Doesn’t matter where you come from. When planning a golf trip, you stick to the basics.
“We really have time only to play golf, have some dinner and go to bed. And the casino, obviously,” says Fernando Ferro, one of the “Golf Amigos” who found French Lick, Indiana as their cross-continental destination.
This group of 20 golfing buddies from Ecuador make an annual visit to one of the premier golf destinations in the United States, and
French Lick was their choice for 2022. Mostly because The Pete Dye Course came with an enthusiastic stamp of approval from Pete himself.
“We have played many, many courses of his and this is one of his favorites, so we decided to come here,” explained Fernando, whose amigos also tackled French Lick’s Donald Ross Course as well. “We play a lot of golf — we always call it extreme golf because we play 36 holes every day. Always searching for the best courses and the best time with a group of friends.”
The Golf Amigos probably win the award for greatest distance traveled. But they’re not the only ones who rack up the frequent flyer miles to experience French Lick’s courses.
Recently there was the group from California who did a kamikaze French Lick trip – they flew in, played the Pete Dye Course, then flew out – all in a single day. In 2022 we’ve had golf groups representing more than half the states. Oregon. Minnesota. South Carolina. Maine. Even four groups who trekked here from New Hampshire. (Not sure why we’re so popular out there, but shout out, Granite State, we see you.)
The Golf Amigos got the ball rolling on their visit about a year in advance by connecting with Alex Whiteman, French Lick Resort’s PGA professional who specializes in larger social groups of 8+ golfers. A lot of Alex’s groups squeeze in as much golf as possible during their stay – 18 holes on Thursday, 36 each on Friday and Saturday, maybe 18 more Sunday morning before heading out.
Getting a group golf trip on the books is as easy as shooting Alex an email and then getting a call back to talk options.
“I give them a call, introduce myself, ask them how much they know about the property, and explain to them what we have as far as golf opportunities and hotel opportunities, and I ask them what they’re looking for,” Alex says. “I let them know, I’m here for you, I’ll customize this golf trip however you want to do it and however we can make it work based on availability.”
The Pete Dye Course is set to open March 31 for the 2023 golf season, and there’s already certain some 2023 weekends that are close to or nearly full. More than four dozen golf groups from all over (including one from Canada) have already gotten their visit on the calendar. Now’s as good a time as any to round up the buddies (or amigos) and put some 2023 plans into motion.
