Opening Day at Mammoth Dunes

SDL · June 1, 2018

My brother and I were lucky enough to play Mammoth Dunes today on its official opening day, which was very cool. The course has been available for preview play, but the folks at the Sand Valley resort scheduled a few special activities for the grand opening. In addition to a number of golf writers and photographers who visited the resort this week, David Kidd (the course architect), along with Michael and Chris Keiser (sons of Mike Keiser), were onsite and devoted several hours to welcoming golfers on the first tee, posing for pictures, and handing out opening day commemorative coins. Mike Keiser (the father) had an early tee-time on Mammoth Dunes and appeared eager to get out on the links to enjoy the course himself. David Kidd wore a traditional kilt in honor of the occasion, and he couldn't have been more friendly and supportive of the golfers heading out to play the creation that he considers the best course his team has ever built.

Having played Sand Valley yesterday in a steady rain, I wasn't sure what to expect today of Mammoth Dunes. Sand Valley has several greens that were slow to recover from the winter and is still using temporary greens on four holes, but all greens on MD are available for play right now. In comparing SV to MD, I would simply say that SV is an excellent course, but that MD is a great course! There is a naturalness to the way that the turf at MD "flows" around the hills and valleys while being bordered (or sometimes surrounded) by sand. Elevation changes are interesting and challenging. While most fairways tend to be quite wide, mid-fairway bunkers or "fingers" of sand jutting out from expansive sandy waste areas make it important to select specific sections of fairway as aim points from the tee. Kidd also told us that there are elements of the famous links at Machrihanish from his native Scotland that have been incorporated into the design of MD. Specifically, I noticed that a golfer at MD often needs to decide how much sandy waste to "bite-off" from the tee in order to keep a drive on the fairway - much like the first hole at Machrihanish, which demands a choice of how much ocean can be cleared with the intended drive. Speaking of water, MD has lots of sand instead. In fact, it often seems like the sand creates an effect that is very ocean-like, which helps to give the course the sense of "flow" mentioned earlier. For example, Hole 8 is often being called the "island green," where an island of grass floats in a sea of sand. Although hitting a shot into sand doesn't typically make a golfer happy, a recovery shot from sand is possible while hitting into a water hazard results in a penalty stroke and usually a lost ball. Hole 8 also provides an easier angle into the green for players using the closer tees than for those playing from the tips.

MD has many other holes that are unique and interesting, providing different challenges depending on pin placements and player creativity. I can remember frequently thinking how much fun it would be to play a hole again to see what it played like under different wind conditions or with a pin in a completely different part of the green. A great example of this type of hole would be Hole 6, which has what some have described as a "boomerang green" that lends itself to very interesting putting options depending on where on the green your ball ends up. Hole 14 is also very interesting, as this is the hole on which Kidd received significant input from the winner of the Golf Digest Armchair Architect competition. The hole is designed to be short enough to be a driveable par 4 for a lot of players, especially if the tee shot follows the "speed slot" created by the steep downhill right-to-left slope of the right side of the fairway.

For those of us who aren't members of private clubs or don't have friends who can get us on exclusive courses, the resorts created by the Keiser family give regular golfers a chance to play outstanding courses that are open to the public. Of the great courses I have played in North America, my top favorites are Cabot Cliffs, Pacific Dunes, and now Mammoth Dunes. For me, these three courses are simply 3 different flavors of "great." If you have an opportunity to play Mammoth Dunes, you should definitely play it. You will not be disappointed!

Schley · June 1, 2018

Great report thanks for all the details

BG5 · June 1, 2018

Excellent report......any idea when the temporary greens will be removed from the SV course? Is there still alot of grow in needed on both courses?

exgolfpro · June 1, 2018

Very nice. I will be there the week after 4th of July. Cant wait.

SDL · June 1, 2018

Excellent report......any idea when the temporary greens will be removed from the SV course? Is there still alot of grow in needed on both courses?

I'm not sure exactly when the temp greens will be removed, but I think it will be pretty soon. The resort sent out an update on May 22 that said that all holes on Sand Valley, Mammoth Dunes, and the Sandbox would be open by May 29, and I found that to be true when I was there. The resort is extending "preview" rates (roughly 25% lower than the regular rate schedule) on MD and SV until June 10, which makes me think that they plan to remove the temp greens by then.

Greens on both courses are running pretty slow currently, and there are a few spots that are a bit bare and/or sandy, but I think both courses are doing well considering their young ages. I am sure that the greens will play faster as they mature, but I did not have the feeling that I was playing courses that are still "under construction" (except for the temp greens on SV, of course). The greens are quite firm and rarely show a significant ball mark, much like the links courses in Scotland and Ireland. With all the sand, these courses drain extremely well, and we experienced good roll-out even on shots in a steady rain on SV.