goes deeper in the green, then it only effects depth perception. 440/431/420

The bunkering was more angular on a few holes where the face was nearly vertical. 

This is the par five tenth and you can see how manufactured the look is. It’s dramatic but some might say it looks contrived. 612/552/528

[Staying on the tenth hole. One of the coolest features is the back tee box that is literally right off the patio. As you look out from the it, it’s such a immense view. The fairway looks so far away. And it probably is considering the hole is over 600 yards!]

If I had to critique anything, then it would be some of the driving lines. Several of them are awkward, and it’s not apparent when you step on the tee box which way it goes. Nine and eighteen specifically have this problem, but it’s on a few others too. 

(This view from behind eight green shows the slope to the far back corner. Each green has several challenging pin positions that keeps daily play fresh and interesting.)

(Where else would the green go?! The player stands on the one hill while the green sits on the other. Nothing complex here! And it’s a wonderful par three. 199/185/154)

Stonelick is the premiere public golf course in the Queen City, supplanting Arthur Hills’ Shaker Run, which at one time was deemed the best public in Ohio. Management has pumped a lot of money into it, and judging by all the cars in the parking lot the first weekend of March, I’d say it’s working. In fact, the greens were cut and rolled! I can only imagine how good it is in the summer. Most publications have Stonelick Hills in the top ten,  but I feel it’s more like in the top five. I give Stonelick Hills a 7 (great)(worth driving 3-4 hours to play). 

(There’s high drama on the finishing hole with the green sliced between water and sand. The hole plays much shorter than the card indicates by playing right at the green. The last fifty yards rolls downhill. I love the look of the sand trap. This is one of my favorite pictures. 591/532/498)