Prairie Club is Open - So lets hear some feedback

[Ron Farris]

The Prairie Club opened the other day.  Surely someone who is on this website played the courses, so I was wondering what the intitial reactions were for the Opening. Feedback...........?

[Jimmy Muratt]

I'm anxious to hear feedback as well.  The courses all look quite good, particularly the Lehman course and Gil Hanse's short course.  Check out their website for some great course tours via the yardage books. 

[Jim Tang]

Yes, I'll be there in less than two weeks so I'm also very interested in what people have to say about the courses.

[Ken Moum]

I had a nice chat with the superintendent at the Kansas City Golf Show several weeks ago, and was all fired up to get up there to play it...  And then I looked at the price.

For someone like me, $220+ is a pretty tough ask.

K

[Adam Clayman]

I spoke with someone who played the Dunes yesterday. He said it was wonderful.

[Garland Bayley]

I spoke with someone who played the Dunes yesterday. He said it was wonderful.

He apparently paid $220 to play it. Of course he is going to say it was wonderful!

[RJ_Daley]

If they are still having that fall invite for GCA.com participants, I'll be looking forward to attend that!  Is that still on?

[Adam Clayman]

I spoke with someone who played the Dunes yesterday. He said it was wonderful.

He apparently paid $220 to play it. Of course he is going to say it was wonderful!

You assume way too much.

[Tyler Kearns]

Google Earth has a recent (June 22, 2009) aerial of the Prairie Club for those who are interested in taking a closer look. The course is about 27 kilometers SW of Valentine, Nebraska.



TK

[JC Jones]

Google Earth has a recent (June 22, 2009) aerial of the Prairie Club for those who are interested in taking a closer look. The course is about 27 kilometers SW of Valentine, Nebraska.



TK

kilometers?  What is this, Canada?

Good to see you posting, TK.

[Mike Hendren]

Never underestimate the power of marketing.  Or is it the sea.  Or the B#tt Boy factor.   Or GCA's fast and cool crowd.  Compare the cost of 36 holes at Prairie Club w/ 36 holes at Old Macdonald.

Oh well, at least we won't be subjected to dozens of photographs featuring Anthony Gray at Prairie Club.

Bogey

[Garland Bayley]

I spoke with someone who played the Dunes yesterday. He said it was wonderful.

He apparently paid $220 to play it. Of course he is going to say it was wonderful!

You assume way too much.

The emoticon descriptions need to be updated. I didn't know that one was the "this is my assumption" emoticon.

[Scott Szabo]

Never underestimate the power of marketing.  Or is it the sea.  Or the B#tt Boy factor.   Or GCA's fast and cool crowd.  Compare the cost of 36 holes at Prairie Club w/ 36 holes at Old Macdonald.

Oh well, at least we won't be subjected to dozens of photographs featuring Anthony Gray at Prairie Club.

Bogey

Give him time, I'd bet they show up on here sooner or later.

[Kevin_Reilly]

I'm looking forward to some "on the ground" comments from Prairie Club also.  Thanks in advance.

[Jed Peters]

Yeah, what's up with a fall trip?

I'm thinking i'd like to see it, in spite of what people "may" say on here...

[Sven Nilsen]

For $220, one could play 5+ rounds at Wild Horse.  PC must be pretty special if its going to win a 5 v. 1 contest against WH.

[Garland Bayley]

For $220, one could play 5+ rounds at Wild Horse.  PC must be pretty special if its going to win a 5 v. 1 contest against WH.

I imagine that a lot of people on this website have read Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes. If so, they will remember that they had decided on a $35 green fee for their first season. It was only after they found they had mega interest that they bumped it to $100 before the opening. I have to wonder how the Prairie Club arrived at $220 for their opening. It just so happens to be the current fee at Bandon. Must I remind them there is no ocean in Nebraska? Must I remind them they got lots of land for very little money? Are they so lazy as to simply use Bandon as their "marketing research?"

[Mac Plumart]

I just read the story in Golfweek about owner of The Prairie Club, Paul Schock.  Great article, great story.  I don't care if it cost $220 to play...I am there!

Oh yeah, the course looks amazing too!

[Kevin_Reilly]

Are they so lazy as to simply use Bandon as their "marketing research?"

Well, perhaps the amount that they need to charge to make the economics work is more than $220, but they are using the Bandon fee as a ceiling.

Or, more likely, it is just a coincidence.

Not knowing the facts at hand, I don't think it is good form to throw darts at their business decisions.  If $220 is too high a fee for someone, they are free to play elsewhere.

[Garland Bayley]

Are they so lazy as to simply use Bandon as their "marketing research?"

Well, perhaps the amount that they need to charge to make the economics work is more than $220, but they are using the Bandon fee as a ceiling.

Or, more likely, it is just a coincidence.

Not knowing the facts at hand, I don't think it is good form to throw darts at their business decisions.  If $220 is too high a fee for someone, they are free to play elsewhere.

Of course someone is free to play elsewhere, like Wild Horse for instance.

Here are some facts. Their original choice for architect was Gil Hanse. Gil built a great course at Rustic Canyon on land that absolutely had to be more expensive than the Prairie club. I paid $35 to play Rustic Canyon. Prairie Club is offering up Velben goods, pure an simple.

[PCCraig]

I just read the story in Golfweek about owner of The Prairie Club, Paul Schock.  Great article, great story.  I don't care if it cost $220 to play...I am there!

Oh yeah, the course looks amazing too!

I just read the GW article as well and I'm confused. It says they are open to the public, but then the owner states the following:

“If you want to come and play The Prairie Club, you can,” Schock says. “If you want to come and play often, you need to join.”

Um...ok? So what is it? Public, private, neither? What is "often?" Twice a year? How can you hope to be a Bandon Dunes type business model if you suggest people join if they want to play often. Can anyone explain the quote?

[Kevin_Reilly]

Here are some facts. Their original choice for architect was Gil Hanse. Gil built a great course at Rustic Canyon on land that absolutely had to be more expensive than the Prairie club. I paid $35 to play Rustic Canyon. Prairie Club is offering up Velben goods, pure an simple.

Rustic Canyon was built on land owned by Ventura County, and the greens fees any course built under a long term lease from the county were mandated to be "moderate".  And RC is open 12 months a year.  Similarities between these two courses/projects are very few.

[Eric Smith]

C'mon guys.  They've signed up around 200 members already.  They can't charge the public fifty bucks to pop in and play 18.

[Jud_T]

Can we please focus on the courses themselves?  If cost is the barometer I never would have played Pebble or St. Andrews or Pinehurst, etc...and would only play at courses that are great value for the dollar.  While this is an interesting topic, it's for another thread....there's great courses and then there's great courses per dollar spent,  two different discussions...

[Garland Bayley]

Here are some facts. Their original choice for architect was Gil Hanse. Gil built a great course at Rustic Canyon on land that absolutely had to be more expensive than the Prairie club. I paid $35 to play Rustic Canyon. Prairie Club is offering up Velben goods, pure an simple.

Rustic Canyon was built on land owned by Ventura County, and the greens fees any course built under a long term lease from the county were mandated to be "moderate".  And RC is open 12 months a year.  Similarities between these two courses/projects are very few.

OK, how about similarity between Sand Hills and Prairie Club. Sand Hills was built for much less than Bandon Dunes, but Bandon Dunes figured they could open and survive on $35 green fee. Of course, they figured out the supply and demand thing, and kept raising the prices from there.