Pete Dye’s Missing Link

This article is part of Indianapolis Monthly’s October 2016 profile on legendary golf course architect Pete Dye.

Chatham Hills is the latest Pete Dye masterpiece. Oddly, three local courses all claim to be the first.

1959

Dye’s Walk, Greenwood

This is where the Hall of Famer’s career began, with nine holes at what was originally called El Dorado. Nine more holes came a decade later from another builder and eventually so did another name–Royal Oak. In 2007, it was dubbed Dye’s Walk, the course’s third name and presumably the last.

1961

Maple Creek, Indianapolis

His first full 18-hole course was originally called Heather Hills. Located off East 21st Street and German Church Road, the cozy design demands that golfers negotiate Grassy Creek, tight fairways, and small greens. Once public, it now torments only private members.

1964

Crooked Stick, Carmel

Billed as Dye’s “first championship course,” perhaps to the dismay of Maple Creek members. It was his first all-encompassing effort, as Dye bought the land, raised money for construction, and then built the course. With the 1991 PGA Championship, it earned its stripes as the first venue in Indiana to host a major since French Lick in 1924.