Opened in 1995, Sand Hills Golf Club near Mullen, Neb., is the granddaddy of all remote destination courses. Two-time Masters champ Ben Crenshaw and design partner Bill Coore saw 130 golf holes in those sand hills five hours away from a major city and built 18 that have been ranked as the best modern course in America.
Remote destination golf courses: seven that have gained prestige
With Minnesota's Tepetonka Club in planning, here are other out-of-the-way U.S. destinations that provide an exclusive golf experience.
June 25, 2022 at 9:13PM
Others that have followed, often providing hunting and fishing as well for an exclusive, private membership:
- Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club in eastern Colorado.
- Dismal River Club near Sand Hills in Mullen, Neb.
- The Prairie Club near Valentine, Neb., is semi-private and features a Tom Lehman design as one of its two 18-hole courses.
- Sutton Bay on the shores of the Missouri River and Lake Oahe in South Dakota.
- Sand Valley in Wisconsin, where the king of public destination golf Mike Keiser with Bandon Dunes in Oregon now is adding the private Lido Club to three public courses.
- The Harvester in Rhodes, Iowa, not far from Des Moines and Ames, went private after opening in 2001 as a public daily-fee course.
Also planned: private GrayBull and CapRock Ranch in western Nebraska, and public Landmane in northeastern Nebraska.
