Connect with fellow members and join the conversation

A group of investors is transforming 619 acres of duneland outside of Hutchinson, Kansas (home to the great Prairie Dunes Country Club), into a 45-hole golf facility. Named Salt Lick Golf and Hunting Resort, the new complex will feature two 18-hole courses, a nine-hole short course, 36 cabins for overnight stays, and... presumably hunting? Todd Clark and Ron Whitten have been engaged as golf architects, and the resort is targeting a 2028 opening. This unlisted YouTube video describing the project recently came across our desks.

The site once housed Cottonwood Hills Golf Club, a Nick Faldo-designed 18-hole course that closed down several years ago. Andy Johnson and I took a quick look at Cottonwood Hills on our way to Prairie Dunes in 2019. The land is terrific — sandy, undulating, and occasionally dramatic — but the golf course struck us as oddly divorced from its setting. I can see why the Salt Lick developers are just building something new.

I don't know much about Clark as an architect, but his work at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Kansas (executed by shaper Zach Varty and superintendent Clay Payne) looks great. Whitten, formerly the architecture editor at Golf Digest, is a deeply knowledgeable golf course scholar and critic, but I've never been sure what his genuine architectural convictions are. He has typically been more eager to play the contrarian than to state his affirmative beliefs. So we'll see.

There's an excellent business case for Salt Lick. Prairie Dunes is already viable destination with a healthy national membership. It makes sense to create a companion resort with more robust lodging and golf options. But the devil, as always, is in the execution.

GCA has a thread about the hardest golf course people have played, and I found it to be an interesting discussion.

One day per year at Hazeltine, we have a member event from the Tournament Tees, which play to about 7,950 yards. We also pick hole locations from a previous championship that we've hosted (this past year we used the hole locations from the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship Match). It's a serious test, but one that our members embrace. We usually get 80 - 100 guys to play, the majority of them single digit handicaps, and almost invariably less than 5 people break 80.

For a "normal" course (one that isn't set up like a major championship), I think The Ocean Course at Kiawah is really difficult. I have only played it once and caught it on a calm day by Kiawah's standards. However, if the wind picks up out there, I could see that place becoming an absolute nightmare.

I have a question: why doesn't Kohler's golf complex (Whistling/Blackwolf) get mentioned with the same passion/frequency as resorts like Sand Valley? As I was listening to Garett talk about The Commons/afternoon courses becoming more common and (hopefully) popular, I thought it was strange that no one had mentioned King-Collin's Purebred Farm. (The name is...questionable.) Maybe it's because it'll likely be a 2027 opening, I suppose.

Anyway, afternoon courses aside, Kohler just generally isn't discussed nearly as often as Dream properties, for example. Maybe it's that they're not all "officially" under one resort banner/name? Is Pete Dye out again?! (I'm kidding I hope.) Just curious on the communities thoughts.

While not TV golf, the stories by these legends are well worth the view.

https://youtu.be/8vZGCrySVAM?si=rXXziFnHM6eUPXU3

Faldo, Woosy, Sandy, Langer hosted by Iona. Highly recommended!

Fellow fried eggs - I am planning a golf trip with a buddy for next month and am looking for tips. First choice is Streamsong, but interested if folks have thoughts on something more creative (e.g., get Air BnB and play a few different courses). I'm city agnostic and am really just interested in the best / most convenient golf. Thanks!

I really enjoyed the podcast with Garrett and Matt about the new openings that they are most looking forward to in 2026. As someone based in Scotland with regular travel to Melbourne, I was excited to hear them mention both National Long Island and the innovative plans OCM have for it, as well as Old Petty.

In addition to those, I wanted to mention two others that I'm excited to see in 2026 when I'm back in Australia for work (and golf). First is the opening of the Cliffs on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, a few hours south of Adelaide. It's a Darius Oliver primary design that is set for preview play soon with a full open later in the year. Darius was involved in Cape Wickham, but this looks like a less dramatic piece of land but one that still has loads of potential playing above the cliffs with views out south to ocean. Unlike 7 Mile Beach, they've been pretty minimal in their social media so it's hard to know exactly how the course will play.

Speaking of 7 Mile Beach, while it technically opened in late 2025, it's also worth a mention. I was lucky to play it with Mike Clayton a few days before opening, and it promises to be a must see for anyone travelling to Australia. The routing is exceptional, the land dramatic, and the course plays a bit more like an old world links than those at Barnbougle. I particularly enjoyed some of the less dramatic holes, including 6, 11, and 16 down near the water. They also have some interesting ideas like the two greens on 8, or the various tees that radically change the holes like on 2, 9, and 17.

Finally, a word for the renovated or restored Huntingdale by OCM. I was able to get a tour from the GM in December. The land is a bit more undulating than its neighbour Metro, although not as much as Vic, RM, or PK. The wallaby grass gives the course a really unique look in the Sandbelt, and it should return to some of its earlier glory. yYou an see more on my instagram @golfing_scotland about both Huntingdale and 7 Mile.

First, Vijay already used his two career money exemptions in 2022 and 2023. He should not have this one available.

Second, Andy was asking if somebody has compiled a list of who has career money exemptions they can still use. Ask and ye shall receive.

Jim Furyk, Matt Kuchar, David Toms, Stewart Cink, Davis Love III.

Finally, fields are flexing up to include all fully exempt people this year, so it is true he may not be taking a spot if and only if the field is flexing up. (Except Phoenix)

Hey folks! I'll be in Austin, TX in late Feb and I managed to arrange my work schedule to sneak in a round of golf. I've done some Googling and have a short list, but wondered if any one on here has any must plays. Let me know!

I hope this is the right sub-forum for this.

I play in a volleyball league that is pretty competitive, but in the offseason, the commish of the league is starting up a 5-week sim golf league, inviting people from all skill levels for screen golf. The commish doesn't know much about golf, so I'm trying to give him some tips. (For example, I asked him what the two-man format was, he said best ball. I pressed him further knowing full well he meant scramble) He claims the sim has almost any course we want and is excited to do courses like Augusta and Sawgrass. It sounds like there are going to be some beginner beginners in this. For example, they think I (an 18 index) am going to be one of the best players in the league (My teammate is a 2).

I think you see where I'm going with this. I think throwing newbies onto courses like Augusta and Sawgrass would be a complete disaster and unfun for all involved. Assuming they do indeed have every course in the world, any suggestions for ones I should suggest? I was thinking Mammoth Dunes, Kapalua Plantation, LACC, Trinity Forest, anything with wide wide fairways where people won't be hating life and quit.

My biggest takeaway from the latest Yoak was that nobody was willing to just say "here's the money, do whatever you want." Like, yea, I get it, when you're investing $25 million on a golf course, you really, really need it to make money and you're likely super worried about the outcome. But what there thousands of people putting in not much at all? With 10,000 investors, you'd only need $2,500 invested per person. I mean, that's a lot of money, yes, but the point is (1) if it's an investment, it's small enough to lose, and (2) if successful, any perks from that money could probably pay for the initial investment over the lifetime of the going concern.

Now, I know finance law prohibits just asking normal folks to invest in a venture without becoming a public company, and that has non-trivial costs attached. However, the cost is low enough that I think plenty of folks would be willing to be compensated through a kick-starter structure, that is, I assume I'll get zero return on my investment, but maybe I'd get to play golf at a steep discount, or get access to a locker/bar that is otherwise private when I visit. I mean, I'd happily pitch in for a Bandon-like entity to get built if I know I'll get discounted golf and preferred access going forward. I also wouldn't care at all what the course was like, because I genuinely think pitching in for a Doak-level masterpiece to get built would be worth it.

Maybe I'm totally out of touch with reality, but it just seems doable to me.

I'll have time for one round while on the Big Island and am torn on which course to choose. Outside of Nanea (definitely not well connected enough for that one!), curious if anyone has thoughts on the obvious public choices (Mauna Kea, Mauna Lani North, or Mauna Lani South) or if there are others I should consider?

Derek Sprague is out as PGA of America CEO after a year in the post. Did another Don enact a little regime change of his own?

hi guys...what is the password to get the Chicago tickerts for FEGC members?

Please email me back at riffice1965@gmail.com

Hello Everybody!

I'm heading down to Melbourne in a couple of weeks with some friends and will be playing some of the big dogs in the area, but I am going to stick around awhile and play more solo, and maybe pop over the 7 mile beach.

What are some good spots to hit up in Melbourne that are a reasonable price? Has anyone taken the train out to Warrnambool for a day trip from the CBD? That seems like a fun adventure, but 7 hours on a train in a day is a lot.

BP

Morning FEGC! I'm curious if any North American fans have been to a DP world tour event. I'm thinking about going to the KLM Open in June and it would be my first time going to an international golf event. Has anyone made the trip over? Was it easy to do, what was the experience like? Thanks in advance.