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.

An interview with Ted Bishop

I had the distinct pleasure to meet with Ted Bishop one Friday at his Legends of Indiana course in Franklin and it was a great conversation. Ted was more generous with his time than I deserved and we spoke freely for more than an hour (easily 30 minutes more than I planned). We covered a lot of ground and what follows are some excerpts as we discussed what he’s doing now, what he’s seeing in Indiana golf and some ideas for the future too.

I didn’t see any need to rehash a lot of ancient history with Ted; if you haven’t looked into his book, Unfriended, I would encourage you to pick up a copy or download. It tells his story better than anything I’m going to do.

HOW DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE GAME?

I got a job working at a golf course in Logansport; it was just a job, I didn’t even play golf that first season. I was a into baseball and basketball then. But I ended up being there for 5 summers, each year taking on more responsibilities. When I got to Purdue I eventually switched my major to Turf Management; I thought I was going to just be a course superintendent. My first job offer was at the Phil Harris Golf Course, but it went beyond the super role and included more of the “pro role” - so I had to learn the pro side (and pass my PAT). But I had to earn it from there too - as a “non-member Head Pro” back then it took me a few years to get enough credit to join the PGA. Then I spent 17 years there before I came up here to Franklin to build The Legends.

WHAT’S YOUR ROLE IN THE INDIANA PGA NOW?

The Section has been great, involving me in their special events, etc. and I’ve enjoyed it. But I’ve just perhaps done something that may be one of the more important things I’ve ever done. We recently hosted boys’ and girls’ IHSAA tournaments and witnessed 35 boys take 6 hours to play and the girls sectional take almost 6.5 hours. It’s been this gradual deterioration in pace of play. So I reached to Tim Finchem and Mike Davis, and Amy Saunders (Arnold Palmers’ daughter); the idea being that we can do something about it. Mike Davis was very supportive, pledging support and asked us to start local as a test-run. So we started getting leadership connected at the IHSAA, the head of Indiana PGA, the head of Indiana High School Golf Coaches Assoc. and others and formed a task force. We took 18 months and came up with the roll-out of a 20 minute instructional video on pace of play, focusing on things like Preparedness and Proper Etiquette. It’s now required viewing for coaches and players, alongside a second item which is Mandatory Rules Meetings for coaches (helping with rulings on-course, etc). And a 3rd item that being implemented is a “double par” maximum in IHSAA events to eliminate unneeded time. We did backtesting too, and enacting this rule had no impact on who advanced as a team or won as an individual. The 4th item is supplying locations around Indiana without a working “Pro and Instructional Handbook“ on hosting golf tournaments more effectively. We’re getting traction from other surrounding states too, so we feel like an impact is being made.

I’D SAY THIS BUILDS FASTER PLAY ORGANICALLY.

I can’t see a kid who plays a 6-hour round getting to adulthood thinking they’d want to go do THAT again. So hopefully we can keep them in the game.

I LIKE TO WATCH COLLEGE GOLF - PACE THERE IS HORRENDOUS.

Absolutely - and we’re hoping this will continue to grow.

WHAT BIG TAKEAWAYS DID YOU TAKE FROM THE RECENT INDIANA PGA SECTION MEETINGS?

We elected Kat Benson as a Section Officer, which is a big deal for us to see women advance in a male-dominated profession; so along with other Board Members we now have more women in leadership than ever before. Weather has made things tough - you need good days. But something that seems strange is we haven’t seen the contraction in the number of golf courses.

THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF COURSES KINDA HANGING AROUND.

A lot of these courses are in really close proximity to others; the competition hasn’t really changed even though it was so over-built in the 90s.

WE’RE SEEING COURSES FAIL THEN GET BOUGHT OUT OF RECEIVERSHIP; WHY WOULD SOMEONE THINK THEY CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN IN A SATURATED MARKET?

The major thing is they’re buying the properties at cents on the dollar for what it cost to build. At the end of the day, their debt service is a fraction than the original owners. But there are still operation challenges; chemicals, taxes, payroll.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE ANNIVERSARY MEMBERSHIP YOUR COURSE ROLLED OUT IN 2018?

I got a book unsolicited in the mail one day called Golf the Untapped Market: Why the Professionals are Failing to Grow the Game in Nov. 2017 by Chuck Thompson. It felt insulting. But on a trip to Florida later I opened it and COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN. It was an honest assessment; we had seen something similar at the PGA level (from consultants) but nothing had addressed how to get the “casual golfer” to come out more. “Casual Golfer” is sometimes misleading; casual doesn’t mean they can’t play, don’t understand the rules or know how to take care of your course. They’re just “casual” because they’re playing less than 14 rounds of golf because they’re busy. What Thompson said in the book was to offer the casual golfer an affordable membership to get them there (the course effectively a loss leader) and they will enjoy the experience differently than the avid golfer. He nailed it; it dramatically altered our business model, almost immediately. We played 8000 rounds in our first May and June after the program started; and it put us where our volume needs to be with 27 holes.

HAS THERE BEEN ANY DOWNSIDE TO THIS SPIKE IN GROWTH?

We had some early glitches in scheduling (website); we got some feedback about pace of play, course conditions (players not cleaning up after themselves). So we’ve identified the major culprits that affect the course conditions; and we’ve also taken the step to empower our rangers to monitor player behavior. This includes tracking which players are the repeat offenders and warning them; if persistent, a second warning is a letter from me explaining their failure to adhere to good etiquette and that we expect them to comply or risk loss of playing privileges. I hope it never gets to that; I am more hopeful that word gets out the we take care of our course here.

I THINK EMPOWERING THE RANGERS IS HUGE.

We have a fairly intensive bit of training for our rangers on “par time” for holes and how to monitor a group in relation to other groups. We’re going to add a rolling clock behind the counter that is providing an actual pace of play for the course that day (and will update throughout the day), so as you check-in, you will have a good feel for what you’re in for.

I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF COURSES THAT ARE SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY ON THE WRONG THINGS; MOWING TOO MUCH OUT-OF-THE-WAY AREAS, OVERWATERING, ETC.

I won’t say you’re wrong; 2/3rds of the public courses don’t have the revenue to spend on maintenance they should. One thing that helped us was The Anniverary Membership created more volume, more revenue for us to mow fairways more, tend bunkers more. I do see them (others) mowing more than they should, to a point. You can have things like fescue too long in the wrong places and it slows down play. There’s a few people that are putting too much water out there. But they kind of have to do it with the American version of a green course.

I LOVE WHAT PINEHURST DID TO NUBMER 2 - LESS WATERING, ALLOWING MORE OF THE BROWN LOOK.

I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of golf in Scotland, England, on some of the most famous courses in the world. And while I liked it, I knew that the conditions they have over there would never work in the States. If I did that, I’d be out of business.

WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO GET THE INDIANAPOLIS AREA A PERMANENT STOP FOR THE PGA TOUR?

When I was the President, we worked to get the PGA Championship back to Crooked Stick; with the way the demands have changed, they no longer had the infrastructure to do it again. Indy has always been very supportive for any event we’ve hosted. But it takes a sponsor, someone to want the event in Indy, for their clients. And there’s been some changes to the PGA Tour schedule, condensing and getting more competitive for those spots. The BMW Championship is well supported and the Tour likes it here. We also have the LPGA event -Indy Women in Tech in September at the Brickyard. The LPGA has always been great about finding a good market that is ready to support them.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE NEW RULES?

I like them; I like the pace of play push. I’ve been a proponent of bifurcation for a long time. I have been maybe the loudest voice against the ban on the achored putter, including all the USGA meetings. They had their own view.

SOME SPEED ROUND STUFF:

FAV HOLE AT LEGENDS? #4 on Middle Nine

TIGER OR JACK? Jack

PEBBLE OR AUGUSTA? Augusta

PRACTICE PUTT STROKE OR JUST GO? Just go

COURSE KIND OF UNDER THE RADAR? Hulman Links in Terre Haute was always one I liked

COURSE THAT SHOULD NEVER GET ANOTHER MAJOR? Chambers Bay (I disagreed! But we had a good conversation about it)

COURSE THAT DESREVES ONE BUT NEVER GETS ONE? Pine Valley