The Pfau Course at Indiana University

About The Pfau Course at Indiana University

Indiana University spent $12 million tearing up its 1957 course and building a new clubhouse, and the Pfau Course opened on May 1, 2020. Steve Smyers designed it with Fuzzy Zoeller, the New Albany native and two-time major winner, on the same 265 acres on the east side of Bloomington that used to hold the old IU course, the par-3 and the cross country course. It's a par 71 with six sets of tees, from 4,586 yards all the way out to 7,908, so pick your box honestly.

The look is what you notice first. Zoysia fairways get a collar of 8 to 10 yards of bluegrass, then reddish-orange fescue that the course calls Irish links; it's wispy on purpose, so you can usually find the ball and hit it. There are 147 bunkers, built with rough, overgrown eyebrow edges, and bent grass greens that average 6,680 square feet, from 4,145 at the 10th to 10,014 at the 7th.

IU has owned the land since the early 1900s. The first course here was the idea of coach Jim Soutar, a Carnoustie native, and it opened in 1957 at 6,813 yards, par 71. In 1961 it hosted the Big Ten men's golf meet, and Ohio State's Jack Nicklaus ran away with the individual title before winning the NCAA individual crown weeks later. Shaun Micheel won the Big Ten individual title here as a Hoosier in 1991, a dozen years before his 2003 PGA win. The course carries the name of the Pfau family; Ned Pfau is a 1965 IU graduate.

Carts with GPS are part of the fee, and walking is allowed but doesn't cost less. Carts stay on the path around tees and greens and on the par 3s. The practice area next to the George Thomas Clubhouse comes with your green fee, and there's a cheaper public range off the 45-46 bypass. Everything on site, including the pro shop and the Upland Brewery, is cashless, and the course expects a round in 4:30 or less.

It's one of 2 courses in Bloomington on Yoink, and the closest alternative is Golf Club at Eagle Pointe, about 7 miles away — handy when your first choice is booked solid.

Booking a tee time at The Pfau Course at Indiana University

Advance tee times are online only, through the course's Teesnap page; the phone line (812-855-7543) books same-day times. A credit card holds the time and you pay at the course. Check the cancellation rule when you book, because the policies page lists both a 36-hour and a 24-hour window. The 2026 public rate, cart and warm-up balls included, is $95 on weekday mornings and $125 on weekend mornings from March 8 to October 31, with $80 and $110 after 4 p.m. Premium dates (commencement, the holiday weekends and every home football weekend) are $150. January 1 to March 8 it's $70 weekdays and $85 weekends. Season pass holders get member times held a week before the public sees them.

How to get a tee time at The Pfau Course at Indiana University