Landmand, Te Arai, among others have golf architecture fans champing at the bit for 2022 to arrive.
After a decade of course closings dominating the headlines starting with the economic downturn in 2008, architects have been busier moving earth over the past several years. Coast to coast as well as abroad, several top-tier layouts have come online from noted architects – think Tom Doak, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, even Tiger Woods.
This new year promises more of the same, with the following five new courses being among those I can’t wait to see in 2022.
In keeping with recent development trends, these courses aren’t necessarily close to major population centers. Only one of them – the East Course at PGA Frisco – is near a big city, situated as it is on the northern outskirts of Dallas. The other four on this list? You’ll need planes, trains, automobiles or maybe a boat, and definitely a passport.
Doesn’t matter. Great golf is worth any travel. So in no particular order, here are five new courses I want to sink my nubby spikes into during 2022.
The new course in Michigan will donate profits to the Folds of Honor, helping children of fallen soldiers with academic scholarships.
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – American Dunes, the brainchild of U.S. Air Force Reserves Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney and the design product of Jack Nicklaus, officially took flight Sunday.
A fan of golf architecture should be forgiven for imagining commonalities between the course itself and many of the missions Rooney has undertaken in F-16 fighter planes.
Before a pilot takes off, the plane first must slowly taxi across level ground before hitting the throttles and blasting skyward. Free to move in new dimensions, the jet can twist and turn as the mission demands, with speed and demands increasing as the plane climbs.
American Dunes has a similar arc. After taxiing across the tarmac for the first three holes through defined corridors and past homes along the perimeter of the property, the layout climbs uphill to the par-3 fourth’s tee. From there, everything changes. The course soars into a newly revealed environment, a joyride of twists and turns through sandy dunes recently exposed by Nicklaus’ design team.
The par-3 fourth hole at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan, is where the wide-open nature of much of the layout takes off. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Previously home to the Grand Haven Golf Club, which Rooney’s family owned for more than 20 years, much of the site has been cleared of more than 2,000 trees to reveal the rises and falls of those natural dunes previously hidden in the woods.
Big skies and panoramas have replaced narrow playing corridors – as many as seven holes are in view at once on the back nine – with natural-looking sandscapes seemingly everywhere. In truth, there’s plenty of width and playability off the tee for players who choose the proper tee boxes – after decades of Grand Haven Golf Club being known for all the trees and demands on accuracy they created, it might be hard for its former players to recognize this as the same land.
“Other than sitting on the same site, it’s a complete reimagination,” said Rooney, who three years ago asked Nicklaus to get involved. “And it’s a next-level, amazing design and nothing like the bowling alley, target golf we used to play out here.”
An entrance wall displays a quote by Jack Nicklaus, who designed the new American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Rooney was speaking at the conclusion of grand-opening festivities that included Nicklaus, Kid Rock, a squadron’s worth of pilots past and present, and a lineup of singers, television personalities and more. It was all to benefit the Folds of Honor, a charitable organization Rooney founded in 2007 to benefit the children of killed and injured U.S. military soldiers. Folds of Honor has since awarded academic scholarships to more than 29,000 children.
Forget the trees, the renovation, the golf altogether for a minute, Rooney would tell you. The mission wasn’t simply to remake an old course. The goal was to raise funds for those kids of fallen soldiers, and in keeping with that, all profits from American Dunes will be donated to Folds of Honor.
To reach the new clubhouse, players will walk through a shrine of sorts, with the images and stories of soldiers who died in service – their boot prints are etched into the pavement. There is a statement by Nicklaus along the walls of the entranceway, declaring, “I love the game of golf, but I love my country more,” in giant letters. There is scripture quoted, keeping in line with Rooney’s faith. There are images of fighter planes and folded American flags (hence the name of Folds of Honor), and of course a giant American flag towering over and beyond the concrete walls from alongside the ninth fairway. The walkway leads to a golf shop full of red, white and blue merchandise.
The walkway into the pro shop displays the stories of fallen soldiers above their boot prints embedded in the pavement at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
There are more plaques dedicated to fallen soldiers on each tee box. There’s a white cross between Nos. 17 and 18 to further commemorate such losses. The clubhouse restaurant is set up as a fighter squadron bar. The entire place, in many ways, has the vibe of a Fourth of July parade combined with Memorial Day.
Simply put, it’s patriotism with the afterburners kicked on – just the way Rooney likes it.
“I love flying fast for freedom, and obviously Folds of Honor is God’s calling for my life,” said Rooney, who, besides still flying fighters and raising more than a hundred million dollars for charitable causes, is also a PGA of America golf professional. “And any significant thing in my life is connected to the game of golf. To be able to put those attributes all together, and to share that, well … This isn’t red or blue, it’s red, white and blue and a chance to celebrate the attributes that make this country special and that it was founded upon.”
A head cover for sale in the pro shop at American Dunes sticks to the patriotic theme of the new course in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
Rooney partnered with four other investors to establish American Dunes LLC in renovating the layout, and Nicklaus agreed to waive what Rooney said was his typical $3-million design fee. Still, large donations were needed to make the renovation happen, and Rooney is a natural pitchman who was able to garner support. He recently shied away from guessing exactly how much money might be generated by the course for donation to Folds of Honor in the form of operating profits from the course, but if all goes to plan, it should be enough to benefit thousands more children.
As of the grand opening, more than 11,000 players had booked rounds in 2021 to play a new course none of them had seen. And while Rooney said the focus should be on Folds of Honor and not necessarily the layout itself, those players are in for a treat on a layout that stretches to 7,213 yards off the longest tees.
Especially on the back nine, which used to be the front. Nicklaus said Rooney suggested flipping the nines to finish across the best duneland on the property.
After No. 10 takes players away from the clubhouse and the nearby giant American Flag alongside the ninth fairway, the landscape stretches out on the downhill stroll along the 11th fairway. From there, players can see parts of Nos. 12, 13 and especially 17 running alongside, and much of the layout opens even more from there. Gone are the trees, replaced by long views across multiple fairways and greens.
A cross sits between Nos. 17 and 18 at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. Players are urged to leave nickels in the grass at the cross, a long tradition of pilots at the gravesites of fallen soldiers. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
“He told me it was going to be named American Dunes, and I got here (the first time) and it was totally tree-lined with huge trees,” Nicklaus said. “I went, ‘Where are the dunes? Where are these things?’ And he said, ‘They’re underneath those trees. That means we had to take down some trees. … I’m usually a bit of a tree hugger, and I don’t like to take them down. But in this case, it was the appropriate thing to do.”
First to go were the trees planted in rows over the decades since Grand Haven Golf Club opened in the 1965. Rooney, the son of the course’s owners, knew there was great golf land beneath all that cover.
“This was Dan’s vision, and I said, ‘If that’s where you would like to go, then it’s my job to help you create your vision.’ ” Nicklaus said. “That’s what I do, and that’s what I enjoy doing.”
Nicklaus didn’t set out to build an overly demanding layout – don’t confuse this course with some previous Nicklaus courses built decades ago to test PGA Tour players while vexing recreational players. There are no extremely tiered greens, no overly burdensome forced carries across water. There are ponds, most on the front nine, but thoughtful amateurs can play around instead of necessarily over them.
No. 16 features a sandy cross bunker at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
That doesn’t mean American Dunes is a pushover. Located near but not on the shores of Lake Michigan, the course can experience substantial winds. The 16th, in particular, is a long par 4 stretching 503 yards off the back tee, playing toward the lake and into the predominant breeze. A stretch of native sand juts across the fairway some 100 yards from the green. But unlike water, players can play from such a waste area, so instead of lost balls, it’s merely lost strokes for those either unfortunate or careless enough to deposit a ball in the brown sand.
Along with the rolling elevation changes, the sandy expanses are the defining features of the back nine. The native sand is extremely soft, almost powder-like, sometimes tough to escape and requiring skill and speed to keep the clubhead moving. There is plenty of room in most cases to avoid the sand if a player thinks, but that doesn’t make a shot from the waste areas any easier after a careless or poorly executed swing.
Besides the rolling duneland, sand – as seen here on No. 10 – is the prominent feature of American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Jason Lusk/Golfweek)
In all, the sandy waste areas and tumbling terrain create a raw, exposed sensation – very different from many of the courses Nicklaus built with plentiful water and nearly wall-to-wall grass decades ago.
“I like to let things evolve,” Nicklaus said. “… Sand is great to work with. If I could do every golf course, the rest of my golf courses, on sand, that would be my choice. …
“It’s all built on sand, so it’s going to drain fast. And we wanted to get a golf course that’s going to play fast (allowing the ball to roll), so even with some yardage it’s not going to play long. And hopefully, it’s fun.”
It all makes for a unique experience for those who might crave a mix of unfettered patriotism and solid golf.
“One thing Mr. Nicklaus always said to me, I want to get you a golf course that’s as good as the cause,” Rooney said. “I think we have that here.”
Jack Nicklaus designed American Dunes in Michigan, and all profits will benefit Folds of Honor and the families of fallen U.S. soldiers.
Ever had to bend an approach shot around a giant American flag? You might if you’re lucky enough to play the soon-to-open, Jack Nicklaus-designed American Dunes in western Michigan.
“We have the most unapologetic, massive American flag that sits in the middle of the conjoining fairways on nine and 10,” said U.S. Air Force Reserves Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rooney, who still flies F-16 fighter planes and who is the driving force behind American Dunes. “And there’s a local rule: It’s an unmovable obstruction. If you’re behind it, what a great story to tell.”
There will be many similar stories at the new course. Built to drive its profits to the Folds of Honor, a non-profit organization that provides academic scholarships to the children of wounded or killed soldiers, American Dunes promises to loudly and proudly salute those who have sacrificed while in military service.
American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan (Courtesy of American Dunes)
American Dunes opens May 2, and all profits from the course will be donated to Folds of Honor, which Rooney created in 2007 after sitting on a tarmac at the end of a commercial flight that also brought home the remains of a fallen soldier. The pilots of the flight asked that passengers remain seated while the casket containing the soldier was unloaded from the plane, but many passengers stood and began deboarding. Rooney wanted to find a better way to honor the sacrifice of that soldier and all those like him.
Folds of Honor was born, and in 2019 it awarded approximately $22 million in educational scholarships to more than 4,500 students, representing a 10 percent increase in scholarships from 2018.
Jack Nicklaus designed the renovated layout at American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan. (Courtesy of American Dunes)
American Dunes in an extension of that mission, Rooney said, and the patriotic theme will be everywhere. Players must walk through what Rooney called a massive Folds of Honor memorial on the way into the clubhouse. The boot imprints of fallen soldiers will line the walkway through 8-foot walls, on which hang the stories of those soldiers and their families as well as the origin story of Folds. A bell will toll 13 times at 1 p.m. each day to signify the 13 folds in the American flag when it is handed to a fallen soldier’s family, and the National Anthem will play daily.
“I’m telling you, people will walk into the golf shop with tears in their eyes. You will know immediately why this place is here,” Rooney said of the entrance. “If you were talking to a normal person about any other golf course, they would want to tell you all about the course. But the golf is just one character, certainly a main character but just one character in this story of American Dunes. It’s really not the only thing that sets it apart, because there’s a lot of great golf in the world.
“Nobody will be disappointed when they come play this course. … But what they’re going to tell their friends about is not simply the golf story. It’s the experience we created at American Dunes that is unlike anything else in the world. I always go back to the term reverent, and it’s so reverent.”
American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan (Courtesy of American Dunes)
The course sits on the site of the former Grand Haven Golf Club, which was built in 1965 and which Rooney’s family owned for 20 years. Rooney partnered with four other investors to establish American Dunes LLC in renovating the layout, and little looks the same after Nicklaus agreed to wave what Rooney said was his typical $3-million design fee and totally rethought what was a heavily wooded course just a few hundred yards from the shore of Lake Michigan.
Rooney called the new layout much more “natural and organic,” with long views across the rolling property’s nearly 100 feet of elevation changes in what is now a much bouncier, sandier environment.
“The site was there, but it was totally treed,” Rooney said. “And it was on sand, but there was not a bit of sand you could see anywhere. That was the brilliance of Jack coming in and saying we’re going to take out every piece of turf, take out every piece of topsoil, take down 100 acres of trees, and we’re going to turn this thing into American Dunes. In Jack fashion, man, it’s hard. The slope from the back is like 151. So it’s all the golf you would ever want. …
American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan (Courtesy of American Dunes)
“When Jack came up to see the site, they drove around the golf course on a beautiful afternoon in May, and when we finished he said, ‘Dan, you have no idea what you have here.’ Then we started the process, and it went from ‘Hey, I’m going to do a nice little redesign,’ to a complete reimagination. What drove that line of effort was that this golf course has the potential, and it has to be as good and as reverent as the cause. They literally stripped this dune environment.”
Rooney said Nicklaus made nine trips to the site, and Nicklaus’ wife, Barbara, told Rooney that the plans for the course were frequently found on the kitchen table as Jack plotted the design.
American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan (Courtesy of American Dunes)
“I’ve never seen Jack do anything like this course,” said Rooney, who besides being a fighter pilot is also a PGA of America golf professional. “You could put tee markers anywhere and play it at any length. It’s kind of informal, if you know what I mean. It’s just so natural.”
The patriotic and military themes extends beyond the golf course and the memorial at the entrance to the clubhouse. The restaurant is set up like a fighter jocks’ squadron bar, with the beer taps built into a hollowed-out Aim-9 Sidewinder missile that normally would be hung under the wing of an F-16. Rooney called it the “ultimate Budweiser bar,” as the brand will be favored after Budweiser has donated more than $18 million to Folds of Honor over the past decade.
“The hang, if you want to call it that, at this place is just over the top. It’s just fun,” Rooney said, adding that the experience can go even further when a lodge named The Camp opens in 2022 with 16 rooms.
American Dunes in Grand Haven, Michigan (Courtesy of American Dunes)
Many companies have donated course equipment or provided deep discounts to support Rooney’s mission, and others have donated to support construction. Rooney is a natural pitchman and fundraiser, and it’s easy to be swept up in his enthusiasm for the project, whether you be a golfer, a military supporter or both. With profits going to Folds, Rooney said it’s all worth it.
“This is a golf course where the objective, the unwavering objective, is to raise money and awareness for the Folds of Honor Foundation and support these families,” Rooney said. “That’s what truly sets this place apart.”
The layout eventually will go private, but Sterling Grove Golf and Country Club allowing public preview play until community is built out.
The new Sterling Grove Golf and Country Club in Surprise, Arizona, will open its Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf course to limited public preview play starting Feb. 11.
The course is set against a backdrop of the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix. Plans include 1,700 trees in the desert setting, with wide landing areas in fairways and undulating greens.
Troon, a course-management company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, will operate the club. Plans are for the course eventually to go private, but limited public play is available as the 780-acre community is built out by Toll Brothers.
Public green fees will be $89, with tee times accepted 30 days in advance. The clubhouse and on-course amenities are still under construction, and a food truck will be on site until those open.
Troon said in a media release announcing the opening that this is the first course to open to public play in Arizona since 2016.
“We are excited to finally unveil the new Sterling Grove Golf and Country Club to the public,” Sterling Grove general manager Ryan Stemsrud said in the media release. “This is not your traditional Arizona golf experience; it has a very distinct look and feel.”
