By Paul Kelly
indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Golf course architect Pete Dye, whose famed designs include Brickyard Crossing Golf Course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, was inducted Nov. 10 into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla.
Dye, a former successful amateur golfer in Indiana, was enshrined along with Bob Charles, Denny Shute, Carole Semple Thompson, Herbert Warren Wind and Craig Wood.
Courses that longtime Indianapolis resident Dye has designed have played host to major championships, Ryder Cups and PGA Tour events. The 18-hole Brickyard Crossing played host to a Champions Tour (then PGA Senior Tour) event from 1994-2000.
"The Brickyard Crossing staff and I would like to congratulate Pete Dye on his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame," said Jeff Schroeder, PGA professional at Brickyard Crossing. "This honor is well deserved as Pete has created numerous courses around the world and has been a driving force in the development of the game of golf.
"It is also a special honor in the fact that Pete not only designed Brickyard Crossing but has ties all the way back to 1960 here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when we hosted the 500 Festival Open, a PGA Tour event in which Pete was chairman of that event. Pete had visions back then of restructuring the course, and finally some 43 years later he created the Brickyard Crossing."
A golf course was added to the Speedway landscape in 1929. Dye's redesign of the course debuted in 1993, including four holes located in the infield of the famed Speedway oval. Since then, Brickyard Crossing has received several honors, including a spot on Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" lists for 2003-04 and 2005-06.
Dye, 82, has designed more than 120 courses during his illustrious career, including the TPC Sawgrass course that features the famed island green on the 17th hole. His first design was a nine-hole course in Greenwood, Ind., El Dorado, now known as Dye's Walk.
"Congratulations to Pete Dye on his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame," said Rollie Schroeder, Brickyard Crossing pro emeritus. "Pete and I go back a ways, as Pete is not only known for his architecture but also his playing abilities as the 1958 Indiana State Amateur Champion. Pete and his wife, Alice, have made so many contributions to golf, not only nationally but locally. This honor is so deserving to such a great contributor to the game of golf."
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