Prairie Sands-a new one in the Sand Hills of Neb.

[Scott_Burroughs]

(I'll try not to screw up this course introduction like I did with the Forest Course at Pebble).

Another links-like course (a second at a later date) will debut in June this year in the Sand Hills of Nebraska.  Prairie Sands GC (it will be a resort at some point), near Sutherland, NE (an hour south of Sand Hills GC and not quite an hour west of Wild Horse GC), will be a Hale Irwin-designed course with a salute to links courses of U.K.

Here's the article from the North Platte paper: http://www.nptelegraph.com/daily/June/8/nstory3.html

Does anyone else know anything about this course?  Dick Daley?

Commentary:  Hale Irwin?  O.K., I will state what must be said: you can't criticize it until you see the finished product.
But Hale Irwin?  What has he done of any significance, not to meniton architectural merit that would lead one to believe this course will be done "right"?  The only courses of his that I can think of are the Members course at St. James Plantation and TPC at Wakefield Plantation, 5 miles from my house.  Neither has received any regional or national praise nor "rankings".

The "name", I presume, is to sell the time-shares/condos that will be associated with the course.

The second course will have some water hazards on it.  Take what you will out of that (seems to be more than just an irrigation lake).

The developer, Scott Newkirk, I think is the same guy who was an exec in GolfMatrix, which owned my home course until recently (financial troubles at G Matrix), still owns the University Club near Baton Rouge, where John Bernhardt is a member, and Giants Ridge in northern Minnesota, designed by Jeff Brauer.  When GM took over our club, the execs came and did spiel on what they were about (making all of their clubs into CCFAD's).  I'm glad they don't run us anymore, as what they were about pissed me off to no end.

If this course(s) turn out to be special, then it could mean more pilgrimages and get-togethers from GCAers to Nebraska.  Could you imagine 3 days of Wild Horse, a good Prairie Sands, and (with a little luck) Sand Hills?

[RJ_Daley]

Scott, I visited the Applegates on their ranch where the course (s) will be developed.  I saw a bit of the routing and toured other parts of the ranch, including the hunt club area.  It is typical spectacular sand hills terrain.  I found Jim and Gail Applegate to be welcoming and enthusiastic folks from a long line of cattle ranchers.  I don't think I would be offending them to say that golf, the game or the design, are within their sphere of knowlege.

Thus, they have turned all those matters over to Newkirk.  I missed him in October when I visited, but I had spoken to him on phone a couple of times.  I must say that what he told me about himself is not in synch with your description.  But, I can also say that the project has been shrouded in mystery from the begining for anyone not within the inner circle as far as details of how they are to procede.  It was first explained to me that Hale Irwin's group would be involved (and still is I believe) in design aspects of the first course and associated RE matters.  Landscapes Unlimitted was first to be the GC, with a plan to sod wall-to-wall from California Washed sod.  The first course was originally planned to be a corporate members only, then has evolved to a semi-private arrangement.  LU has been replaced by Wadsworth due to "other" considerations, and they have finally broken ground (which they had not done when I was there in Oct.)  I haven't told any tales out of school since all this stuff has been reported in local news there.

As proponents of more GC development in Nebraska have observed often, design/building a decent course in that region is almost a no brainer to the extent that you have so much going for you physically in terms of resources and terrain, except access to enough local market supporter/players.  When I hear things like wall-to-wall sodded notions in the best turf growing area one could ask for, or multi-million dollar design costs, I have to wonder what the overall vision might be    Some of this relates to the other thread on corporate memberships, since that was to be the original funding vehicle exclusively at Prairie Sands.  

I hope in the end that they come up with a great design, and accessibility to the public on some basis.  It would be one more link in a concept of a Nebraska Golf Trail.  One shouldn't necessarily have to copy Sand Hills GC as the only model for how to do things out there.  For example, I wonder what a GCA like a Donald Ross would envision for sand hills territory.  The site is spectacular at the Applegate ranch.  As I have come to understand Prairie Sands, it isn't how I'd go about the development of such a course, or why, or for whom... but it ain't my project either... and I wish them well  :-/

[Scott_Burroughs]

Thanks for the insight, Dick!

It's possible that it's not the same Scott Newkirk (the one I met went by Scott Van Newkirk at our club meeting).  He was very gracious and courteous to everyone, but what pissed me off was the direction it seemed they wanted to take all of the courses they had acquired.  They had our GM and pros read their "mission statement" and vision from a bound book they had on how a club becomes the best CCFAD in the business.  They came from the Scottsdale area, king of overpriced, servant-bound CCFAD's.  I absolutely hate what CCFAD's stand for and didn't want my club going in that direction.

While the article I linked above was written last June and may have been more speculative as to an opening date, Golf Digest mentioned Prairie Sands in the current issue as opening in June.  

Let's hope for an excellent result!

[Gene Greco]

As Dick says, building an excellent course in the sandhills is almost automatic. I'm sure the project will turn out satisfactorily.

However, wall to wall sod in the Sand Hills of Nebraska is like watering your lawn during a thunderstorm.

Someone needs to TRY to explain THAT to me as anything else but a total waste of money.

[Paul Daley]

I read the article, and I have to say, the whole thing made me feel sick - full of really nauseating cliches.  

It is a shame because the complex might just turn out to be the real deal. But when you read things like ..."true Scottish", and "unique", really all you want to do is pewk! It's Nebraska for goodness sake!

[John_D._Bernhardt]

My feeling was Scott Newkirk, if it is indeed the same man, was in over his head at golfmatrix. I do not have a feel for what his real ablities or true vision for a golf developement are. he was a very nice guy, but the golf at a deeper level was lost to corporate level bs during my 2 or 3 meetings with him. UC in Baton Rouge may be sold by now. The closing date has been moving for a week now.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Upon further off-line discussion between Dick and myself, we determined that it was the same guy.

[texsport]

I noticed some information concerning Giants Ridge Golf Course in northern Minnesota that is incorrect. GolfMatrix has never owned Giants Ridge, it's owned by the state of Minnesota. In addition, Giants Ridge golf operations are managed by Troon Golf.

Giants Ridge is building their second course for late 2002 opening. The architect, Jeff Brauer, is running a continuing account of its planning and construction on his website and on CyberGolf. He describes the course as having Irish and Pine Valley influences. My information is that the course is being built as a tournament quality layout and will be very challenging.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Geez, I did say "owned", didn't I.  I meant run, for all of the courses.  I got my info from their web site here http://www.golfmatrix.com/participating.html, where Giants Ridge is still listed, though Giants Ridge's web site has Troon Golf on there.  Hmm.  Misinformation on the internet.  A first.

[astavrides]

 Never mind, found a thread that answered my previous query as to what happened....
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,7881.0.html

[RJ_Daley]

It is blowing in the wind.  Very sad, and most of the clues were there for anyone to see who knew a wink about golf course development or design.  It went beyond the vision of a person not competent to do this.  It was a rip-off and con job. 

[Jason Thurman]

It does make me wonder what would happen if someone built a sodded, heavily watered, parkland course in the sand hills of Nebraska, complete with Bradford Pear trees planted and lining the fairways. Think TPC Scottsdale in the middle of Nebraska. How many people would rave about it and complain that Wild Horse needs trees and "lush fairways"?

I get the feeling that the people of Western Nebraska understand how special it is ecologically and geologically, but I still fear the thought of tourists skipping over the great courses of the sand hills to play Nebraska's Bay Hill. Considering what a horrendous vision Prairie Sands sounds like it might have been, I'm thankful that the Baysides, Wild Horses, and Prairie Clubs of the world never had to worry about it detracting from their revenues. There are only so many rounds to be divided in that part of the country.

[Jason Hines]

Hi Dick,

I am trying to go down memory lane here, do you still have any of the photos you previously posted and or a google maps link to the property?

Jason

[Adam Clayman]

It does make me wonder what would happen if someone built a sodded, heavily watered, parkland course in the sand hills of Nebraska, complete with Bradford Pear trees planted and lining the fairways. Think TPC Scottsdale in the middle of Nebraska. How many people would rave about it and complain that Wild Horse needs trees and "lush fairways"?

I get the feeling that the people of Western Nebraska understand how special it is ecologically and geologically, but I still fear the thought of tourists skipping over the great courses of the sand hills to play Nebraska's Bay Hill. Considering what a horrendous vision Prairie Sands sounds like it might have been, I'm thankful that the Baysides, Wild Horses, and Prairie Clubs of the world never had to worry about it detracting from their revenues. There are only so many rounds to be divided in that part of the country.

Jason, If I read you correctly, you have it exactly backwards. the local western Nebraska golfer would rave about a Bay Hill here in god's country. If they could build really high walls to block the wind, they would love it even more. Go Figure!!!!