And if you venture about 45 minutes to West Lafayette, there's the Hale Irwin-designed Coyote Crossing G.C. Other terrific public golf courses in the area include family owned Purgatory Golf Club and Rock Hollow as well as The Trophy Club. Indy's revitalized downtown, which was built up around Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Colts) makes for a good base for any Indianapolis golf vacation (the Crowne Plaza built in the old Union Station offers rail cars for rooms). This Pete and Alice Dye gem is one of the most popular golf courses in Indiana with all 18 holes on the racetrack grounds. The marquee course in Indy is Brickyard Crossing, built into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (site of the annual Indy 500 and NASCAR's Brickyard 400).

While Indianapolis doesn't have any true golf resorts, it does have one of the most popular courses in the Midwest at one of the country's biggest attractions, plus a nice collection of daily fees and semi-private clubs throughout the area that deliver great value compared to Chicago's best public courses.

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