Home to a champion professional football team, a professional basketball team and the greatest spectacle in racing, Indianapolis is also home to several public, champion-level golf courses. From small nine-hole courses to two-course clubs, the public courses in Indianapolis offer a variety of challenges for golfers of all abilities.
Indy Parks Golf
The Indy Parks department oversees 13 public golf courses in Indianapolis, some of which are managed by private firms. These courses include both 18-hole and nine-hole courses. Since 1997, Indy Parks Golf has operated a free junior golf program, which is open to Indianapolis youth, regardless of race, gender or economic status. In 2003, the Indy Parks Golf program became a First Tee chapter.
Indy Parks Golf 18-Hole Courses
Ten of the Indy Parks courses are 18-hole courses. Among them is the official golf course of the Indianapolis Colts, Eagle Creek Golf Club, consisting of two 18-hole courses: the Sycamore, a par-71, and the Pines, a par-72. The oldest Indy Parks course is South Grove Golf Course, an 18-hole, par-72 course built in 1902 by an unknown architect. The Indy Parks Golf system also boasts a Pete Dye designed course: the 18-hole, par-70 Sahm Golf Course.
Indy Parks Golf Nine-hole Courses
The other three courses overseen by the Indy Parks Golf system are nine-hole courses. Located on Indianapolis' east side is Douglass Golf Course, a par-35 course opened in 1926. On Indianapolis' west side is Thatcher Golf Course, a wooded par-34 course. In southeastern Indianapolis, Whispering Hills is a par-34 course built in 1995. All three courses provide group and individual instruction and have golfing leagues.
Other Indianapolis Public Courses
Besides the Indy Parks Golf system, Indianapolis also is home to other public courses. Operated by the Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs division of the Indiana DNR, The Fort Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 course located at Fort Harrison State Park. Four holes of the 18-hole, par-72 Brickyard Crossing Golf Course reside inside the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Indianapolis' west side. Saddlebrook Golf Course, on Indianapolis' west side, is an 18-hole, par-71 course. All three of these courses were designed by renowned course architect Pete Dye.
Pete Dye, Golf Course Architect
In the early 1950s, Pete Dye was an insurance salesman in Indianapolis and a champion amateur golfer. Dye started designing golf courses professionally in the late 1950s, and his first course was a nine-hole course just south of Indianapolis, originally named El Dorado and now is Royal Oak Country Club. In 2008, Dye was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, only the fifth course architect to be awarded the honor.
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