TERRE HAUTE — If I could have fall weather year-round, I would take it. I love the crisp air, the blue skies, and the bright sunshine. Ever since my childhood I have associated a beautiful fall day with Turkey Run State Park, one of my favorite places to go, especially in the fall. This is Covered Bridge Festival week so many other people are seeing the beauty of the fall in the trees, rivers and bridges in Parke County too!
Not everyone is content with shopping, flea markets and visiting bridges, though. Some of us still need to get a little exercise, hopefully while hitting a little white ball around a golf course! Parke County has just the thing for us, too. There are three courses in Parke County that are worth a visit. If you must see a covered bridge, one of them even has that!
Turkey Run Golf Course is located six miles east of Turkey Run State Park on State Road 47. It is an 18-hole course with four sets of tees, with the longest tees measuring 6,567 yards. The slope is 120 and the rating is 71.1. The course layout presents multiple challenges, with rolling terrain, undulating greens and water hazards. Mature hardwoods and maples cover the landscape, which make for a picturesque adventure at this time of year, regardless of how your game is going on that day!
Turkey Run Golf Course is offering special fall rates. On a weekday with a cart, it is only $10 for nine holes or $16 for 18 holes. On weekends, those rates are $14 and $20. However, the course offers additional incentives on weekdays: Mondays and Thursdays, it is only $14 to ride for 18 holes for all golfers, or $20 to play all day. On Tuesdays, those rates are applicable for students or teachers. On Wednesdays, $14 will get you 18 holes if you’re 55 or older ($20 all day). Wednesday, there is a senior scramble that starts at 9 a.m. If you’re interested in playing in that, call the pro shop and they will fit you into a group. Fridays are special days because Friday is Hero Day. That’s the day the course honors police, firefighters and military with special rates of $14 for 18 holes. For tee times, call (765) 435-2048, or visit their Web site at www.turkeyrungolf.com for more information.
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Raccoon Lake Golf Course is east of Rockville and north of Mansfield, just south of U.S. 36 on Walker Boat Ramp Road, nestled between the waters of Raccoon Lake (also known as Cecil Harden Lake). Although it is a short 3,200-yard par-36 course, it has tight fairways, rolling hills and an abundance of trees to make the track a tricky one. They have some special rates now for the fall, so ask about them when you make your tee time. If you’re there on a weekend, you can enjoy a fine meal in the 125-year-old farmhouse at The Clubhouse Restaurant. They also have a Sunday buffet from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For tee times or reservations at The Clubhouse Restaurant, call (765) 344-1143. For pictures of the course and more information visit their Web site, www.
raccoonlakegolfcourse.com.
Another golf course that is especially inviting this time of year is the Parke County Golf Course. Located just north of the Parke County fairgrounds on U.S. 41 in Rockville, this 9-hole layout would make for a fun afternoon. Designed by William Diddle and built in 1960 on rolling terrain with water hazards on every hole, this course also has its own historic covered bridge! The Catlin Bridge was relocated to the County Golf Course in 1961, from its former home over Bill Diddle Creek. This authentic covered bridge, built in 1907 by Clark McDaniels, measures 54 feet long. The Parke County Golf Course is running special rates for the fall also: $15 for 18 holes including cart. Even though it is a 9-hole course, there are various tee locations making for a slightly different layout on your second time around. Call (765) 569-3556 to make your tee reservation.
Fall is perfect golf weather, and Parke County is the perfect area to visit in the fall, so give one of these three courses a try. With the economy the way it has been, we’re all watching our budgets, so finding courses nearby with great rates is a hard bargain to pass up!
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Quote of the day: “John Wayne gave up golf. How could a guy who won the West, recaptured Bataan and won the battle of Iwo Jima let himself be defeated by a little hole in the ground?” — James Edward Grant, screenwriter
Local Interest
On and Off the Course: Fall a great time on the course
- Local Interest
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU track athlete selected as MVC scholar-athlete of week
Indiana State senior Ernest Rollins has been selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Week it was announced Friday.
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Union season more fun with Talpas around
The Union boys basketball team has had its share of fun moments in the past, arguably the most fun being its Class A state runner-up in 2000.
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Injury bug follows girls into postseason
Who’s healthy is the question at least three of the four teams will be asking tonight when Class 4A girls high school basketball sectional play begins at Terre Haute North.
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A day later, Giants basking in win
A little more than nine hours after the New York Giants registered their second Super Bowl triumph in four years, coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning met with the media covering Super Bowl XLVI one last time Monday morning.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Evans, West receive track accolades
Two Rose-Hulman track and field athletes received weekly honors from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference on Monday.
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MIKE LUNSFORD: Books open our eyes to that which we will never see
I got a letter last week from a friend, Sister Margaret Quinlan, who lives amidst the beauty of the St. Mary-of-the-Woods campus. Besides the email space and the time she invests in describing the flowers and trees and birds that she shares with her roomies out there, as well as her accounts of teaching and traveling, Margaret most often writes about books. She loves them, and she knows I do, too.
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METRO ROUNDUP: North boys, girls bowling team in Jasper Regional
Terre Haute North’s boys and girls bowling teams will be competing in today’s Indiana High School Bowling regional at Jasper.
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Indiana Senate approves right-to-work bill
Indiana’s Senate has passed right-to-work legislation, placing the state on the verge of becoming the Rust Belt’s first to enact the contentious labor law.
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Back home again in Indiana
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell has landed a job as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens announced Caldwell’s hiring Monday.
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Sink or swim: South boys chose the latter
Terre Haute South’s boys swimming and diving team is currently enjoying it’s lofty No. 21 ranking in the state of Indiana.
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It’s on: Sycamores, Bulldogs to play at Hinkle on Feb. 18
How badly did Indiana State want to get Butler as its BracketBusters opponent?
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METRO ROUNDUP: Four from Rose receive weekly honors
Four Rose-Hulman athletes earned Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference weekly honors, the HCAC announced Monday.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Warriors rally, but fall short
Newton built a big lead and held on to defeat Casey 72-69 in Illinois high school boys basketball Monday night.
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Eli slowly emerging from Peyton’s shadow
Eli Manning has lived in the shadow of older brother Peyton all of his life. Whatever successes Eli has had on the football field, they often paled in comparison to what his more illustrious sibling had already accomplished.
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Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
Terre Haute Rex fans will get to see their favorite baseball team play two additional home games this year — and it will be a championship team they’re watching.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Marshall plays Casey in LIC semifinals tonight
Semifinal games of the Little Illini Conference basketball tournaments will be played tonight.
At Red Hill, Flora (20-2) meets Hutsonville-Palelstine (16-5) in the first boys game at 6 p.m. CST with Casey (10-5) facing Marshall (14-5) in the second contest.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Honey Creek 8th sweeps in Vigo tourney
Host Honey Creek swept a pair of games over Otter Creek and Sarah Scott and Woodrow Wilson came up with a split at Chauncey Rose on Monday as Vigo County eighth-grade basketball tournaments began.
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TH native made the right call
The Indiana High School Athletic Association is always seeking licensed high school officials in its 20 sanctioned sports, a selling point being “participation in high school athletics doesn’t have to end with high school graduation.”
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PREP ROUNDUP: Smith leads Class 2A No. 8-ranked Arrows to victory
Rhagen Smith had a double-double and host Sullivan took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter of an eventual 52-40 win over North Knox in girls high school basketball Monday night.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Kovach earns AP All-America honors
Rose-Hulman’s Kyle Kovach has become the first Engineer football player since 1958 to earn Associated Press All-America honors, it was announced Monday.
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Coaches with credentials: As a unit, Terre Haute North’s staff 2nd to none
Surrounding yourself with excellence.
Some high school basketball head coaches might be intimidated or insecure having talented assistants on their staff. That is certainly not the case for Terre Haute North’s Todd Woelfle.
Woelfle has the vast resources of four — count ‘em — former NCAA Division I college players on his staff this season.
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Yeargin, Odum fight ailment as a pair
Often overlooked, athletic trainers are as much a part of the fabric of a team as the players and coaches are.
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Evansville will test ISU’s toughness
Indiana State’s fall-from-ahead 69-63 loss to Missouri State on Saturday exposed several problems on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, but the root cause can be traced back to the lack of a important quality.
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PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo girls break 5-game losing streak with 38-32 win
West Vigo’s girls basketball team broke a five-game losing streak as it defeated Cloverdale 38-32 on Monday.
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Right up their alley: Bustling bowling league isn’t just for novices
The competition is fierce, yet friendly at the same time.
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AMEY TAKES AIM: The biggest & baddest of a holiday classic
There are more things to love about the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic than could fit in this newspaper, but one of this year’s best things was that for an hour or so on Wednesday, it was Justin Paddock’s world and we were just living in it.
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Thomas ISU’s mainstay
When Indiana State’s women’s basketball opponents gameplan for the Sycamores, the defensive scheme begins with 6-foot-4 senior Shannon Thomas.
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METRO/PREP ROUNDUP: Pomeroys finish fourth at Taylor
St. Mary-of-the-Woods ran into a pair of strong NAIA teams and finished fourth in the Taylor Tournament in women’s college basketball last weekend.
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Colts give the boot to Polian duo
It didn’t take long for Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay to start making moves with his team.
One day after Irsay’s Colts dropped a 19-13 road decision to Jacksonville, giving Indianapolis a 2-14 record and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft, longtime Colts executive Bill Polian and his son, vice-president/general manager Chris Polian, were both fired.
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Ring the bell: Which ISU player has the greatest Classic legacy?
The Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic begins today at Terre Haute North. One would be hard-pressed to find a local event that is more beloved by a wider cross-section of sports fans and non-sports fans alike.
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