John H. Fendrich Golf Course

John H. Fendrich Golf Course is a municipal facility in Syracuse, Indiana, designed by Bill Diddel and serving the northern Indiana golfing community. Diddel, a prolific Midwest architect active primarily from the 1950s through the 1970s, designed numerous public courses throughout Indiana and neighboring states, typically working within modest budgets to create playable layouts for everyday golfers. His designs generally emphasize straightforward strategic choices and practical maintenance considerations suited to municipal operations. The course sits in the lake country of Kosciusko County, where Syracuse lies along the southern shore of Lake Wawasee, Indiana's largest natural lake. The regional landscape features gentle rolling terrain, agricultural land, and scattered woodlands typical of glacially formed northern Indiana. Diddel's routing likely takes advantage of this natural topography while incorporating the tree-lined corridors and water features common to his public course work. As a municipal facility, John H. Fendrich serves local residents and visitors to the Syracuse lake region, providing accessible golf in an area known more for recreational lake activities than championship golf. The course operates within the practical framework typical of small-town public golf in the Midwest, where community access and playability take precedence over tournament pedigree. Diddel's design philosophy at such venues focused on creating enjoyable golf that could be maintained efficiently while offering variety and challenge appropriate to a broad range of player abilities.