Hello From South Dakota

[kvarilek]

Good evening everyone! I've been viewing and posting on the forum for a few days now but thought I would give an actual introduction. I live in Southeast South Dakota and try to take advantage of the 4 months I get to play golf! It's been refreshing going through these threads and seeing others that struggle with similar swing issues and also being equipment hoarders!

[dan360]

Welcome. I lived in that area for a bit. Played a lot at Prairie Green, The Bluffs, and had an in at Dakota Dunes.

Lots of good golf around there.

[cardoustie]

Welcome KV, always great to have new members

I've never been to the Dakota's but want to see all the states before I'm gone. (Halfway so far)

Sounds like your golf season is shorter than ours in Toronto!

[kvarilek]

Thanks guys. Dan, Dakota Dunes is a pretty nice course. I had the opportunity to play a pro am there back when the Nationwide tour (at the time) played there. I haven't had the chance to play the bluffs yet.

[ddetts]

Welcome - I'm also SE (Sioux Falls). Nice to see a fellow South Dakotan on here, as it's pretty rare!. I mostly play the GreatLife courses the last two years, as it's just an incredible deal.

4 months? C'mon we at least get 5-5 1/2 months of good golf weather! And in most years the golf season gets around 8 months if you willing to play when it's colder out.

[dan360]

Is the course in Hartford still going? I recall it was pretty good too

[RSinSG]

Welcome to the forum. Mostly great guys willing to help. A few knuckleheads, but that how it is in life.

[ddetts]

[quote name='dan360' timestamp='1436478788' post='11919170']
Is the course in Hartford still going? I recall it was pretty good too
[/quote]

Yes, still going and it is a pretty nice track. There are a couple pretty tough holes out there.

[dan360]

[quote name='kvarilek' timestamp='1436469640' post='11918254']
Thanks guys. Dan, Dakota Dunes is a pretty nice course. I had the opportunity to play a pro am there back when the Nationwide tour (at the time) played there. I haven't had the chance to play the bluffs yet.
[/quote]

City of Vermillion owns The Bluffs....it's pretty good. Part of the course is at the bottom of the, well, the Bluff, and one hole the tee is at the top of the hill. Blind drive and a steep little walk/drive to the bottom. Lots of wetland where you can't go find your ball, though if you spray off the tee like I do/did.

The city of Sioux Falls when I lived there used to have a deal where you could play all the courses in town for one rate. Like a yearly pass. Was a great deal.

Dakota Dunes is really nice.....a buddy owned a plumbing company in Sewer City and got a chance at a buy-in for a coroprate membership when it first opened. That was back when the cow computer company was going great guns, Ted Waite's house was the biggest over there, and now of course it's all changed. Nobody was pretentious actually it was one of the most friendly private courses I've ever played on.

[ddetts]

+1 on the Bluffs, it really has some fun holes on the back 9. Sioux Falls still has the pass for the 3 courses it owns and are managed by Dakota Golf (Elmwood, Prairie Green, and Kuehn Park - 9 holes only).

I've still never had the chance to play Dunes, but have also heard nothing but great things. The golf landscape around Sioux Falls is changing with the start of a new concept called GreatLife Golf & Fitness. It offers an annual (or monthly installment) membership and you have access to nearly 20 courses (a lot of 9 hole courses at small towns in close proximity), some of which are really nice courses. You also get year round access to like 10 or so fitness centers. It's crazy affordable and I still haven't figured out how they make it at their price points but I won't complain.

[kvarilek]

[quote name='ddetts' timestamp='1436536199' post='11922704']
+1 on the Bluffs, it really has some fun holes on the back 9. Sioux Falls still has the pass for the 3 courses it owns and are managed by Dakota Golf (Elmwood, Prairie Green, and Kuehn Park - 9 holes only).

I've still never had the chance to play Dunes, but have also heard nothing but great things. The golf landscape around Sioux Falls is changing with the start of a new concept called GreatLife Golf & Fitness. It offers an annual (or monthly installment) membership and you have access to nearly 20 courses (a lot of 9 hole courses at small towns in close proximity), some of which are really nice courses. You also get year round access to like 10 or so fitness centers. It's crazy affordable and I still haven't figured out how they make it at their price points but I won't complain.
[/quote]

ddetts, I actually just live in Harrisburg so right down the road from you! I actually haven't joined the GreatLife program yet. The past few years I have played Spring Creek outside of Harrisburg. However, I'm thinking in the next month I will probably be joining GreatLife. I've been playing off a punch card at Spring Creek and I'm just about done with it. Once that's done, GreatLife here I come! It really is a great program, I'm not sure how they make it work either. A question for you, do the courses seem busier now that the program is in place? That has been one of my concerns. I play as a single a lot of the time and was worried about being able to get on. It's good to meet a fellow South Dakotan!

[ddetts]

[quote name='kvarilek' timestamp='1436543731' post='11923482']
[quote name='ddetts' timestamp='1436536199' post='11922704']
+1 on the Bluffs, it really has some fun holes on the back 9. Sioux Falls still has the pass for the 3 courses it owns and are managed by Dakota Golf (Elmwood, Prairie Green, and Kuehn Park - 9 holes only).

I've still never had the chance to play Dunes, but have also heard nothing but great things. The golf landscape around Sioux Falls is changing with the start of a new concept called GreatLife Golf & Fitness. It offers an annual (or monthly installment) membership and you have access to nearly 20 courses (a lot of 9 hole courses at small towns in close proximity), some of which are really nice courses. You also get year round access to like 10 or so fitness centers. It's crazy affordable and I still haven't figured out how they make it at their price points but I won't complain.
[/quote]

ddetts, I actually just live in Harrisburg so right down the road from you! I actually haven't joined the GreatLife program yet. The past few years I have played Spring Creek outside of Harrisburg. However, I'm thinking in the next month I will probably be joining GreatLife. I've been playing off a punch card at Spring Creek and I'm just about done with it. Once that's done, GreatLife here I come! It really is a great program, I'm not sure how they make it work either. A question for you, do the courses seem busier now that the program is in place? That has been one of my concerns. I play as a single a lot of the time and was worried about being able to get on. It's good to meet a fellow South Dakotan!
[/quote]

I'll say that they do seem busier to an extent, but they're doing a much better job this year of not scheduling events on the same day to where both main courses (Bakker and Willow) have tee times blocked. I'll also add that I'm probably not the best source on this as I typically either tee off early morning (around 6am) or I will play on weekday afternoons sometimes. I rarely go out in peak times like weekend afternoons. It seems they're still pretty good about getting singles out and paired up too. Also, I have heard good things about the course in Adrian, MN, really good things about Worthington CC, and I have always know Emerald Hills @ Okoboji was a great course (GL members play for $10) but haven't played yet. Plus being able to play Garretson, Hidden Valley in Brandon, Canton, Beresford for nothing is great too!

I love Spring Creek, one of my favorites in the area and I'll be sad to see it go 10 years from now.

[kvarilek]

Thanks for your feedback on that. I just set the goal a couple of weeks ago to start getting up earlier in the morning to play on the weekends and I'm going to try and take off early one day a week to get a round in. Having a family has definitely cut my golf back but I'm trying to get out as much as possible!

Once I get my GreatLife membership my plan is to take a day and do a regional "tour" and try to hit up as many courses in the area as I can in a day or weekend. I actually just played Canton the other day during lunch, I always like those small town courses. I've heard some great things about those Minnesota courses also. Up until recently I covered Worthington in my work territory and always wanted to play their CC, unfortunately it just never panned out.

Spring Creek going away is really unfortunate. It's a nice course that is usually in pretty good condition. That's been my home for the past few years, it's really too bad.

[ddetts]

I hear you there, I also have kids and my wife will really only tolerate a weekend afternoon round (6+ hours of me being gone) sporadically throughout the season. My goal this year was also to get in 27 holes or more a week. I play the 9 hole match play league at Willow and try to get in an 18 hole round once a week too.

I also really want to get out and play Worthington, Emerald Hills, and a few others we have access too. I have also heard that The Ridge in Sioux Center, IA and Landsmeer in Orange City, IA are great courses too. They're not on GreatLife, but they're on my bucket list for area courses.

[dan360]

Wow, so many memories are coming back reading what you guys are posting.

That Greatlife thing sounds like an awesome deal although some folks I know back there still blame it for things like Spring Creek's financial issues.

They should keep the course open---be like Bethpage.

[ddetts]

Here's what I have heard regarding Spring Creek, but this is only rumor mill and I can't say this is fact as it's not directly from any involved parties. Yes, I would guess that GreatLife took some traffic from Spring Creek as a golf season pass to SC cost just as much or more than the annual membership to GreatLife. So unless you lived on the course at Spring Creek it was a no brainer, and even so you didn't get any fitness at SC.

Now, I had heard that GreatLife was in talks to try to purchase Spring Creek last year but the bid/ask spread was just way too far apart that nothing materialized. The funding for the state park that Spring Creek will become I believe paid them $2mm for the land and they'll lease it back from that group over the next 10 years. If what I heard was true, GreatLife was offering around $1MM and the ownership offered to sell for $1.8MM. So in the end the owners got the money they wanted, but the course goes away.

[dan360]

Sounds pretty much the same as what I've been hearing, too. The state park was concerned about houses being built along the boundary line and detracting from their geography is something else I'd heard.

Not trying to hijack from the OP here........wouldn't it be cool if they kept the course open after all was said & done? Not sure why they couldn't unless they just figure it not financially viable without the real estate sales from housing.

[ddetts]

[quote name='dan360' timestamp='1436557573' post='11924948']
Sounds pretty much the same as what I've been hearing, too. The state park was concerned about houses being built along the boundary line and detracting from their geography is something else I'd heard.

Not trying to hijack from the OP here........wouldn't it be cool if they kept the course open after all was said & done? Not sure why they couldn't unless they just figure it not financially viable without the real estate sales from housing.
[/quote]

As far as I know, there weren't any more lots available on the course and they weren't actively marketing any that I had seen. I just wish the ownership and GreatLife could've come together on a deal. It really is a great piece of land out there and I'll miss golfing it when it's gone.

[kvarilek]

I agree with you guys about Spring Creek, I wish they could find a way to keep it open. What I don't understand is the owners of SC made the statement that financially they could not continue to run SC and there was talk of reducing it to 12 holes and developing the rest of the land. The part I don't understand is that every time I go out there it seems to be very busy! Maybe I'm just hitting the busy times each time I am out there but it always appeared they were doing well.

They also have the $30 twilight after 2pm which is a good deal, especially for people like me that don't get out as often as I would like.

I was hoping that something could be worked out with GreatLife, it's too bad it didn't work out that way.

[kvarilek]

I'm curious, how is Willow Run since the renovation? Did they make a lot of changes to the course itself? The entrance and new apartments look pretty impressive. I need to go play there one of these days also.

[sodak77]

I grew up playing Canton and have played all over the Sioux Falls area. I now live in the Boston area but still believe that the Sioux Falls area is some of the best value there is in golf in the States. Sorry to hear about Spring Creek as it is a fun course but probably not in my top 5 for the area.

I highly recommend the courses The Ridge and Landsmeer along with the course in LeMars Iowa. The Ridge is nice but I feel it needs more time to mature. Kinda of feels like a Bakker's Crossings right now which is good prairie golf. I have played more rounds than I can count at Landsmeer and can say they have some of the best greens you will find in the area (public or private). The original 18 at Lemars is just a great mature course.

From talking to some buddies recently regarding Willow Run they said they would never play it again. Willow Run was my favorite course growing up playing mostly due to the fact it was different than every other course around it (Elmwood, Prairie Green, etc...). I know it has changed some over the past 2 decades but largely its DNA was kept in tact (challenging target golf, beautiful scenery, bent grass fairways, undulating greens). What I hear is that most of the recent changes were made to make the course play easier and thus faster. Removal of many trees and filling in of creeks/streams which in the end will most likely not speed up play. Really looking forward to getting back next summer to play golf but not sure if I will be now playing Willow.

Has anyone played the new casino course in Larchwood?

[kvarilek]

Hey Sodak! I'll have to make it a point to get to those 2 courses sometime in the near future. I'm always looking for some new courses to check out.

That's really too bad to hear about Willow Run. Part of the fun of it was having to strategize around those hazards. The only time I made it to state golf in high school it was played at Willow Run and it absolutely took me to school! I've kind of held a grudge against it ever since then but it's always been fun to play.

I believe part of what Greatlife is doing is trying to make some of the courses a little more user friendly and easier to try and attract new golfers. I believe some changes were made to the bunkers at Bakkers for that exact reason, make it easier for people to get out of them. I think that is really unfortunate, part of the fun of golf is learning how to handle those hazards.

I haven't had a chance to play the casino course. From driving by it it looks like it would be a challenge. It's wide open and I've heard you have to hit it in the fairway or your ball is lost in the long grass. Not exactly my favorite type of course but one I want to play still this summer to check it off of my list.

[ddetts]

Sodak - I've been saying for like 2 years now I need to get to Landsmeer and The Ridge and have been trying to plan to actually play them both same day.

Regarding Willow Run - I'll echo that overall the course is mostly unchanged, and I think for the most part it plays pretty much the same as before. What I dislike in many of the changes is how visually different a lot of the holes now are. Whereas there was once many trees and you often felt very secluded that is not the case any longer. Before the creek that meandered through the course was just bordered by smooth banks and grass and now in many spots they have dumped a bunch of rock along creek banks. I do understand for the creeks though, as they have had a couple seasons with flood waters where banks were washed out completely and it ate into a couple holes so that's more of a mitigation deal. They have new tee boxes planted for hole #1 just north of the clubhouse that will probably make it play like 450+ from the back tees which will make that hole a bear since it's uphill the whole way.

The new clubhouse and facilities are top notch but the 4 story apartment building overlooking holes 1,7,8,9,10 is a bit of a monstrosity and they had to take out a lot of trees to make way for it. I have heard they are planning to do a 9 hole course cross hwy 42 to the south which would be pretty cool too.

I have yet to get out to the The Falls course at the casino. It kind of reminds me of what prairie green was when it first opened, but probably a bit nicer. It's a Rees Jones course and it's extremely reasonable at $55 weekday and $65 weekend which includes cart and range balls. To me the long grass separating some holes looked more like what you see in British Opens, where you can still get at your ball but you're probably hitting a short iron or wedging out. So it's still penal, but not lost ball penal.

[dan360]

Ya'll are making me want to fly out there for a week and play some late summer/early fall golf...

[roperdad]

Hello from western SD! Swing on out to Red Rocks, Hart Ranch or even The Golf Club at Devils Tower just across the border! You could have a great three day weekend and play some great courses.

Leave the humidity over on your side and come enjoy the dry heat-

[just win]

The casino course is a nice change of pace from what we typically see in eastern South Dakota. Both prairie and Bakker are supposed to be links style but I think they fail to capture the essence of it. The casino course is more links in my opinion aesthetically, because of the long grass in the deep rough. The last time I played there they had firmed up the greens a little trying to make it more links style. Very fun course that needs to flip their nines because ending on that 130 yard par 3 makes no sense when you have a very difficult maybe even more signature type hole in number 9.

I like all the changes on willow. It is a bit more "cleaned up". It is still a target golf course and the overall theme of the course remains unchanged. Well, except for that huge apartment complex on 7 and 9 greens.

[ddetts]

The Falls - I need to get out and play this course, looks fantastic but also like any wind will make that course hard.

Prairie Green - to me this course has been mutilated between all the bunkers filled in, green complexes reshaped, all the long grass on the mounds mowed down. Seems like a course with an identity crisis, was really a nice links style course 10+ years ago, even though I would say most of the green complexes didn't allow for links type shots into them.

Bakker - I like the improvements that have occurred at Bakker the last couple years. I feel the wood facing on the bunkers really improved the look and the changes to the handful of holes are all really good in my opinion. Bakker also started out a bit more links look, but I don't think it was ever intended to be a links style course but rather was built on a flat piece of land with no trees. As the trees continue to mature I think it'll have a feel close to a parkland course.

Need to get west river for a 3-4 day golf trip sometime to experience all the great courses out there.

[ddetts]

I know this isn't technically SD golf related, but since the GreatLife deal extends into Minnesota I was curious if anyone has played the course in Adrian, MN? It looks like it has 9 holes but each hole has different teeing grounds and they play to significantly different angles and yardages in some cases and it plays as an 18 hole course. Thinking about getting out there to play sometime.

[kvarilek]

[quote name='roperdad' timestamp='1438569590' post='12067394']
Hello from western SD! Swing on out to Red Rocks, Hart Ranch or even The Golf Club at Devils Tower just across the border! You could have a great three day weekend and play some great courses.

Leave the humidity over on your side and come enjoy the dry heat-
[/quote]

Wow, just realized I never responded to any of these posts! I actually do get out that way a couple of times a year. I'll be out there on a family vacation next weekend actually. My brother lives in Spearfish so I go out to visit him every summer and we get a lot of golf in. Red Rock is awesome, it's been a long time since I played Hart Ranch but that's a nice course too. I've never played the Devils Tower course though, maybe next summer. We played Lead and Hot Springs this summer. Hot Springs was a fantastic course, one of my favorites in the state I would say.

And no kidding about the dry heat. I lived out there as a kid for 8 years and I miss both the summer and winter weather of that area!

[kvarilek]

[quote name='ddetts' timestamp='1438706521' post='12076618']
The Falls - I need to get out and play this course, looks fantastic but also like any wind will make that course hard.

Prairie Green - to me this course has been mutilated between all the bunkers filled in, green complexes reshaped, all the long grass on the mounds mowed down. Seems like a course with an identity crisis, was really a nice links style course 10+ years ago, even though I would say most of the green complexes didn't allow for links type shots into them.

Bakker - I like the improvements that have occurred at Bakker the last couple years. I feel the wood facing on the bunkers really improved the look and the changes to the handful of holes are all really good in my opinion. Bakker also started out a bit more links look, but I don't think it was ever intended to be a links style course but rather was built on a flat piece of land with no trees. As the trees continue to mature I think it'll have a feel close to a parkland course.

Need to get west river for a 3-4 day golf trip sometime to experience all the great courses out there.
[/quote]

I think I'll be getting out to the Casino course here in a couple of weeks. I'm not typically a fan of links style (I can't hit my driver straight, makes for a long day) but we will give it a whirl.

Prairie Green I haven't played in 3 or 4 years but I used to really enjoy that course.

Bakker for some reason has been my least favorite course in the past. I have only played there once since I joined GreatLife this summer, and only for 9 holes, but it grew on me a little more. It's one of those courses that beats me down mentally. I tend to lose balls in the rough and hidden hazards way too often and get frustrated. A big part of that is just not knowing the course well yet. The back nine I enjoy, the front nine is where I struggle. I've been playing Willow the last few weeks and am enjoying it.