Reviews

French Lick Resort (Donald Ross)

13 reviews

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Jan. 6, 2026

4.5

Jorge Porta

0 Likes

Tons of details.

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You can clearly see the bones of the course laid out by Ross, even though it might not play the same for some longer hitters today.The course starts with a fairway bunker on the 1st hole. As highlighted in Donald Ross: Discovering the Legend (documentary), you can learn a lot about Ross’ design idea...

Golf Trip

Sunny

Hot

Firm & fast

Best holes: 2, 16, 17

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Aug. 19, 2025

4.5

Ryan Smyth

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Golf that begs to be played every day.

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The Donald Ross Course at French Lick is a rolling meadowland gem that stands in perfect contrast to its Dye-designed neighbor. Where Dye confronts you, Ross invites you. The routing winds up, down, and across the hills with short, natural green-to-tee walks—classic Golden Age efficiency. Unsurprisi...

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Oct. 13, 2023

5.5

Jason WV

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After playing 481 courses, this is in my top 5 whenever anyone asks what are my favorite courses.

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Pin positions can be anywhere, and putting can be an absolute nightmare, but that's the defense of the course. From short par 3s with enormous slope back to front, of course, to perched greens that fall off in every direction, turtleback. 8 and 9, while challenging are my favorite back to back holes...

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Oct. 11, 2022

4.5

James Hiatt

1 Likes

For me, the Donald Ross Course at French Link is a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

1 Likes

It is strange, fun, perplexing, difficult, and at times bizarre. Not all of these are positives. First, the negatives-- the course could be absolutely terrific. But the overall condition was poor. To be fair, I played it on October 8th and they had punched the greens earlier in the week. This obviou...

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Oct. 9, 2021

5.5

John-Paul Morgante

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Designed so many years ago by a golf legend but it stands the test of time.

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As up-to-date as the Dye course but you can sense the classic design elements of bunkering and green sloping. What you don't find is a course that has lost its ability to challenge and test the golfer. Length isn't the only way to make a course. More designers need to follow some of the classic elem...

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Apr. 17, 2021

5.5

Jim sari

1 Likes

i'm a member of a donald ross course & hail from nc, a state with a heavy ross footprint.

1 Likes

this course is head and shoulders above any ross i've played to date. and to me at least, its the better of the two tracks. maybe not a scenic, but for shot execution, etc the ross is much more demanding. the other pair of courses that strike the same chord for me are pebble beach & spyglass, with s...

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Dec. 17, 2020

4.5

chad goble

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My personal opinion Donald Ross is one of the hardest courses I've played.

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The par 3's(except 1 of them) are brutal. The ruff is a little thick and eats my lunch. I love the challenge though and it's only a little over a hour away.

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Apr. 11, 2020

4.5

Mark White

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I played the Donald Ross course at French Lick on May 7, 2019 after playing two rounds in the morning on the Pete Dye course.

0 Likes

I wished I could have played the Ross course twice as I really enjoy courses designed by Mr. Ross. My caddie on the Pete Dye course informed me that the Donald Ross course was three shots harder than the Pete Dye course despite it having a lower rating from 200 less yards. This is due to the uphill ...

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Feb. 7, 2020

Jeff Kissel

3 Likes

When heading to French Lick, I wanted to understand how raters on this site consistently gave the Donald Ross Course better ratings than the Pete Dye Course.

3 Likes

After all, the Dye Course is the star of the show from a marketing perspective for the resort – it’s new, it’s magnificent, it hosts the annual LPGA Senior Championship in the area, etc. What could the Ross Course have that makes it that much better? Prior to my round at French Lick, the only three ...

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Oct. 7, 2019

4.5

CRB

colin r braithwaite

1 Likes

The Donald Ross Course makes the visit to French Lick worthwhile.

1 Likes

It is a throwbacks throwback course. It is very walkable, albeit, the staff will try to dissuade you. The only real drawback to me were the tee yardage options, 7030, 6517 and 5950. As for the greens, don’t be above the hole. As is Ross’s standard, the first hole is a welcoming par 4. The 2nd is a g...

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French Lick Resort (Donald Ross)

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French Lick Resort (Donald Ross)

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French Lick Resort (Donald Ross)

Reviews

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