Dismal?

As part of the package of renovation stories, a sidebar review of "different" courses is included. Brad Klein slipped this not-so-glowing review of Dismal River in:

Anytime you open a golf course with a windmill smack in the middle of a hole, you raise some eyebrows. Dismal River, a Jack Nicklaus design in the middle of Nebraska's Sand Hills, did just that, on its par-5 fourth hole, and the windmill looks perfectly natural on what was an old ranch. There are some fine, natural looking holes here, but also some significant tweaks that already are being planned to fix some rough spots, including a partial regrading of three fairways and significant softening of the slopes on a half-dozen greens.

Lest anyone think that rerouting a course out here on such natural terrain is easy, remember that in routing Sand Hills Golf Club, which sits only five miles east of Dismal River, co-designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw took two years to settle on a sequence of holes that would work in the wind and that would accommodate the ground game.

Dismal River couldn't be more different, not only in playing character, but also in its overall business model. A 26,000-square-foot clubhouse/lodge looms over the property, and the club includes high-end real estate, spa, bowling alley, corporate outings and an exclusive dining room for founding members.

Comments

[Scott]

A windmill? I thought it would be on the green. I wonder if resorting to minature golf features- castles as clubhouses, a windmill, lakes that are artifical blue, and so on will attract the families to take up golf.

[Stan DeBarrens Jr.]

I have not heard on decent thing about this course.

Is this proof to the world that what Coore & Crenshaw, Hanse & Doak do is far and away from what the more commercially accepted architects are capable of?

I think so.

[Stan DeBarrens Jr.]

Re-reading what I wrote, meaning that Jack Nick, Tom Fiz, Russ Jones just can't do GREAT work.

[skannberg]

i guess jack's people never told him about norman's course at the national that featured a windmill.

[Steven T.]

...Or that other course on Eastern Long Island that has a windmill? Isn't it good that the course is being reworked to rectify problems or whatever so soon? Is a golf course made in concrete? How many times has Dye reworked TPC Sawgrass? What about the "business model?" Maybe Dismal is going after the corporate market, so what? Different strokes for different folks. It's not a public course and I am not a rater so I really don't care unless someone invites me to play there. Anyone...anyone?

[Adam Clayman]

Jack and crew have taken the correct step in learning how to do "that".

It does sound like they have identified some of the problem areas and are correcting them. Whether it all works, or, constant tweaking will be needed, time will tell.

With 2900 acres to choose from, some of the proximities are real head scratchers. As is the name of the club. You don't see the River from the course, which is a bit of a let down.