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The course is full of strategic intrigue, with abundant cross-bunkers, split fairways and bailout areas that force players into constant calculation. Rather than leaning too heavily on the Badlands backdrop, Mr. Hurdzan's layout also showcases the native cottonwood and cedar trees as well as fescue. "I like to say that we have parkland holes, grassland holes and Badlands holes," said David Solga, director of golf operations.
The Badlands holes, which make up the course's last third, prove the most memorable, ascending from flatlands into the buttes for a stunning crescendo of photogenic, intimidating holes that suggest an arid Ireland. Had he been a golfer, Theodore Roosevelt would have appreciated the sense of danger and anticipation found in this rough-and-tumble stretch.
Mr. Roosevelt, of course, presides among the foursome on Mount Rushmore, 250 miles of endless, calming grassland south of Bully Pulpit and a half-hour's drive from Rapid City and the Golf Club at Red Rock. The club itself is welcomingly informal, with chatty high-schoolers in untucked shirts predominant on the range, a laissez-faire tee-time policy on weekdays ("Go out whenever you're ready") and a warm staff ready and willing to draw a detailed map to the finest restaurant in Rapid City (the Corn Exchange).
The course sits on a ridge overlooking the pine-laden Black Hills, and the earth-moving was kept to a minimum by an architect from the area, Ron Farris. It zigzags naturally, thrillingly and, once or twice, zanily over voluptuous terrain. Fairways and greens heave and slope and tilt, forcing players to account for the pitch of the ground. The sweeping par-five second hole alone suggests a Formula One racetrack.
Red Rock isn't flawless. Holes seven and eight are wedged through housing, and two bland par-threes weaken the back nine. Local advertisements pop up on the cart's G.P.S. system. ("You're on course to a great surgical outcome!" per
www.blackhillseyes.com.) But, more important, Red Rock provides a rousing round, generating a full range of emotions, heavy on delight.
SHOULD you be acquainted with any of its 170 members, Sand Hills Golf Club in tiny Mullen is the next leg of the journey, five hours to the southeast, through country where cattle far outnumber cars. Alice Cooper and Chris O'Donnell are two celebrity golfers who have been among those lucky guests, but if you can't finagle an invitation, the best alternative is to drive another 130 miles southeast to Gothenburg, once home to a Pony Express station and now the site of perhaps the biggest bargain in American golf.
Thirty-five dollars pays the weekend greens fee at Wild Horse, one of the country's finest links-style designs. It is sometimes called "the public Sand Hills," and indeed its designers, Dave Axland and Dan Proctor, helped lay out Sand Hills. Both courses sport distinctive ragged-edged, fescue-fringed bunkers; firm, fast fairways often set at angles to the tee shot so that players must choose how much distance to try to cut off; and serpentine routing that turns the constant winds into an ever-changing factor. The creation of Wild Horse resulted directly from the success of Sand Hills, motivating Gothenburg to sell 1,000 shares of stock at $500 each as well as 52 residential lots to pay for construction.
It is not too much to suggest that golf wouldn't be struggling with a decade of stagnant participation were there more courses conceived in the Wild Horse mold. Its enticing mix of long and short holes varies the day's pace. Fairways as much as 100 yards across forgive wayward shots but offer a less easily accessible path to the slick, confounding greens. Both high- and low-handicappers, casual and serious players alike, will find much to appreciate and remember about Wild Horse, which, like the course that inspired it, brilliantly showcases the region's majestic sand hills.
Chris Peters, 36, and his stepfather, Jim Hayward, 62, came to Wild Horse after driving 483 miles from Kansas City to accept a surprise invitation to Sand Hills, where they played three rounds in a single day. Intrigued by Wild Horse's ranking of 54 among Golf Magazine's list of top 100 American courses open to the public, Mr. Peters and Mr. Hayward decided to ignore their stiff backs and stop for a round on the ride home. Both men came away impressed.
"Although it doesn't have all the elevation changes, it's very similar to Sand Hills," Mr. Peters said over a soda in the no-frills Wild Horse clubhouse. "And the greens especially are in great condition."
They already know where they want to go on a golf trip, and soon. "I'd like to go to Ireland or Scotland to see how those links compare to something like this," Mr. Peters said. Other than warmer beer and fewer cowboy hats at the 19th hole, there'll be fewer differences than he'll have imagined.
Some Long Drives
IT takes a lot of driving to do the Upper Midwest golf pilgrimage. Bring a road map, because you'll be covering somewhere between 1,000 and 1,300 miles. Northwest Airlines and United Express serve both Bismarck, N.D., and Lincoln, Neb.
HAWKTREE GOLF CLUB Bismarck, N.D. (701) 355-0995;
www.hawktree.com.
Greens fee: $60.
Where to stay: The Radisson Hotel Bismarck (701-255-6000;
www.radisson.com) is within walking distance of Fiesta Villa, a pleasant Mexican restaurant. Rates start at $89.
BULLY PULPIT GOLF COURSE Medora, N.D. (701) 623-4653;
www.medora.com.
Greens fee: $49.
Where to stay: The Rough Riders Hotel, a quaint inn where Theodore Roosevelt once stayed, has the best dining in the area. Its nine rooms start at $99. (800) 633-6721 or
www.medora.com.
THE GOLF CLUB AT RED ROCK Rapid City, S.D. (605) 718-4710;
www.golfclubatredrock.com.
Greens fee: $36.
Where to stay: There are several hotels in Rapid City, but if you're en route to Sand Hills or Wild Horse after your round here, the Olde Main Street Inn in Chadron, Neb., is an excellent halfway house. It's a delightful bed-and-breakfast, a welcoming piece of Americana dating to the 1890's, complete with restaurant and saloon. Rooms start at $85. (308) 432-3380 or
www.chadron.com/oldemain.
WILD HORSE GOLF CLUB Gothenburg, Neb. (308) 537-7700;
www.playwildhorse.com.
Greens fee: $35.
Where to stay: Take your pick from the many motels between North Platte, 35 miles west of Gothenburg, and Lincoln, 180 miles east.