If you could take a visitor from the British Isles to visit only one course in the U.S. that best illustrates a certain architect's talent, what would be the criteria for making such a selection?

First, his work must be preserved. After all, you want to show the visitor what that architect did with the property and not what several well-meaning but hapless green committees did. Second, the course should feature the predominant themes of the architect's work.

So, then, which course would you visit to showcase Donald Ross's many talents? Pinehurst No.2, the one closest to his heart? No. Many people use the convex greens at Pinehurst as a trait of Ross's work , but nothing could be farther from the truth. What other Ross course features such greens? Don't bother, the answer is none. Plus, the argument could be made that the course no longer plays as its designer intended. He started it with sand greens - did he have today's fast, rock-hard greens in mind? How about Seminole, with its ingenious routing? No, again for mainly the same reason - it does not represent the broad spectrum of his work. Those flashed-sand bunkers were unique to Seminole among his designs. Wannamoisett? No - the property was too small to properly show off Ross's belief in broad fairways. Oak Hill? No - too much Fazio (although the West course would be a worthy candidate). Oakland Hills? No - Trent Jones left more than his fingerprints there. Inverness? See Oak Hill. The Orchards? Perhaps, but the authors would not select it as the one course since it was built in two separate stages (nine holes each).

Along with Salem, Essex County, and Holston Hills, the Hill Course at French Lick Springs Resort in southern Indiana would be on the short list of courses to which to take a visitor. The Hill Course occupies a rolling piece of land that demonstrates Ross's genius for routing, broad landing areas off the tee and a wonderful set of greens that remain largely untouched. Plus, its more basic presentation and slower green speeds better emulate the true playing conditions of the 1920s.

The routing gives an indication that Ross was perhaps the first to turn architecture into a business. As is the case with many of his courses with nines that return to the clubhouse, the first and tenth holes parallel each other and then head off to form a loop in the opposite direction (other examples include Seminole, Mountain Ridge, Plainfield and Mark Twain). This routing, while perhaps a bit engineered, works well in terms of having the player constantly change direction.

The greens are the star feature at French Lick. As mentioned above, the greens at Pinehurst No. 2, where the putting is relatively straightforward once one eventually holds the green, are an anomaly. Many of Ross's finer courses are characterized by wild greens with tremendous interior undulations. As Pete Dye once observed, why do so many call Ross's work 'subtle'? It is anything but and such is the case at French Lick.

Holes to Note:

1^st hole, 415 yards: One author selects this as his favorite Ross starting hole. As with other of his openers, this one plays downhill to a generous landing area. The approach is with a mid- to short-iron to a small green with a severe slope from back-left to front-right. A rare hole where the splendid view from the tee is complimented by the design of the hole. It has just that right degree of difficulty for a first hole: hard enough where a five does not send the player stomping angrily to the second tee but short enough where a player standing on the tee can entertain thoughts of a birdie to jumpstart a good round.

The splendid 1st hole encourages play to get away to an even start.

5^th hole, 460 yards: Ross had a fondness for big holes of any par, and this is the first one at French Lick. From the tee on top of the hill, the hole drops and runs straight away, along the top of the ridge, with drop-offs on both sides. One suspects that this completely natural hole was one of the first holes Ross identified for the course.

6th hole, 220 yards: Once Ross found the hog back of what would ultimately become the 5th fairway, the 6th would have been an easy choice. As at the 4th and 13th, Ross uses long one shotters to go from one crest of a hill over a valley to another crest. A lesser designer might have left the player with the feeling that the Hill Course is a bit of a billy-goat property. However, not Donald Ross as he uses the long one shotters to give the player essentially level (though dramatic) shots.

The 6th is a massive one shotter across a valley. Donald Ross did not design the less
than attractive cart path that mars the view.

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