Just down the Ohio River from world-famous Churchill Downs, another horse heaven has emerged. The architectural design of Caesars Indiana Chariot Run Golf Course is an equestrian lover’s dream. With a white-rail fence bordering the property, horseshoe tee markers and an old horse barn now housing golf carts, the course fits comfortably within the horse-friendly Louisville market.

Yet Caesars Indiana Chariot Run is also an attractive destination for the golfer who fancies nothing more than 18 testing holes of golf. The 7,200-yard course features bent grass through and through, including fairways, tees and greens. Its 56 bunkers, three man-made lakes and rolling hills force a player to use all the clubs in the bag. “It’s a great challenge for the low-handicapper,” says Director of Golf Jeff Krohn, one of three PGA professionals on staff.
Still, with four sets of tees, the course can be played at lengths manageable for all golfers.

The course was designed by Atlanta architect Bill Bergin, a former PGA player. To Bergin, the course was a rare and welcomed exception to recent golf course design rules. “We had the opportunity to design a golf course on 230 acres with no homes,” Bergin says. “We had a nice gentle rolling piece of property and no restrictions.
Bergin had a fairly open canvas with which to exercise his craft. The course sits on flat Indiana farmland. On a typical design, Bergin might level 100 acres of trees to carve out 18 holes. The architect says he took the low grounds and made them lower, while building up the existing high areas. That decision, coupled with the absence of homes, gives players “long views of the golf course, which is rare.” Between holes, native fescue grasses still grow, preserving the course’s natural feel. “It’s a good mix of golf holes,” Bergin says. “It’s a great test of your game.”

Chariot Run opened in the spring of 2002, and is just hitting its stride. More than 23,000 rounds were played there in 2004, with 20 percent coming from the hotel, 20 percent from the casino and the rest from players in the Harrison County area. More important, many of those players are repeat guests, satisfied with their initial swings around the course.
Krohn says part of that is the value. At $46 on weekdays and $59 on weekends, the course stacks up competitively with others of its stature. “We think we’ve got a great product. Our guests have really enjoyed it,” Krohn says. Chariot Run is open year-round, weather permitting.