Course Review - Lucas Oil Golf Club

Took the drive down to Lucas Oil GC, way down in English, IN. Drive is about 2.5hrs. We’re coming back in July for a golf trip, so we wanted to take a peek.

I’m not the club historian, so I’ll be paraphrasing some; local legend Forrest Lucas (just guess his company’s name?) bought formerly called Old English CC and kinda saved it. He’s put money into it since, Michael Hurdzan has design credit and get this, they have Bermuda grass tees and fairways. In Indiana. But, yah, it works.

The course has been re-worked some, and the front 9 is a little gonzo: it crosses the street a few times, goes under a bridge and over a few more. Good chance you get lost once unless you’re following someone. All the newer holes are still kinda growing up, the rough is pretty rough, and you can lose a ball in it easily. The Bermuda was still waking up in mid-May, so I expect it to be better in July when we come back. Tee boxes were mostly level, but did have some weak spots/growth. The fairways were in pretty good shape (like I said, still waking up some). The bunkers didn’t have rakes (thank you shutdown) but we popped a few out to test them, and they were in good shape, sugary sand. Greens were very consistent, but with recent rain, they played grainy and a little hard to figure out.

The front Nine starts with a par5 around the lake, and with a decent tee ball, you can turn the corner and should have a good look for a 3rd shot approach. The second is a solid par3 up the hill and an early standout. Holes Five and Six are a tough 1-2punch, Five being a long-ish par3 and Six an ever-tightening par5 with a nasty slick green (gonzo moment on this hole is a ball being lost thru the roof of old rotting shed and having no idea how to get to next tee box, bridge was out). Eight and Nine are short and gettable par4s.

The back Nine seems less re-worked and much more hilly. The Tenth is a nice open hole and you’ll get a look at the Course’s rental homes on the right. They have 2 homes, with capacity for up to 20. The webpage has more info. From there, you bounce up and back across a ridge a few times. The Twelfth hole will probably eat your lunch, but just hit one out right of the trees, nothing too long and you’ll be fine. Fourteen is a par3 bomb down the hill to a big green with all kinds of slope; I suggest you go play the back tee, the view is sweet. Seventeen is the number one handicap and it’s a demanding 220yd tee shot (or so) with a beach-towel-sized landing area. Your approach has to cover a big holler to a tilted green. Good luck! The finisher Eighteenth is a great elevated tee shot, we all bombed our tee balls over the trees and had a great look into the green (no eagles were realized today my friends).

Coming back this July, we’re going to play a LOT of golf out there over 3 days, and I’m sure we’ll get to know ball placement and the greens much better. I enjoyed it and if you want to take a drive, see something new, the Luke is a fun, quirky course in a nice setting.

First hole, par 5

Par 5 sixth hole claims another victim

Eleventh hole, par 3

THe back tee of the par 3 fourteenth hole… you need to drive up and use it!

Par 4, fifteenth hole - see a roasted 5w above!

Project 300

If you’re here, I hope you’re also reading about my Par Project in this blog too. Alongside that item, I’m adding another with this post: Project 300.

What would it take for this 47yr old with a high 90s swing speed to routinely hit 300yd drives? I think we know a few things. I need to get my swing up to 110mph or more (speed training). I need to hit the middle of the clubface (lessons). I need the right launch angle and spin (Trackman, equipment changes). Then I need to do all of these simultaneously at a pretty high level each swing.

I’m trying to shoot par from 7,000 yards in The Par Project; I might not get there. I’ve got this as a separate project because even if I come up short (see what I did there?) hitting longer tee balls will help my game. My stats prove that (GIR from shorter distances, scoring averages on shorter holes, etc.) Getting scoring clubs in my hands earlier will work at any length of course.

I read a good article on golfwrx.com about high performing hitters, see it here. I read this not long after we were getting wind of Phil Mickelson’s swing speed gains by doing overspeed training. This all got me thinking about how I might be able to pair some changes in my fitness alongside some swing speed training and start really moving it out there.

I started working on my explosive strength, adding things like this and this. I’m not doing all of this stuff, but adding a lot of them into my normal routine. I use a ketttlebell based workout and am a bit fanatical about the benefits. It’s a challenge to get going with kettlebells because most people are pretty weak in hip flexion, hamstrings and pelvic-floor & core; I sure was when I started. But after getting over those first few weeks of pain (Honey, can you help me pull these socks on?), I have had much more resilience in both everyday movement and athletics (haven’t had chiropractic adjustment on my back since - like 10yrs no kidding). The core kettlebell movements are well suited to help your golf swing: stable core, strong base, hip flexors. On the southside, you can join one of the best KB gyms in the country here.

I also decided to get overspeed training going too; but’s let’s be clear, this guy is a cheapskate sometimes. I wasn’t prepared to shell out the 2 bills required for the SuperSpeed training system. Instead I went jailbreak and made my own: see the video here. I used my old driver shaft and went to Home Depot and got everything needed for just under 17$. Sweet! There are several protocols listed on YouTube and this does include multiple reviews of the SS programs. My intent is to ramp-up speed training each month and hit a maintenance level by golf season or so.

If you’re still reading, you might be wondering about keeping the machine oiled, so to speak. Mobility is the name. I follow MoveU on Instagram and YouTube and you should too. As in: everyone on the planet should make an effort to have better flexion and mobility. I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts lately (on my work commute) and a glaring item in healthy individuals who make it to their 90s and beyond is keeping their balance. You do that by keeping your flexion and keeping your core strong. So that’s what I’m gonna do for my kids and for my golf game. That and MoveU doesn’t take themselves too seriously, so it’s fun to watch.

I’ll try to post updates 1-2x a month alongside updates to The Par Project. Whoooosh!

You need 80%, 90% and 105% of your current driver’s weight.

Get ready for bombs.

Victoria Natty - one of Indiana’s Best

A few weeks back, we did some coverage for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals at Victoria National in Newburgh (near Evansville), and I REALLY liked the course. I’ve been kinda daydreaming about a round there, always scheming for a hook-up. I actually had one last year but couldn’t go due to a 50th birthday party in Florida. I was supposed to meet up with Patrick Koenig as he continued his whirlwind tour of America in the RGV last year; with a somewhat fluid timetable he landed his sled in Indiana the week I had to leave and I anointed a buddy to take my place. It still stings.

The course looks like it was created by giant sandbox toys, as the fairways seem scooped out of the wooly hills that flank the sides of many holes. Throw in about 6 or 7 lake crossings and you’re starting to see how unique the property is. Tom Fazio built the course in an old strip mine area in 1996 and the place is sublime, routinely identified as Indiana’s best course. While not the hilliest of areas, the course has some bumps and swales to create great views and greens tucked into coves and corners. I walked the entire course during our coverage and the attached video captures some of the charm.

I was surprised to see the lighted putting green on the back nine that sits adjacent to the Club’s condos; they do offer stay-and-play options (the Club’s site has more info). I spent some time in the clubhouse, but didn’t get around much beyond the press area. Accommodations and amenities there looked great. From Indy, it’s about a 2.5 hour drive down the new I-69 extension and your GPS will act as if you’ve driven off the planet (and don’t count on a lot of exits or amenities near the interstate either).

I’m hoping to go back and get that round in soon. I won’t lie, if I do I’m gonna gloat and fawn all over the place.

Cantigny Golf - Wheaton, IL

I got out to Cantigny Golf last month for some client golf (the best kind, not on my dime). It was a warm and windy one out in the West ‘burbs and we had a good time. I played pretty damn bad on the front 9, but did finally get it somewhat together on the back.

Cantigny routinely makes the “best of’ lists for IL, and while I wasn’t really wowed by the place, it was in pretty solid condition, and there are enough good holes out there to help you past a few ho-hum ones. Roger Packard/Andy North designed 27 holes out there in the 80s and the facilities are run by Kemper Sports. They tout the visit as one of those “country club for a day” expeiences and mostly deliver. Bag drop, forecaddies available, GPS on the carts, club wash at the end, plenty of amenities. Like I said, a pretty good time can be had. We played the Hillside/Lakeside nines; cost was $120 per player.

Lakeside #2 is a gettable par5 with a good tee shot (you work around the lake on the right side), lots of green grass everywhere and a fairly accessible green; there's a lot of greenside bunkers out here, so plan for that. The sand was just ok; I found a few of them to be getting thin and/or wet for some reason. Only logical reason was overwatering, it’d been pretty dry the previous days. Lakeside #3 is a great hole, a tight tee shot par4 with an elevated and guarded green. A note on the greens, pretty consistent (a strength) but very hard to get right. A lot of putts look like they’ll break and just don’t and we never got really comfortable. It’s the kind of thing that will wear on you, so by the end of the day, my putter was in a dark place…so sad! Lakeside finishes with a great par4, the tee shot using some misdirection, pointing you a bit askew from your landing area, with water lurking right, and a bunkered green. See the video.

Hillside was our second nine, and the two pair together fairly well. Number one is a good opener for the nine, with a nice dogleg right, ideally set up for a cut tee ball. I hit the green and…3 slapped for bogey. They have a few really big greens and that’s another level of defense for sure. The stretch from Hillside #6 thru #8 was my favorite. The sixth hole opens the video and is a placement tee shot, then over the water to a masssive double green complex; we were dead into the fan, so hitting that bunker complex off the tee and still hitting the green felt like a hero shot. Hillside #7 is a great par5, with a well-framed tee shot to a rumply fairway; the green is guarded by a false-front and bunker trouble right (surprise!) and I managed par from just off the front in 2. The eighth is a long-ish par3, with the green a bit elevated, mounds to the right, with another big green.

Overall I liked the place even if I started so poorly (it can be hard to be a “review guy” when you’re playing, even more so when you’re jacking the ball all over the place). Tons of green grass, a lot of bunkers to negotiate, pretty solid tee boxes (in need of a little work) and the greens were consistent all the way around. I’m not convinced the course is worth the full freight we paid, but keep in mind it was Chicagoland, so there’s a differential ain’t there? I would much more like the place if it was $80-90, that just sounds about right. They have three nines, ample facilities, and a very large practice area; everyone was quite nice. If you’re looking for something out west in Chicagoland, they definitely are in the running.