Published: August 14, 2007 11:33 pm      

VALVANO:New course has bite, but is still a gem

I love living in Clark County. It’s been great for our family, we’ve made many friends and we are delighted to be in Sellersburg. If you’ve read these columns or listened to our local radio show, you know that is true.

But let’s be honest, it is not the size or type of town where one can expect to have seen Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Kevin Costner, Bill Murray, Alice Cooper, Vijay Singh, Peter Jacobsen, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Vince Gill, Amy Grant and many others.

They come here largely because of one guy — Fuzzy Zoeller.

True, the celebrities learn what I learned 12 years ago when we moved here, that the area is filled with fun-loving, generous people who are second to none anywhere, but the fact is they come for Fuzzy. And he asks them so he can give back to his community.

The Wolf Challenge has once again raised significant money for Fuzzy’s Charities for Kids, and having met some of the young people it has directly assisted, it is a great endeavor.

But Fuzzy has added to the community in other ways, with an exceptional golf course in Covered Bridge, and he has done it again with his new course in Henryville, Champions Pointe.

I ran into Fuzzy about two weeks ago at Make the Cut, and I told him I was writing this article. “Do me a favor,” he said. “Make sure you play the course before you write the article. You’re gonna like it.”

Well, I did and I do.

Let me tell you about it.

First, golf course designers really are like any other designers. They have a feel and sense that is unique to them. I once played a Jack Nicklaus course in Colorado that cost a fortune and if Jack himself been in the parking lot, I’d have bopped him one right in the nose. I don’t know who he designed it for — probably himself. However, since I have never been confused with Nicklaus-like play, it was like getting a root canal.

Fuzzy, on the other hand, thinks playing the game should be fun, so he designs courses with different sets of tees to make it challenging for players at all levels. He creates different shots to hit, different visuals and allows the player to choose which level of difficulty he or she wishes to tackle.

It is the same at Champions Pointe. If you are an 11-handicapper like me, you can have fun just as well as if you are a few strokes on either side of that.

But Champions Pointe is different from Covered Bridge in some significant aspects.

First, from the back tees especially, it will play more difficult than Covered Bridge. There are more bunkers, they are a little tougher, and when the final sets of tees are built the course will be significantly longer.

In addition, the layout is different. The holes are spread out more; there really are no “side by side” holes, so when you are on a hole that is about all you see. Just the one you are playing.

The greens also have a more pronounced slope to them, making them a little more difficult than those at Covered Bridge.

These are things the player would notice, but according to Phil Lobeck, the head professional at Covered Bridge and Champions Pointe, there are other things that will make his job more effective and better serve the player as well.

“The bag drop and cart area is much more condensed at Champions Pointe which means we can assist players much more efficiently,” Lobeck said.

“And we learned from redesigning our clubhouse at Covered Bridge how to set up the clubhouse and pro shop more effectively at Champions Point.”

Lobeck went on to say with the additional tees the course will play at around 7,350 yards, and will be appropriate for prestigious events like the Indiana State Open.

“But that is not our main objective, to host tournaments,” Lobeck added. “It is just to give golfers in this area another quality place to play. The tournaments would be nice just to let people around Indiana know there are some terrific places to play in this part of the state.”

Champions Pointe has a great feel to it, and Fuzzy and his primary architect, Clyde Johnston, always add some memorable wrinkles. At Covered Bridge, the par-three eighth hole is often referred to as one of the best par threes in the area, and the double green that couples numbers 9 and 18 is unique and appealing.

At Champions Pointe, No. 7 is a par-4 that can play up to 425 yards long, with a challenging and interesting split fairway that gives the hole seemingly endless options. The hazards, rough and bunkers are used judiciously, and fairly, and I didn’t feel one hole that had any “gimmicky” qualities. The holes all seemed fair — they rewarded good shots, and made you pay for the bad ones. In short, every hole provides the kind of challenge that is entertaining, not infuriating. No tricked-up junk here.

That’s my kind of golf course.

Phil Lobeck says they are far from finished.

“In addition to some additional back tees, we are going to grow prairie grass in what would be considered the out of play areas surrounding the holes. It will make some great eye candy for the golfer, and further enhance the sense of seeing only the hole you are playing on.”

There were already six holes in place from the bankrupted previous effort to build a course there, but Lobeck says very little from the original concept translated into the finished product.

“Some ‘earth work’ proved helpful, but the irrigation and overall design was a complete overhaul by Fuzzy and Clyde,” he said.

And to my way of thinking, they got it right. Like Covered Bridge, it is open to the public, with the greens fees for both courses identical, and it will prove another golfing gem, an outstanding addition to our community.

Nice goin,’ Fuz.

• A couple of quick congratulations: To Fuzzy, his staff, and the many wonderful volunteers and friends who made the Wolf Challenge another great success, great work.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy all of it, and I am sure from talking to the celebrities, pros, and sponsors they all feel the same way. Thanks for letting me be a small part of it.

And to the New Albany Little League All-Stars for making it all the way to the Regional Final, for the first time ever. They made it all the way to within one game of going to Williamsport, and even got some “prime time” on ESPN. Well done, boys.

Congratulations on creating some wonderful memories that will last for your whole lifetimes.



Bob Valvano lives in Sellersburg and can be reached via e-mail at bobvshow@yahoo.com. He is a former college basketball coach and current radio show host on ESPN Radio.