Kentucky Derby Golf Weekend

  Hef &The Girls Next Door at the Derby-  "It's all about the hats."

T&L Golf, 3/06

Golf Magazine, 5/06, 5/11

Travelin' Joe's Kentucky Derby:

"For a good home base for the Derby that's only 60 miles from Louisville, gallop off to French Lick, Indiana. The French Lick Resort (888-936-9360, www.frenchlickresort.com; May 2011 packages from $319) sports two handsomely restored hotels, the French Lick Springs and the amazing, domed West Baden Springs, plus casino gaming, spa and 45 holes. Most prominent is the two-year-old Pete Dye course, a ridge-top, 8,100-yard beautiful brute that will slap you silly if you're hitting it crooked.

More soothing, except on the wildly sloping greens, is the Donald Ross course, a 94-year-old layout expertly restored by Lee Schmidt that hosted the 1924 PGA Championship, won by Walter Hagen. An ancient nine-holer, the Valley Links, completes the offerings."

Golf for the Roses
Play eighteen and attend America's premier horse race 
T&L Golf  MAR 2006
by Jody Demling

They call it the greatest two minutes in sports—the Kentucky Derby, which has been run in Louisville on the first Saturday in May for 131 consecutive years. While the 1875 Derby drew 10,000 people, this year's spectacle will attract more than 150,000 racing fans from around the world. It might be tough (or just plain expensive) to score a good seat, but it's not hard to get into Churchill Downs and take in the electric atmosphere. So book a flight, pack the clubs for some good golf nearby and bone up on the lyrics to "My Old Kentucky Home."

Tickets and Viewing Tips
TICKETS All reserved seats were sold out as of last September, but try www.GoTickets.com for prime tickets—good ones will set you back at least $1,500 apiece. (The best views are from the third floor of the clubhouse.) You can also wait until Derby day and buy a $40 standing-room general admission ticket.

GETTING TO THE TRACK Shuttles run from several stops along Fifth and Sixth streets downtown. Parking is $10 at the University of Louisville's Cardinal Stadium, while locals cram as many cars as they can in their yards—and charge about $50.

HOT SPOTS The scene around the paddock is one of the biggest soirees of the year—it's jam-packed, the mint juleps are flowing, and the society ladies seek to outdo each other with their lavish hats. College kids party in the infield . You can get to both places with reserved tickets or general admission.

Trip Planner
When May 6, 2006
Where Louisville, Kentucky
Playing: If you have an in, the private Valhalla Golf Club (the PGA Championship and future Ryder Cup site) is well worth playing. Fuzzy Zoeller's Covered Bridge Golf Club (812-246-8880, www.coveredbridge.com) is a fun public course located in nearby Sellersburg, Indiana.

Another fine option is Kearney Hill Golf Links (859-253-1981, www.lfucg.com/ParksRec/Golf/KearneyHill.asp), a Pete and P.B. Dye design an hour away in Lexington.

Around Town: Revisit the life of the Louisville Lip at the new Muhammad Ali Center (502-584-9254, www.alicenter.org) and check out the Kentucky Derby Museum (502-637-1111, www.derbymuseum.org) or the Louisville Slugger Museum (877-775-8443, www.sluggermuseum.org).

Staying  As of press time, the landmark Brown Hotel (502-583-1234, www.brownhotel.com) still had rooms available for Derby weekend, as did the boutique 21C Museum Hotel (502-589-4690, www.21cmuseumhotel.com), which houses a contemporary art museum and opens in March. For other options, visit www.gotolouisville.com.

Dining: Book a table at the quaint Jack Fry's Restaurant (502-452-9244, www.jackfrys.com, $$$). Start with the scrumptious shrimp and grits before your steak.

From Golf Magazine, 5/06:
Ol' Kentucky Home
Escape to the land of fast horse, blue grass and challenging golf.

On May 6, 20 race horses will spend two minutes carrying twenty men around a track in front of 150,000 spectators, with more than $100 million riding on the outcome. Welcome to the 132nd Kentucky Derby. On Derby weekend Louisville is as tourist-thick as Times Square and as wild as a college keg party. The race will be over before you can finish a mint julep, so enjoy a circuit of the other tracks in town.

Quail Chase
6,569-6,769 yards, par 72
Greens fees: $25-$42
502-239-2110, www.quailchase.com
The 27-hole Quail Chase facility was designed by David Pfaff and is one of the best public-access courses in Kentucky--which might explain why it's often crowded with locals. Stretched out over gently sloping terrain, it weaves through thickets of Scotch pine, maple, oak and dogwood trees, with McNeely Lake as a backdrop. Ask any of those locals and they'll tell you that the East Course is the best of the loops.

Seneca
7,134 yards, par 72
Greens fees: $14
502-458-9298
Back in the 1960s, Gary Player received a racehorse as the prize for winning a tournament at Seneca. You can have your own shot at glory, too. On the Tuesday before the Derby, Seneca hosts a million-dollar hole-in-one contest. So far no one has ever made the ace. Like Churchill Downs, Seneca is long, flat and difficult. The toughest hole is No. 14, a 438-yard brute that club pro Kevin Greenwell says "plays into the wind no matter which way the wind is blowing." Our tip: Put your blinkers on!

Chariot Run
7,169 yards, par 72
Greens fees: $59
877-316-7336, www.caesarsindiana.com
The entertainment at this course at Caesars' Indiana resort 40 minutes from Louisville extends beyond the pleasant layout--you'll enjoy a chuckle at every tee when you read the Roman names appended to each hole, like Gladiator's Address, Centurion's Carry and Labor of Hercules. The 419-yard seventh hole, which doglegs right through the woods and has a heavily canted green, is considered the most intimidating hole. With a name like Caesar's Revenge, how could it be otherwise?

Covered Bridge
7,068 yards, par 72
Greens fees: $65-$70
812-246-8880, www.coveredbridge.com
Twelve miles from downtown Louisville, just across the state line into southern Indiana, is Covered Bridge, the home course of Fuzzy Zoeller. Nos. 9 and 18 are mirrorimage par 5s and are separated only by the width of the lake that guards the left side of No. 9 and the right side of No. 18. Mess up the first time and you'll have a shot at redemption later.

Local Knowledge
How to get Derby tix
Standing-room tickets ($40) can be purchased on race day but lines are long. You can write and request any available seat (tip: don't ask for one near the finish line) to Churchill Downs, Special Events Department, 700 Central Ave., Louisville, KY 40208. Seats cost from $70 to $600.

Where to stay
Galt House is walking distance from most attractions. Rooms from $125. 800-THE-GALT, www.galthouse.com. Caesars Indiana is cheaper on Derby weekend than city hotels. Rooms from $84. 866-766-2671, www.caesarsindiana.com

Where to eat
The Oak Room, the five-diamond restaurant at the Seelbach Hilton. 502-807-3463. Try Louisville's famous Hot Brown sandwich at J. Grahams Café & Bar. 502-583-1234.

What to see
Louisville Slugger Museum Home to the world's largest baseball bat and a must for baseball fans. 877-775-8443, www.sluggermuseum.org.  Makers Mark Distillery  Daily tours show how whiskey is made, including dipping bottles in the famed red wax. 270-865-2099. Bourbon lovers should also visit the Jim Beam Distillery, 25 miles from Louisville. Sample the bourbon, though by law they can only serve you two. 502-543-9877.