The Uphill 1st Hole at The Prairie Club
This is Part 2 of my series covering the 2013 Summer Trip. I left Fort Wayne at 5:00 A.M. Friday, July 5 and after nearly 13 hours of driving, I arrived in Valentine, NE at 5:30 P.M. CST. This was to be my second longest drive.
At 6:30 on Saturday morning, I left for The Prairie Club. It is in the middle of nowhere, about 10 miles from the South Dakota border about mid-state. The drive from the highway back to the clubhouse was at least a mile on a winding, dusty gravel road. I am not sure how the members deal with all that dust. My vehicle was a mess! I was unable to get the first tee time at 7:30 Saturday morning but as a single, was happily waived through by a twosome on the driving range. The Dunes Course at The Prairie Club is 78th on he 2012 Golf Magazine list and walking it would provide some really good exercise. The first tee has to be at least a quarter of a mile from the clubhouse.
At 6:30 on Saturday morning, I left for The Prairie Club. It is in the middle of nowhere, about 10 miles from the South Dakota border about mid-state. The drive from the highway back to the clubhouse was at least a mile on a winding, dusty gravel road. I am not sure how the members deal with all that dust. My vehicle was a mess! I was unable to get the first tee time at 7:30 Saturday morning but as a single, was happily waived through by a twosome on the driving range. The Dunes Course at The Prairie Club is 78th on he 2012 Golf Magazine list and walking it would provide some really good exercise. The first tee has to be at least a quarter of a mile from the clubhouse.
Before I move on, let me visit the topic of how I determine which set of tees to play at a new course. First, I am comfortable playing Midwest courses of 6500 yards with a slope around 125 and a course rating of 72 or so. So I try to find situations that emulate these specifications. Another major factor is elevation. Fort Wayne, IN is about 825 feet above sea level (depending on which corn field you are in). It is absolutely true that the ball does not fly as far at sea level as it does a mile or so above sea level. For example, the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs (at over 6000 feet) was my first round where I noticed how much farther a golf ball travels compared to the Midwest. That was in 1996. I played Furnace Creek in Death Valley (214 feet BELOW sea level) in 2003 and certainly found the opposite to be true! To make a long story short, the difficulty of the course (slope) and the elevation generally dictate the tees I play. I may move up a set if the course is really wet or it’s early in the year. And I might challenge myself at a back set of tees if my game is in pretty good shape or when paired with a group that is playing a set of tees behind the tees I’ve selected (but I never play the tips). I rarely move up when paired with others.
Now, back to the Dunes Course at The Prairie Club. It’s a Tom Lehman design set in the sand hills of Northern Nebraska and is totally exposed to the wind. It has a real links feel although bodies of water are few on the course. I had my best round of the trip here. I was two-under through 12 and typically, bogied 4 of the last six for a 75 on this par 73 track. Each of the bogies was the result of a pulled iron. I may have been too “amped up.” The picture accompanying this post is the par 3 fourth hole.
Now, back to the Dunes Course at The Prairie Club. It’s a Tom Lehman design set in the sand hills of Northern Nebraska and is totally exposed to the wind. It has a real links feel although bodies of water are few on the course. I had my best round of the trip here. I was two-under through 12 and typically, bogied 4 of the last six for a 75 on this par 73 track. Each of the bogies was the result of a pulled iron. I may have been too “amped up.” The picture accompanying this post is the par 3 fourth hole.
The Par 3 4th Hole at The Prairie Club
I left The Prairie Club in Valentine, NE at 10:45 A.M. and drove seven and a half hours to Riverton Country Club in Riverton, Wyoming. The Wyoming Amateur was being held at the course but except for activity on the driving range, the course was pretty empty. With a 5:45 (MST) tee time, I was off the course by 8:45 and at my hotel by 9:00. Riverton was a flat course and very easy to walk. I only waited one time for the group in front before they waived me through. This was my first round ever in Wyoming and gave me at least one round in each of the lower 48 states.
Antelope Hills Golf Club in Dubois, WY I left the hotel at 6:30 Sunday morning with my ultimate destination Teton Pines Golf Club in Jackson, WY. On the way, I played a little nine hole course in Dubois, WY called Antelope Hills. Players make two trips around the course which has completely different tee boxes for each nine. It had rained the previous night and it was a bit muddy but easily walkable. I had to wait 20 minutes or so for the owner to open the gate to the course but was on the road by 11:00 for the two hour drive to Jackson, WY.
That drive was one of the prettiest I took with the Tetons quickly appearing in the West. Teton Pines Golf Club was rated 81st on the 1998 Golf Magazine list. I played the course with three members who were all entrepreneurs of some sort in this resort community. Jim was a restaurant owner, Mike was a building contractor, and Noah owned an outdoors clothing company.
The starter, Brian, was quite an interesting individual. He had recently moved to Jackson from Missouri after losing in a race for the 4th Congressional Seat. Previously, he had worked in Singapore for Chase Bank and was a subject matter expert on derivatives. He became totally disillusioned with big banks after witnessing the carnage that resulted from the carelessness that led to the 2008 financial crisis. I think he is taking some time off, don’t you?
That drive was one of the prettiest I took with the Tetons quickly appearing in the West. Teton Pines Golf Club was rated 81st on the 1998 Golf Magazine list. I played the course with three members who were all entrepreneurs of some sort in this resort community. Jim was a restaurant owner, Mike was a building contractor, and Noah owned an outdoors clothing company.
The starter, Brian, was quite an interesting individual. He had recently moved to Jackson from Missouri after losing in a race for the 4th Congressional Seat. Previously, he had worked in Singapore for Chase Bank and was a subject matter expert on derivatives. He became totally disillusioned with big banks after witnessing the carnage that resulted from the carelessness that led to the 2008 financial crisis. I think he is taking some time off, don’t you?
The Par 5 7th Hole at Teton Pines Teton Pines was stunningly beautiful with the Tetons in the background with many tall pines and a great deal of water in play. All in all, the course was rather flat and in perfect condition. I left Jackson, WY by 6:00 P.M. and after a four hour drive through Idaho, arrived in Butte, MT where I spent the night.
NEXT: Summer Trip 2013: Montana and Washington
NEXT: Summer Trip 2013: Montana and Washington
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