Prairie Dunes

[dukeman]

I've been watching the NCAA Championship at Prairie Dunes... The course looks fantastic!

 

Anyone played there?

[puttnforthe8]

yes

[CowtownTexas]

One the coolest places I've played.

Quite a few members on here. I'm sure one will chime in.

[jkd9977]

The greens are much more difficult than they look on TV. Some 6' putts will male you think about lagging it in there...and I'm only half kidding.

[CowtownTexas]

TV definitely doesn't do the course justice. 8 looks like an average hole on TV but might be the best Par 4 I've played.

Need to remember those are bent greens when watching. What looks like grain on TV is actually undulation. Not a flat putt on that course.

Maybe Maxwells best course.

[EJ Mac]

I hope to join there next year. Just looks like an amazing course.

[QMany]

Crazy undulation on every green that you can't see on TV. I saw multiple four putts.

[farmer]

I've played there, a friend had some connections there. At that time, you had to play with a member to play as a guest. No idea about how one would go about joining, my member was a long timer.

[jfaon01]

I played 36 two years ago. It was fantastic. I didn't know anything about the course when I was invited to play, but it was a great experience. The greens are as described above, and the fairways were immaculate. The best fairways I've ever played on. It was like hitting off a mat.

The club is great too. It's a small town atmosphere. There's no signs of pretentiousness at the club, despite it's ranking as one of the best in the country and the numerous events that have been held there.

Hoping to get another opportunity sometime soon.

[mac19]

Playing there for three days in June!!! June 23-26!! Can't wait!!

[tnord]

we're moved to town and will be joining July 1.

it's my favorite course. i haven't played that many top notch tracks (Pinehurst #2, #4, Butler National, Hazeltine), but it ranks best of them all for me personally.

there's more intricacies to this course than you can possibly see on TV, and the more you play it, the more you realize how good it is. it is so much about wind strength, direction, and angles. pretty much every tee shot has options. miss the green by 1yd and if you missed in the wrong spot - play for bogey. what you see on TV this week IS NOT how the course normally plays. it's FAR softer, and calmer there than I've maybe ever seen.

for instance....number 12 looks easy enough. pretty short, straight par 4. trees significantly narrow the hole about 100yds out. so if you hit driver you risk getting into the trees and going who knows where. lay back with a 3w or hybrid and now you're either trying to flight a wedge/9i under the trees, launch it way over them, or curve something around them unless you're in the center third of the fairway.

what i usually do is lay back with an iron (depending on tees). wind is typically left to right and helping.....from an elevated tee. favor the left side and now your line is directly at a couple fairway bunkers. and with the typical front pins, or middle right.....from what you THOUGHT was the safe play from the tee now becomes very challenging. you have to carry the front left greenside bunker, but go too far and the green falls off severely on the back right third of the green and you're left with a very difficult up and down.

so basically you can play conservatively off the tee to try and keep it out of the gunch....but now you've left a very challenging approach shot. the beauty of this course is figuring out when what looks like an aggressive play is actually the smart play, and where being conservative really is the right thing to do. my avatar is actually from in the gunch on the right side of 13...which is often where you end up if you take what you think is a conservative line.

and by the way.....those decisions completely change with the wind.

I could go through the course hole by hole like that....and do it for both the prevailing wind, and the north wind that makes the course a total beast. but it would take me days to write all the things i've learned about it by playing maybe only 25 rounds there so far.

the "club" itself is great too. My wife and I got married there. I've been to quite a few of the parties, and played in a few of the tournaments. it's the best restaurant in town, with the best drinks. the men's card room always has somebody in there with a story to tell. I think they're on their 4th head pro ever...maybe 3rd.

[mguhler]

[quote name='puttnforthe8' timestamp='1401229456' post='9376983']
yes
[/quote]
+1

[Tee2Green85]

the rough is nasty at that place. stay out of it lol!

[ClarkGrswld4]

i've heard its very reasonable cost wise to be a member there also. perhaps one of the members on here can confirm/deny?

[tnord]

yes. it's "very" reasonable.

[jkd9977]

Tnord we should tee it up sometime. We just joined this month.

[Campbells_Soup]

Gonna be there the first week of August, can't wait.

[tnord]

[quote name='jkd9977' timestamp='1401325584' post='9385797']
Tnord we should tee it up sometime. We just joined this month.
[/quote]

i'm in. PM coming your way.

[CowtownTexas]

Maybe I'll get to play with/against some of you guys in the Maxwell Cup one day.

Just don't line up too many ringers....

[tnord]

Colonial Member I presume?

I will be working my butt off to try and qualify for the team starting in July. My game is not what it was after not really playing at all since having our first kid back in September....but I'm sure going to try.

sounds like a ton of fun. where is it this year?

[CowtownTexas]

[quote name='tnord' timestamp='1401368913' post='9388237']
Colonial Member I presume?

I will be working my butt off to try and qualify for the team starting in July. My game is not what it was after not really playing at all since having our first kid back in September....but I'm sure going to try.

sounds like a ton of fun. where is it this year?
[/quote]

I've played in it 4 times I think. Southern Hills this year and back at your place next.

I made the trip up 2 years ago and had a blast. PD is the best of the three in my opinion. Just an awesome experience. Maybe my favorite course I've ever played.

[bhj83]

Any members willing to host a fellow WRXer if I make it out that way? Would love to play that course!

[pdakc]

Played Prairie Dunes this past Friday in 25-30mph wind. Unbelievable golf course, probably in my all-time top 3, and a remarkable test of golf. Can't wait to get back.

[tnord]

that's what we were hoping for during the NCAA Championships!!! 20+mph is a normal day out here!

glad you enjoyed it.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

I learned to play golf at PD, and my parents have a home on the course (across the street from another member on the wrx). It's an okay course, I suppose. Lol. Only course I've played that was better is Pacific Dunes.

[Chomper]

Bumping an old thread -

 

I am thinking about joining PD (national membership is pretty reasonable), and I am headed there at the end of August to try out the course.

 

Any members have opinions on the facility, things to do (or to not do)? Is the fitness area good?

 

Thanks ahead of time.

[mikkey12601]

Bumping an old thread -

 

I am thinking about joining PD (national membership is pretty reasonable), and I am headed there at the end of August to try out the course.

 

Any members have opinions on the facility, things to do (or to not do)? Is the fitness area good?

 

Thanks ahead of time.

 

Wanted to give this thread a bump as well. I am moving to the KC area but will be in Whicita 3-4 times a year so looking at a national membership. Anyone know if its still reasonable, and if there is a waiting list?

 

Thanks in advance

[pdakc]

Bumping an old thread -

 

I am thinking about joining PD (national membership is pretty reasonable), and I am headed there at the end of August to try out the course.

 

Any members have opinions on the facility, things to do (or to not do)? Is the fitness area good?

 

Thanks ahead of time.

 

Wanted to give this thread a bump as well. I am moving to the KC area but will be in Whicita 3-4 times a year so looking at a national membership. Anyone know if its still reasonable, and if there is a waiting list?

 

Thanks in advance

 

It's still quite reasonable, at least as of a couple months ago. Initiation for a junior was sub $5k and annual dues were around $2500 if I recall