Prairie Dunes CC

[Tom Huckaby]

Actually Tom I am not sure you did give us your detailed thoughts on Prairie Dunes. My recollection is you discussed the first two holes but then, sadly, the thread got hijacked by someone from 2000 miles away who had never seen the course telling us it could not be a "fun course"

This site would have greatly benefited by your full analysis of this wonderful place.

Corey - your recollection is not completely correct, and "hijacked" is quite unfair - said person 2000 miles away only asked questions of those who said it was "tons of fun", given the presence of what looked like exceedingly penal rough, exceedingly close in.   He also did come around to seeing how it could be tons of fun even despite this.    So there.   

That being said, the world still does await Tom Paul's thoughtful analysis.

 

[TEPaul]

Really? Well then, drat! I have no idea how to find that thread and unfortunately my memory fades too, but if someone can find it I'll try again.

[rjsimper]

Tom - here's the thread you started in, but never got past the openers.  Interested to hear, as are many others.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,30677.0.html

[corey miller]

Tom

It looks like you only made it through two holes. 

[brad_miller]

I look forward to TP's thoughts. Can we all agree the TH hijacked the thread

TP-think of it like Pat's NGLA thread, what hole is he on?

[Tom Huckaby]

I look forward to TP's thoughts. Can we all agree the TH hijacked the thread

TP-think of it like Pat's NGLA thread, what hole is he on?

No we cannot agree on that!

Man I gotta get to this course some day... sure does look like tons of fun.

 

[David Kelly]

I can confirm that The Blue Duck has kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile.

[John Mayhugh]

I can confirm that The Blue Duck has kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile.

Blue Duck, dead parrot.........whichever.  Welcome back from your vacation.

[John Kirk]

Dead Duck.  Remember when we saw Bill Murray in there?  Bob Dylan's "Modern Times" was playing on the jukebox.

Hi David, nice to see you are alive.

Prairie Dunes is amazing.  I rated it a "9" in the recent Ian Linford poll, though I can see how someone might give it a "10".  A little too demanding off the tee for my tastes, and the 2nd and 4th holes are quite similar.  But that's it for criticisms.  Everything else is positive.  Easy to walk, great ambience, unique appearance.  As Tom Paul indicated, a textbook example of playing angles.  Really tough to get up and down around the greens.

[TEPaul]

Thanks for the link back to that old PD thread. I'll get back on it this afternoon or evening. Looks like I'm on the 3rd tee, and what a wonderfully tee shot this one is. It was once sort of straightish for some reason (that straight tee is still in use I believe) but the tee higher up and from the left just makes the hole for me. It's one of the most interesting tee shots from up and over there I've ever seen and also one of the best diagonals I've ever seen for a bunch of reasons. Saying the tee shot is one of the very best diagonals I've ever seen is saying a lot because I sure have seen a lot of good ones over the years. But this one very much has its own special uniquenesses.

Does anyone need to know which holes out there are Perry and which are Press, and how Press took the course from the great nine-holer Perry made to the 18 hole course it is today?

I hope Chris Clouser will be looking in----I'll need his help; I'm getting older and my memory ain't what it used to be even from a year and a half ago. 

[John Kirk]

Tom,

I think the original nine goes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18.

[Chris_Clouser]

John is right on the sequence of Perry's original holes.

[John Mayhugh]

Looks like I'm on the 3rd tee, and what a wonderfully tee shot this one is. It was once sort of straightish for some reason (that straight tee is still in use I believe) but the tee higher up and from the left just makes the hole for me. It's one of the most interesting tee shots from up and over there I've ever seen and also one of the best diagonals I've ever seen for a bunch of reasons. Saying the tee shot is one of the very best diagonals I've ever seen is saying a lot because I sure have seen a lot of good ones over the years. But this one very much has its own special uniquenesses.

This is one scary tee shot!  The hole is about 350yds from this tee and the carry to the fairway is just over 200.  The diagonal nature of the hole is reinforced by the gunsch on each side and leads to some tight swings.  In an afternoon round at PD, I luckily holed out for eagle on one, parred two, lost my ball off the tee and then managed to re-tee and save bogey.  Alas, not enough of a buffer built up by the time I made it to the fifth hole. 


Great, great course.  Hard to believe the nines were built so far apart and by father/son.  The course flows so well.

[TEPaul]

Chris Clouser:

Glad you're here. I understood what Perry's nine holes were I was just wondering if others would like that made clear and thanks, JohnK, for that.

Chris, what I can't recall that well right now was Press's apparent idea to play from #3 tee to #4 green. Isn't that correct? Then wasn't he going to try to make a par 3 following that somewhere up on that ridge behind #5 tee or to the left of #8 green? Wasn't what is essentially #5 today slated to be a par 5 to the present green after that par 3 up in the ridge somewhere?

Had he been able to do all that do you think what followed it on the course would've been different somehow?

[George Freeman]

Ryan Simper,

Is there somewhere where we can access your other photos of PD?  I believe you said you had "150" in your original post w/ pics.

Much appreciated,

- George

[rjsimper]

I do, however they are on my hard drive/not uploaded anywhere.  I will have to see if I can dig them up (old laptop)

[Sean Leary]

I too am looking forward to TePaul's analysis as well as an eventual trip by Mr. Huckaby with me .....I will make him have fun.

The golf course often plays firm and fast tee to green, but the greens are watered a bit too much, especially in the summer. Fall is far and away the best time to play. I am going Masters weekend, which will be my earliest in the year trip.

It gets a fair amount of guest play, as a call from your pro will usually get you on, but the price is fairly steep ($225, unescorted). It also has one of the best national membership programs available.

I too recommend the Ritz Carlton Hutchinson aka The Hampton Inn. Do not stay at the Econolodge no matter what.

Homer opinion, but I truly believe it to be a world class course, a Doak 9.  The unplayable gunsch is the one thing that prevents it from being a 10.

[Tom Huckaby]

Sean, as you well know, I can have fun playing golf on a parking lot.  My personal fun was never the issue.

Some courses just do make it more about the course than the beer and the friends than others, that's all.

And why you take it from a 10 to a 9 did seem to be the reason.

But of course you did all convince me before.

Now backing off from further hijacking...

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Prairie Dunes is absolutely a must.  I'm going to be in Omaha in a couple weeks (looking forward to seeing Keith Foster's redo at OCC) and then heading to KC for a mtg. before hightailing it over to Hutchinson to play PD.  I figured that I'm in "flyover country" anyway, so it's close enough!

If I had any money left, or if I had a job that made any money, or if my wife had a job that paid (she considers raising twins a job?), I'd join PD in a second and build a vacation home close enough that I could walk over every day.

It's that good.

[PCCraig]

Prairie Dunes is absolutely a must.  I'm going to be in Omaha in a couple weeks (looking forward to seeing Keith Foster's redo at OCC) and then heading to KC for a mtg. before hightailing it over to Hutchinson to play PD.  I figured that I'm in "flyover country" anyway, so it's close enough!

If I had any money left, or if I had a job that made any money, or if my wife had a job that paid (she considers raising twins a job?), I'd join PD in a second and build a vacation home close enough that I could walk over every day.

It's that good.

As I explained earlier today to someone else, always try to join your golf clubs before you get married or engaged. Because then there always seems to be a need to spend your money on "important" things like "groceries."   

[Tony_Chapman]

Tom,

I think the original nine goes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18.

Pat -- When you get finished with the 10th hole (Perry Duke's 7th) and you are standing on the 11th tee, take a look up the 17th hole from there. That's what was the originial 8th (or there abouts); it was apparently the most difficult tee shot on the golf course. Also, when built the current 7th (now a par-5) was a 440-yard par-4. So the current 7th, 8th and 9th (originally Perry's 4th, 5th and 6th had to be the most exhilariting stretch of golf anywhere.

[PCCraig]

Considering their similarities...what makes Sand Hills so much better than PD?

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Prairie Dunes is absolutely a must.  I'm going to be in Omaha in a couple weeks (looking forward to seeing Keith Foster's redo at OCC) and then heading to KC for a mtg. before hightailing it over to Hutchinson to play PD.  I figured that I'm in "flyover country" anyway, so it's close enough!

If I had any money left, or if I had a job that made any money, or if my wife had a job that paid (she considers raising twins a job?), I'd join PD in a second and build a vacation home close enough that I could walk over every day.

It's that good.

As I explained earlier today to someone else, always try to join your golf clubs before you get married or engaged. Because then there always seems to be a need to spend your money on "important" things like "groceries."   

I hear ya.  Next life, right?

[David Neveux]

I played PDCC several years ago now.  We wrote a letter in advance and the pro set us up with a fellow MSU Spartan.  He was the coolest guy ever, and really made sure we had a great day here.  This was stop 4 I believe on the from East Lansing to Bandon and back.  I believed we stayed the night in Hutchinson, and like good Spartans found an adequate watering hole and enjoyed our stay.  Boy oh Boy would I like to get back, looking at my old pictures it brings back some fun memories.  Here are a few,

Number 2



Number 9


Number 15 (maybe)


Number 16 (maybe)

[brad_miller]

Pat, where did you get the idea that SH was so much better than PD. Doak gave one a 9 and the other a 10. Many think PD is a 10 also. Doak has Crystal Downs as a 10 and it is a close cousin to PD. CD has better short 4's, the long 4's are ~ draw, PD has better par 3's and the two best par fives are #8 at CD (awesome) and #17 at PD (what a green) The best holes of the 2 would be the best course in the world, I suspect Tom might agree with that. I consider SH and PD to be a draw, 2 of the best 10-15 courses in the world.

The work done (C&C/Axland/George) at PD over the past 5 years is wonderful, a few new tees, cart path reduction, 9 mowed down greensite chipping areas and a few new bunkers.