The Bridgewater Club

Directions: North on US 31 or 431 from I-465 on the north side of Indianapolis. Continue straight on US 31. Right on 161st St. Course is on right past the third intersection. Street Map

Message Board

	Par	Rating	Slope	Yardage	Par 5	Par 4	Par 3
Black	72	74.4	137	7062	533-589	348-481	172-182
Gold	72	72.9	131	6703	496-561	329-448	159-175
Blue	72	71.1	129	6332	479-552	308-408	150-155
White	72	69.6	126	6014	463-532	289-396	132-146
Green	72	70.3	120	5189	424-436	252-338	102-130

Basics

Season: Open all year.

Tee Times: Recommended at all times.

Guest Policy: Guests must be accompanied by a member.

Directions: North on US 31 or 431 from I-465 on the north side of Indianapolis. Continue straight on US 31. Right on 161st St. Course is on right past the third intersection.

Features

Carts: Electric. Covered. With bag hoods.

Walking: Allowed.

Rental clubs: Yes.

Practice areas: 7-green Putting and Chipping area. Double-ended Driving range with heated stalls. Indoor facilities including sand room, computer video analysis. Weight and fitness training. All at The Golf Preserve

Food: Snack bar, bar, restaurant, beverage cart.

Locker rooms: Yes, with showers.

Issues USGA handicaps: Yes.

Fees, Memberships, and Discounts

2005 rates	18-hole
Guest rate	$75 w/o cart

Membership: $38,500 initiation deposit plus dues of $375 per month. Junior memberships for those under 35.

Sports and Social membership initiation fee is $ 5,500.

There is a waiting list for memberships for those living outside the Bridgewater development.

Course Details

Description: New private championship course in a setting Pete Dye says is one of the finest in America.

Also see The Golf Preserve - the 9-hole executive course and instruction/training facility located in the same clubhouse.

Built: 2003.

Fairways: Bentgrass. Most quite wide.

Greens: Bentgrass. Big, suiting the course. Undulating, suiting Pete Dye's reputation.

Water: On 12 holes.

Sand traps: On 18 holes.

Course marking: A+. Sprinklers are even marked to front, middle and back of green. Quicksilver laser system and a great yardage book are available.

Walking: There's very little walking between holes.

Policies

Dress Code: Shirts with collars. Bermuda shorts.

Shoes: Metal spikes not allowed.

Alcohol: Available - buy at clubhouse.

Personnel

Director: Doc O'Neal.

Architect: Pete Dye.

Superintendent: Clive Helvie

Our Comments

Their web site has a a hole-by-hole description.

The clubhouse for the Bridgewater Club will be attached to the east end of the existing Golf Preserve clubhouse.

Pete Dye has eschewed his signature railroad ties in favor of limestone blocks more in keeping with the neighborhood look.

9/11/03 - We got a chance to ride around the course and it screams to be played. It's 99% filled in on opening day. They've filled about 150 of the 300 membership spots available.

A Quick Course Tour

1) 314 yds*. Short straight opener to a small mounded green. Feel free to bounce off the bank to the left front.

* All yardages from white tees.

2) 146 yds. Short par 3 to hilltop green. Left, right, and front all run down an 8 ft slope.

3) 335 yds. Short with a wide fairway. Creek guards the left side. Sand at 100yds out guards against super long drives. Sand in front of green.

4) 503 yds. Dogleg par 5 with sand in the crook of the leg. Massive fairway width. 2 bunkers to negotiate on the 2nd shot.

5) 498 yds. Meandering par 5 to a green hard to a lake on the left.

6) 328 yds. Short par 4 with sand and lake to the right of fairway.

7) 352 yds. Dogleg right enforced by rough and bunkers.

8) 134 yds. Downhill par 3 to a long narrow green just to the right of a lake. Protected in front by, you guessed it, sand.

9) 396 yds. Long hole through seemingly narrow opening in trees. Handicap 3 but might prove easier.

10) 373 yds. Long with a wide fairway but a pond on the right will catch sleepy slices.

11) 140 yds. Straightforward par 3. Easiest hole on the course.

12) 532 yds. Toughest hole due to length. Very wide with an open fairway. A lake and sand to the left of the green will only catch the unwary.

13) 342 yds. Another wide open fairway. Drop offs to the left and right of the green.

14) 289 yds. Short par 4. First a long iron or fairway wood to a lake at 80 yds out. Then you have a forced skyward approach over the lake and 2 traps - but there is a large bail out area to left.

15) 132 yds. Short is a bad option over a pond. Long is not penalized harshly.

16) 463 yds. Expansive treeless par 5 through a snake pit of traps to a small, elevated green. Lakes to down the left of fairway to make the traps more evident.

17) 363 yds. Narrower hole. Tree lined with an uphill approach to the green.

18) 374 yds. Long par 4 with water, woods, and water along the right.

Reader Comments

Submit Your Comments

9/22/04 - A year later and the course has matured beyond expectations. Fairways have filled out completely and the Superintendent is now massaging the areas around the greens. Membership has grown yet pace of play is still manageable. Walked 18 on Sunday in 4.5 hours. Very friendly members. Able to join a threesome on Sunday Morning and felt very welcome not like I was interrupting their game. Mature Trees on every hole, challenging layout from the Gold tees yet very friendly from the White- course plays very differently from each tee box. Great variety of holes, very friendly staff, super practice area- overall a great place to play golf. - Merk

9/6/03 - Opening day. Wonderful course. Quite challenging. Fairways and rough immature but better than anticipated for brand new course. Greens were fast and treacherous as were the bunkers placed conveniently in your path. Pete Dye design all the way. - Mark J R Merkle

Approach to the 12th green

Maps