Prairie Dunes, Crystal Downs, and Sand Hills

[Peter Pratt (Guest)]

Given the superb new course profile on Prairie Dunes, I'd love to hear any comments from anyone who has played it, Crystal Downs, and Sand Hills. Which is the superior design? How do the green sites compare? How are they different--other than the fact that CD has trees, esp. on the back nine, and Sand Hills has none?

[George (Guest)]

I was also wondering about similarities.  From the picture, #18 Green Complex at Prarie Dunes resembles #1 at Crystal Downs.  Maxwell built both.  Ran or anyone who has played both.  How close are they?

[K.Hegland]

I've played Crstal Downs alot, and I'll be working at the Womens open at PD so I'm excited to get to see and compare the two, I already have tons of pic's of CD, can't wait to add PD to the meld to compare and contrast.  As for Sand Hills, I hope to someday soon make the trek, I am completely taken by what I have seen, granted none in person

[Tom Doak]

As I've said before, Prairie Dunes and Crystal Downs are cousins, with many similarities because Maxwell built both.  Both have wild sets of greens, though Crystal Downs has some with an unmistakable MacKenzie influence.

Sand Hills may have some similarities because Bill Coore is a great student of Maxwell, but only some.  More of Sand Hills' green sites are located in natural hollows.

[Joel_Stewart]

For what its worth, I've played Crystal Downs and Prarie Dunes.  Crytal Downs has some of the toughest greens I've ever seen and IMHO far tougher than Prarie Dunes.  I know I 3 putted at least 6 or 7 times and 5 putted the 11th.

[John_McMillan]

Fred Mueller, the pro at Crystal Downs, claims that one of the CD greens is identical to one of the PD greens.  I'm not certain of the hole numbers, but I think it's the 18'th at CD which is reproduced as one of the PD greens.

[RJ_Daley]

Hi John,

I'd like to take a guess at that and go for #6 at CD.  The rolls in that green scream of Maxwell to me.  Although I don't know which it would match up with at PD since I have only seen Ran's write up, Ill take a guess at #8PD with the spine.  

[Ran Morrissett]

The most meaningful distinction that I can make between the three courses is that Sand Hills enjoys the wider fairways - and by a good bit, I think. Sand Hills possesses a vastness that perhaps only NGLA and maybe Shinnecock can match in this country.

The three sites that the courses are located on are world class and so very special and yet, there are other properties around them that possess many of the same attributes.

The best thing that I can imagine for American golf is that these three cornerstone designs will inspire and influence new designs in the middle of the country - these predominately treeless environments that are exposed to the wind best replicate the classic dilemmas posed by the heath courses in England (and heath golf leaves parkland golf for dead, IMO).

Cheers,

[brad_miller]

Ran, I suspect PV would also present such "vastness" if brought back to the look of the 30's. Shinnecock Hills gets "vaster" every year as they continue to clear away areas around the property

[brad_miller]

Had the opportunity to play yesterday with 8 guys from Royal County Down, (very nice gentlemen) also had some pictures of Prairie Dunes with me, for the life of them they couldn't tell which British Isles links it was They didn't understand how something like PD could be in Kansas. Where's Kansas they asked.