Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
FRENCH LICK – The French Lick Resort is expanding its golf offerings with a planned nine-hole golf course, event pavilion and five or six cottages to accommodate groups.
Chuck Franz, CEO of French Lick Resort, said Ridgecreek Golf Course and Ridgeview Cottages will be built on a high elevation near where the Resort is building homes in the Klondike subdivision.
Franz announced the project during a stakeholder meeting Monday at the Resort.
Construction of the new course is a two-year project and will include refurbishing the Valley Links, a 9-hole course. Work on the Valley Links will follow the construction of Ridgecreek.
Work on the four-bedroom cottages will begin following the completion of the six Klondike homes, two of which are finished.
Golf is a growing segment of the Resort’s hospitality offerings and Franz said Ridgecreek is the result of the Resort’s growing reputation as a golf destination. Once the project is completed, the Resort will have three 18-hole courses – the Pete Dye, the Donald Ross and Ridgecreek, and that alone is a big draw for golfers looking for an extended stay experience.
Golf play shot up in 2021 and hasn’t slowed down. That year the Resort recorded 34,000 rounds of golf, 9,000 more rounds than were played in 2018. In 2024, Resort golfers played 46,000 rounds of golf, the most ever.
“We expect it to keep growing,” Franz said. “Golf packages are up 60% from a year ago.”
Not only are more golfers coming to French Lick’s award-winning courses, they are coming from farther away. Historically, the Resort has drawn guests mainly from the Midwest, but since 2023, more guests are traveling greater distances. Franz pointed to high profile events like last fall’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship, which was televised, and the Good Good Golf Midwest Open that brought a huge crowd of fans for bringing national exposure to the Resort.
The Resort’s courses are routinely ranked among the nation’s best. In 2023, Golfweek ranked the French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course No. 4 and the Donald Ross Course No. 9 in its listing of the 50 best casino courses.
Attracting more golfers is one of the ways the Resort plans to offset growing competition from new gaming sites in Indiana and Kentucky. Terre Haute Casino Resort opened in spring 2024 with 1,000 slots and 36 table games; Owensboro Racing and Gaming opened this year with 600 slot machines. Both are owned and operated by Churchill Downs.
“That’s how we compete. If we get more golfers here they will invariably wander over to the casino,” Franz said.
Prior to the Terre Haute Casino opening, Franz anticipated an 11% decrease in its wagering adjusted gross revenue. Recent revenue numbers show gaming AGR at all southern Indiana gaming sites is down 5.4%.
To demonstrate the interest the new golf course is generating, Franz said a group of golfers from Texas contacted the Resort to book a golf trip for 100 golfers in 2026 because they want to play three 18-hole courses. When told the course wouldn’t be ready in 2026, they said they would come in 2027.
The Ridgeview Cottages are expected to be popular with golf groups and families.
“That’s a product we don’t have,” Franz said. “And it’s a question we get all the time. Groups want to stay together. We know we’ll be able to sell those to golfers.”
Franz anticipates getting a few cottages completed this summer.
Sand Creek Course to open May 1
A short course that can be played in less than two hours will open soon. The Sand Creek Course, a 9-hole course, will open May 1. Located near the Event Center and pickleball courts, Franz said 1,400 rounds have already been booked.
Eventually, the Sand Creek Course will have lights for night time play.