The First Ride at Rodeo Dunes

Since 1882, the Cervi Family has ranched the eastern plains of Colorado in the tiny town of Roggen. Not only are the Cervi’s caretakers of over 50,000 acres, but they also run some of the largest rodeos in the United States. Mike Cervi began as a rodeo clown at the age of 14, purchased a rodeo company in 1967, and now his two sons, Chase and Binion, run and operate both the Cervi Family Ranch and Cervi Championship Rodeo. Ranching, rodeos, and golf are an unlikely combination, but shared between them is the dedication to land preservation, community, and entertainment. Together, the Cervi’s and Dream Golf have given us Rodeo Dunes.

While most associate Colorado with the Rocky Mountains, this region east of Denver is full of barren and rugged sand dunes. This is exactly what caught developer Mike Keiser's eye when he was scouring Google Earth in search of sandy land in hopes of developing another resort like Sand Valley or Bandon Dunes. These towering sand dunes, just 40-some miles from Denver, provided a near-perfect canvas for golf that harkens back to the origins of the game in Scotland and Ireland. After seven years of negotiations, permitting, and construction, we now have 18 Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw golf holes in the ground and grassed with plenty more to come in the future. With roughly 4,000 acres available, there’s room for up to six public golf courses at Rodeo Dunes. The Coore and Crenshaw course will open for limited preview play next summer, and public tee times for the inaugural 2027 season will go on sale Q1 of 2026.

This week, over 200 founding members gathered along with media and the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association for The First Ride at Rodeo Dunes. The juxtaposition of blue jeans, belt buckles, and cowboy hats versus golf polos and tucked-in shirts was quite the sight. This kick-off event saw the first rounds of golf played on the 11-hole preview loop as well as a special PRCA-sanctioned competition, The Duel at the Dunes, just a hundred yards from the first tee of the golf course. The top rough stock riders in the world competed to secure their spots within the top 15 to move onto the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. The Duel at the Dunes was essentially a FedEx Cup playoff event for the cowboys to earn their spot in the Tour Championship.

Don’t worry, you didn’t miss out. This wasn’t just a special one-off event, as Rodeo Dunes plans to regularly host rodeo exhibitions and competitions once the resort officially opens. For someone who actually got to experience his first rodeo, all resort guests are in for a real treat. On to the course…

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw are known for their minimalistic approach to golf design. Sand Hills Golf Club, just a few hundred miles from Rodeo Dunes, jump-started their careers as the modern minimalists, as they hardly moved any earth to create the course. While the duo continues to work with the land that is given to them and exhibit thoughtful patience to produce high-quality golf courses that live harmoniously in the landscape, Rodeo Dunes achieves this with a slight twist. Their course embraces the ruggedness of the Colorado dunes and presents a more raw appearance often found on Irish links courses.

Don’t get me wrong, the course couldn’t be more natural and seamlessly blended into the terrain, but many features are carefully cut into the dunes rather than lying across the tops of them. This gives the course a varied identity compared to other courses they’ve built on sand dunes, like Sand Valley and Streamsong Red, which lie across the land with more elegance. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. This departure from their typical style is very exciting and new for Bill and Ben, yet familiar in many ways. Coloradans and golf enthusiasts have hit the jackpot with a new world-class golf resort on the horizon.