The State of Oklahoma is deep into talks with Dream Golf, the builder of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, about developing a similar destination in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Dream Golf’s latest proposal — the product of discussions that started two years ago — involves four possible panhandle sites and design alternatives that include both redevelopment of an existing course and starting from scratch.
Dream Golf — which has visionary Mike Keiser and his sons Michael and Chris at the helm — is known for building top-of-the-line golf resorts on sandy terrain. The panhandle’s sandy landscape is remarkably similar to that of the Nebraska Sandhills region on which Coore-Crenshaw built the Sandhills Golf Club in 1994. That course, perennially ranked in the top 100 U.S. courses, spurred other golf developments in north-central Nebraska.
People in Oklahoma’s golf industry are calling the possible Dream Golf deal “the game changer of all game changers” for golf tourism in the state.
Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said state officials hope to “lock down a deal” soon. Tom Ferrell, Dream Golf’s vice president of communications, called the panhandle’s terrain “fantastic” for golf course-construction and said the ball is now in state officials’ court.
“This would be a tremendous boon to the State of Oklahoma and we look forward to hearing back from them,” Ferrell says.
In addition to the acclaimed Bandon Dunes Resort on Oregon’s southern coast, Dream Golf has developed multi-course destinations in Wisconsin (Sand Valley) and Florida (Old Shores), and will open 36-hole projects in Colorado (Rodeo Dunes) and Texas (Wild Spring Dunes) next year.
The news comes less than a month after Oklahoma state officials announced the launch of the new Oklahoma Golf Trail, an array of 18 public-access courses that spans the breadth of Oklahoma. The only question is why the Sooner State didn’t do it … well, sooner.
Oklahoma has a rich golf history and enjoys an incredibly diverse landscape that varies from wetlands and verdant Ozarks-like hills in the east to the semi-arid panhandle in the west. About a third of the trail’s courses are in or near Oklahoma City or Tulsa. The rest are in small clusters in smaller towns.
For golf architecture buffs, the trail includes three courses designed by Perry Maxwell, one of the giants of golf architecture in the first half of the 20th century. Maxwell is known for his undulating greens and a minimalist’s use of the land’s flow. His best-known design, Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, has hosted three U.S. Opens and five PGA Championships. More