My son and I completed our "Doak Trip" and I wanted to extend my thanks and appreciation to all who helped make it happen. As it turned out, we skipped Rock Creek Cattle Co. (maybe next year?) and instead dashed straight from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho to Mullen, Nebraska (via Mount Rushmore and the Badlands) in two marathon driving sessions.
There, we played a couple of rounds on Dismal River (Red) (and one round on the White). Our impression: Good to great golf in a totally unique and out-of-this world setting.
And by the way, does Dismal River have the world's longest (and this year, due to the wild sunflowers, most beautiful) entry drive in all of golf?
We next traveled from Mullen to Holyoke, CO and enjoyed two blissful rounds (and one very enjoyable evening) at Ballyneal. Our impression: About as good as it can get in golf. What a fantastic golf course and setting, as well as welcoming and enthusiastic members and staff.
We completed a quick detour to visit relatives and then continued to Lubbock, TX, where we played The Rawls Course in a little under two-and-half hour walking pace. The setting sun has a way of moving things along, even if it did present unique challenges during the last three (and quite challenging) finishing holes. Our impression: The Rawls Course would have been significantly better if maintained as the architect intended: for firm and fast conditions. (And shocking, since you'd think August would be as about as brown as it gets.)
All in all, we played seven rounds of golf on 4 different courses during a drive of about 2500 miles that began in Seattle, Washington and ended in Waco, Texas. With Tumble Creek on one end and The Rawls Course on the other end, there is a pretty good start to a "Doak Trail" out there.