The Golf Club at Devils Tower

[Scott Witter]

Kevin:

Thanks,  I of course knew about the possible/future 3rd nine, but also thought of the potential that it doesn't happen and how you responded to the relationship at hand.

Thanks for posting the routing as well.  it helps to have the context.

Check your IM

Cheers

[Kevin Atkinson]

This course looks very appealing.  Was it a tough construction project with rim-rock and the canyon edges?  I'd like to meet the operators that pushed any dirt towards those edges.  Talk about a 'close encounter of the third kind'!!!

Are you and Rick Phelps doing anything in Ogallala up at the lake?

The Construction was not that difficult...we never got THAT close to the rim rock for obvious reasons.  The Golf Course Company (contractor) was fantastic and consequently I am doing more work with them.  We built this course in the field with nothing more than a routing plan in hand.  To me the field design is the best way to go and the relationship between the Owner, myself and the golf contractor allowed for this flexibility.

The site on Lake McConaughy...WHAT A SITE!  For those of you that don't know about Lake McConaughy it is 1 1/2 hours from Sand Hills Golf Club in the sand hills area of Nebraska.  Our Client is still looking for the right investor for this project.  I can only hope!
Here are a couple of photos of the site at The Dunes at Lake McConaughy with 1 1/2 miles of lake/beach frontage.  This could be a GREAT PROJECT!

[Kevin Atkinson]

Kevin,
Nice looking work.
Congratulations on the partnership.
Please tell us a little more about the project.
Did you climb up Devils Tower for routing studies...  
How long was the process from when they first contacted you?

FYI - you can edit old posts - to remove those little pictures..
and you can preview to make sure the images will work - it is also good for editing.

Mike

Thanks for the tip about editing old posts!  Devils Tower National Monument is 9 miles from the site, so...while climbing the monument would be fun and challenging, it would not have helped us get a better view of the site.  That is what the airplane was for!

[Craig Sweet]

Kevin,

The Lake McConaughy site looks like an awesome piece of land! Wow!  

What is happening in the golf world....people seeking out these incredible sites that no one even imagined....reminds me of what happened in the ski industry during the 50's...

There are lots and lots of golf courses out there waiting like dinosaur bones to be unearthed.

[Jason Hines]

Hi Kevin,

That parcel of land looks like it is west of Lemoyne on the north side of the lake?  Look forward to seeing that project develop as well.

Jason

[Bryan Tipton]

Kevin:

I will tell you again. Thanks for the great presentation at the Peaks and Prairies meeting.  

Why is the opening date set for July?  Were the changes to the old course not grown-in yet.  All the pics look like the back nine is ready to go.

Great job!!!

[Garland Bayley]

Hi Kevin,

Although I like the look of much of the course, I am not real thrilled by those bunkers on #12 and by the one in the rocks on #13. They look out of place and very unnatural to me.

[Kevin Atkinson]

Garland

That is an interesting comment regarding #12 bunkers not looking natural.  I don't know if I totally agree or disagree....what I do know is that I like that hole and when I stand on that tee!

The bunker in the rocks on #13.  Where are you talking about...there is not a bunker in the rocks on #13?  

I appreciate the constructive critisism...keep it up I love it!

[Kevin Atkinson]

Bryan

You are right on...

The course can't open until the grow-in for the minor renovation work the front 9 catches up with the new back 9.  Thanks again for the kind comments regarding my speach at the Peaks and Prairie meeting and stay in touch

[Bryan Tipton]

Kevin:

The Lake McConaughy project reminds me of Sutton Bay.  I am sure the pure sand site will be easier to work.  Cutting out rock removal and drain tile makes the sites like that, half way affordable to build.

Does the lake level change much?

I forgot to tell you this before.  If you take your pictures in lower light conditions the sand will not appear as bright.  When I saw the first pics of the bunkers at Sutton Bay I thought someone had altered the color.  Later I found out that pictures taken in full light made the sand look pure white.

[RJ_Daley]

Bryon, the lake level at MacConaughy has dramatically gone down in recent years.  Last year when I played Bayside I'd say the water level was 60+ ft down from when that course was first constructed.  It looks as if there were places you could literally drive across the lake then.  Of course there was a recent dump of 12-18 inches of snow last week in the region.  But, from what I heard from locals, the snows in the mountains and that region would need long term weather changes with several extremely wet years to catch up to what it should be.  

I don't know the specifics of the land and available water resources that Rick and Kevin have in the plan there.  But, some areas out there do have moritoriums on high cap wells.  It would be a very interesting prospect for the right developer to explore, IMHO.

Yet, little by little, the area is seeing golf course development along the same ideals that recognise the special qualities to be found in the terrain out there, and testing the market of how many people around the country are willing to travel far to those remote destinations to enjoy the rugged beauty and unique golf opportunities that can still be found out there.  It is a very interesting study in a boutique golf market, so to speak.

[Garland Bayley]

Perhaps the bunker closest to the foreground is in a dry grass area instead of in the rocks. With my poor eyesight and the color similarity, it looked like there was a short rock cliff behind it like the other cliffs in the foreground.


I lived in the Black Hills for a few years and have been to Devil's Tower a few times. I would say that there is a good chance that the bunkered area on 12 would have been bare ground with clumps of grass scattered about. I would have thought that would be a fine natural hazard. The only reason I can think for the bunkers is that with such natural conditions a few balls might have trickled back into the canyon after having cleared it.

[Mike_Cirba]

Kevin,

The golf course looks very appealing.

Thanks for sharing and we look forward to your further GCA involvement.

[Ron Farris]

Kevin,
Great looking pictures.  Nice to see a course in the area without houses.  What are the plans for that aspect in the future.  Also, the sand looks extremely white for this area.  Did you import from Colorado or somewhere else.  Also, it looks like the fairways are bluegrass.  What did you use for greens and tees.  

I look forward to playing this course.

Brian Tipton: Great to see you on this site.  You did a great job at Sutton Bay!

[Ryan Farrow]

These 9 holes do look incredible. I also am not too sure about the bunkers on the right side of 12. They seem very close to the edge of that cliff and they feel overcrowded. It might just be the view but I feel they are not needed. Good luck with the rest of the project and that new site looks like something special.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I started one of the great days in this Tigers life many many years ago at Devils Tower. I had wondered around the sand hills area on the way to the Presidental Mugs. My initial love for the beauty of the area grew from the Hunter Thompson inspired days and nights. As dawn arose at Devils Tower I felt like Wyoming had to be the most beautiful spot on earth excluding TOC naturally. 12 hours of driving and a half gallon of whisky later I stood where Custer made negative history and prepared to pick up my gf at the Billings airport for a more traditional few days in Yellowstone and Glazier National Parks. I awoke the next day on the west side of the Rockies to find that a little volcano called Mt. St. Helens was making an impression on the world and me as well. That was an interesting week and I hope to see this beautiful golf course next summer.

[Ryan Farrow]

If anyone has or can get a hold of the JULY issue of Golf Course News there is a nice article on the golf course and its construction.

As a side note it was interesting seeing the reaction of some of my co-workers when they saw the pictures. Most people liked the bunkers others did not. (They are fond of the grass-faced bunkers I guess) Overall the magazine was opened to the Devil's Tower page almost the entire time.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here's a link to the article- no pics:

http://tinyurl.com/mag5o

[James Edwards]

Kevin, welcome to the bear pit  

I would like to congratulate you on seemingly a fine looking golf course from what you have posted.  The holes are full of design intent and strategy and most importantly, potential, fun looking golf shots to keep the 'punter' well and truly happy.

Colarado is a beautiful place, and being fortunate enough to create golf courses there must be a thrill.

I particularly like the contrast of the roughs youve incorporated into the bunker faces around the backs of the greens and the fairways against the fairway colours.  The bunker to the left of the 10th landing zone is a favourite style of mine also.

well done.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Colarado is a beautiful place  

   


I think it's Whyoming  

[James Edwards]

Jonathan,

""can you tell who is the Brit here??"" go on - have a guess ...  

I was clearly looking at where the business is based of course... (hold my head in shame)

[Dan Herrmann]

i'm going to try to get out to this course when we're out for The 5th Major at Dismal River.  Looks like it'll be a lot of fun - definitely NOT Philly golf

[Ronald Montesano]

Not Buffalo golf, neither. Interesting that they don't have photos of some of the holes in the virtual course tour...makes me wonder if they were ever built or if they have a P.R. department.

16 looks like the only throwaway hole to me...like we need another long iron over a pond hole in golfdom!!

I wonder if the pond on 18 is within reach of a tee shot from the tips...they focus on the hole playing much shorter than it actually measures.

Keep us posted.

[Matt_Ward]

Dan:

Best of luck -- quite a ride. If you are at Dismal you may want to check out other public options closer. How bout Bayside in western Nebraska ?

I have played The GC at Devil's Tower and it's a good course -- probably in the Doak 5 range.

Ron:

I have played the course and the H20 can be reached on #18 -- tough decision to make at the tee because you need to understand that a flushed hit can make it there. I played it and hit a superb drive that missed the water and I had no more than 50 or so yards to the green. The downhill elevated alitude effect does help matters !

[Dan Herrmann]

Matt,
Bayside is definitely on the agenda.  We're going to take a couple of days vacation in the Black Hills, so it's really not too terribly far away.