This Threw Me For A Loup

[Steve Salmen]

The first thing I noticed (like John Kirk) is that the dunes and potential golf holes run linear.  This would create the opportunity to build a really genuine out and back golf course, or several.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

The perfect locale for the first GCA golf course...funded by members of gca
Come on lets do it...

[Phil McDade]

If they run enough cattle on that land, you could just go out and play it forever with infinite holes created as you go.


WOW

Shades of Astoria?

[Peter Pallotta]

Years ago they had this racing series on ABC Sports, I think it was called the IROC Tournament of Champions (or something like that). They had the best Indy, Nascar, F1 and dirt track drivers all racing against eachother in identically prepared Camaros, in several races on various track configurations. That 'identically prepared' bit was the key, the theory being that then we could see who amongst the drivers had the most raw talent. If someone bought a few thousand acres of this land it could be the same thing: send out 10 of the world's best architects, give them each 300 acres, 2 days on site, and nary even a shovel or an assistant, just a hole cutters and flags --- and, well, let's see the best one win!

Peter

[Stephen Davis]

If they run enough cattle on that land, you could just go out and play it forever with infinite holes created as you go.


WOW

Shades of Astoria?

Absolutely! Any holes that play through the valleys would be very much Astoria-esque.

[Charlie_Bell]

And then there's the Palouse.  Google "Palouse images."

[Andrew Bernstein]

Years ago they had this racing series on ABC Sports, I think it was called the IROC Tournament of Champions (or something like that). They had the best Indy, Nascar, F1 and dirt track drivers all racing against eachother in identically prepared Camaros, in several races on various track configurations. That 'identically prepared' bit was the key, the theory being that then we could see who amongst the drivers had the most raw talent. If someone bought a few thousand acres of this land it could be the same thing: send out 10 of the world's best architects, give them each 300 acres, 2 days on site, and nary even a shovel or an assistant, just a hole cutters and flags --- and, well, let's see the best one win!

Peter

And then this website would spend three years and 10 pages of posts deciding who actually won and why.

[Ben Hollerbach]

Years ago they had this racing series on ABC Sports, I think it was called the IROC Tournament of Champions (or something like that). They had the best Indy, Nascar, F1 and dirt track drivers all racing against eachother in identically prepared Camaros, in several races on various track configurations. That 'identically prepared' bit was the key, the theory being that then we could see who amongst the drivers had the most raw talent. If someone bought a few thousand acres of this land it could be the same thing: send out 10 of the world's best architects, give them each 300 acres, 2 days on site, and nary even a shovel or an assistant, just a hole cutters and flags --- and, well, let's see the best one win!

Peter

And then this website would spend three years and 10 pages of posts deciding who actually won and why.

I see no issues with that.

[Jason Hines]

Years ago they had this racing series on ABC Sports, I think it was called the IROC Tournament of Champions (or something like that). They had the best Indy, Nascar, F1 and dirt track drivers all racing against eachother in identically prepared Camaros, in several races on various track configurations. That 'identically prepared' bit was the key, the theory being that then we could see who amongst the drivers had the most raw talent. If someone bought a few thousand acres of this land it could be the same thing: send out 10 of the world's best architects, give them each 300 acres, 2 days on site, and nary even a shovel or an assistant, just a hole cutters and flags --- and, well, let's see the best one win!

Peter

And then this website would spend three years and 10 pages of posts deciding who actually won and why.

I see no issues with that.

Could you imagine the train wreck if our group tried to actually build and run this golf club as well?

[Patrick_Mucci]

While it's not quite an act of heresy, they do have D-8's in that county, and sandy soil is easy to move.

Patrick,
To paraphrase an erstwhile member of this forum do D-8s respect "land fit for purpose"!

Colin,

If the land in it's present form can't accomodate an exceptional golf course, then having d-8's make the necessary amendments is OK with me.

If amendments were good enough for NGLA, ANGC, Sand Hills and other great courses they would seem to be OK for Trump Loup 

[Jim_Kennedy]

d-8's (could) make the necessary amendments....OK for Trump Loup 😀

I'm gonna be sick.  

[Garland Bayley]

I see what is potentially the same hole repeated over and over...a golfer runs through it.  This site would need a clever archie to break up the repetition of the dunes. 

Ciao

Have you not heard of hogsback? Do you rule out all blind drives and blind approaches? How about kickers for the landing zone?

If archies are not that clever, they don't belong in the business.

[Garland Bayley]

...
Might be more worries about building the 200 mile long road into the property...(that's an exaggerated guess) - oh and digging the well for water.

Just take US 183 to Long Valley Road, and turn west a bit.
As for water, the Nebraskan Republicans nixed the Keystone pipeline so their precious aquifer in the area wouldn't be polluted.

[Garland Bayley]

If they run enough cattle on that land, you could just go out and play it forever with infinite holes created as you go.


WOW

Shades of Astoria?

I believe Astoria is what it is, because they worked within the confines of a small property and its features.

If you look at the history of some of our recent great courses, those confines get thrown out of the window. C&C routed some holes off property and the property owner went out and bought the property for them. Both Kidd and Doak got extra property from Keiser after getting the original assignment. Doak again at Dismal River went way out of bounds of the parameters given.

With this new paradigm, I hope no architect would come up with another Astoria in Loup county. In fact, it would be hard too, since the dunes clearly have much wider valleys between them than the infamous 12 yard wide fairways at Astoria.

[Jim_Kennedy]

And then there's the Palouse.  Google "Palouse images."

Great looking place that's been talked about on several occasions. Here are a couple:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,51053.0.html

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,54602.0.html

 

[Jim Nugent]

Curious what the architects think, based on Jim's photo. 

[Adam Clayman]

oh and digging the well for water.

David, That is probably a bit of a misnomer. There are some areas up near the Loup where all you have to do is hammer a pipe in the ground and within 3 feet, water comes shooting out of the pipe.

I disagree with Sean on repetitiveness. Even amongst these apparent similarities, from the long overhead shot shown, there's tremendous variety.

Jim Kennedy, Winter is an issue in the eastern part of the Sand Hills. But in the 10 years I've been here in Western Ne. this is only the 3rd winter where golfing between Mid- October and Mid March was significantly curtailed.

[RJ_Daley]

There is another famous photo similar to this one that was published many years ago as the fold out feature picture in a "National Geographic" magazine issue.  IIRC, Gil Hanse and Geoff Schack have a blow up copy somewhere, or maybe it is with Doc T's things.   

The orientation is generally from WNW, to ESE.  It is interesting to see the USGS survey with contours. 

I also believe that while generally unique sand hills of NE, there are supposedly similar vast grassland sand dunes or sand hills areas like this in Mongolia. 

[Sean_A]

I see what is potentially the same hole repeated over and over...a golfer runs through it.  This site would need a clever archie to break up the repetition of the dunes. 

Ciao

Have you not heard of hogsback? Do you rule out all blind drives and blind approaches? How about kickers for the landing zone?

If archies are not that clever, they don't belong in the business.

I don't rule out anything in course design, but there can only be so many blind drive/approaches or holes between dunes before it becomes repetitive...which is the worse thing a course can be labelled.

Ciao

[Rick Shefchik]

Ideally, this land would remain untouched, but open to anyone with clubs and a hole cutter. I think it would be the ultimate back-to-the-roots-of-golf experience to spend a weekend, or a week, playing Sheep Ranch golf at the Loup.

[Michael Essig]

This pic was found in search "sand ripples from receding water".  I have no idea how to post the picture here.

http://www.patternpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/PP27590408-Beach-Mud-Ripples.jpg

Although the experts dispute whether the Nebraska Sand Hills were created by wind or waves, Nebraska sure looks similar to the ripples on a beach; they attribute the Palouse in Eastern Washington to receding water.  Simply fascinating.  Imagine the force it took to create either geological formation.

[Adam Clayman]