The Lucas Oil Golf Course has a very interesting history. During the 1930s, English was a thriving town nestled in the rolling hills and fertile valley of southern Indiana, 38 miles west of Louisville, KY. About 1000 residents called English home.
The area was prone to severe flooding, often causing the town to virtually shut down. On June 7th, 1990, the area once again flooded, this time leaving the downtown area under almost 10 feet of water. The town decided that enough was enough and applied to F.E.M.A. for assistance to move the town to higher ground and out of the floodplain.
As part of his course study at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, local resident Cary Hammond put forth a business plan with the idea of transforming the former town into Crawford County’s first and only golf course. He and his friend Mark Megenity began raising money; they recruited friends, neighbors, and just anyone who would listen in hopes that they could scrape together the funds needed to buy enough land for an 18-hole golf course.
Award-winning golf course architect, Dr. Michael Hurdzan was familiar with the story of English, Indiana and decided to give back to the sport he loves by donating the design services of his Columbus, Ohio, firm. A couple of local golf course shapers signed on at a reduced rate, and rental equipment was placed on-site by operators who would donate their time to help build the course. Suppliers of materials and equipment supported the effort by providing their excess inventory at a discounted price.
Unfortunately, under-funding and poor management of the facility in its early years led to a lot less play and the course fell into a state of disrepair. As a result, the golf course fell behind on its mortgage and was on the verge of shutting down. Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, founders of Luas Oil Products and Crawford County residents, were two of the original investors and were approached about picking up the mortgage. For the good of the community, they generously agreed and in January of 2012, they acquired ownership of Old English and subsequently changed the name to Lucas Oil Golf Course in August of 2012.
Lucas Oil Golf Course takes advantage of the dramatic drops in elevation and features two distinctively different nines. The front nine has two lakes and flowing creeks that come into play on 8 of 9 holes. The back nine is primarily carved from the hills and ridge tops that overlook Dog Creek and Brownstown Creek. As you make your way around the layout, you’ll see that there is not an overabundance of bunkers. In fact, there are only 23 scattered throughout the golf course. Be warned, they are strategically placed and come into play more often than you’d like! Be sure to view Number 4 and 7 from the back tees. These Astroturf tee boxes have been built into the side of the mountain to create extra distance and drama. They add over 100 yards to each hole with a drop in elevation from tee to fairway of 100 feet.
For golfers who want to experience the course more than once, consider one of Lucas Oil’s Stay and Play packages or a season pass. They have two houses available for rent; one that sleeps up to 10 people and one that sleeps up to 12. Once you’ve checked in, you’ll be assigned a golf cart which you can park at the house and use throughout your stay. If you don’t feel like cooking, Lucas Oil Restaurant located at the golf course offers a full-service restaurant and bar.
The clubhouse has been updated over the past few years and now has a large party deck. The restaurant is one of the facilities’ best features and is often full. Once you receive your order, you’ll understand why. It’s reasonably priced, it’s plentiful, and it is absolutely delicious! I highly recommend the tenderloin sandwich, just be sure you’re hungry enough to finish it!
If you’re in the area, Lucas Oil Golf Course is well worth the visit. It’s a scenic 30-minute drive from French Lick and a whole...
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