Classic Heathland Golf Design Meets New-World Tech
Note: the full case study can be found here.
If you haven’t heard the history of Sand Valley by now, you likely will soon. The central Wisconsin sugar-sand landmass formed eons ago under The Laurentide Ice Sheet, a massive glacier that eventually melted to create a lake four times the size of Lake Winnebago. Sand Valley hid in plain sight for a few Millenia until Craig Haltom from Oliphant Golf discovered the property, and along with the help of course designers, shapers (and, yes, Reinders’ quality suppliers and support staff) created the first and now second (Mammoth Dunes) courses at Sand Valley Golf Resort in rural Rome, Wisconsin.
Sand Valley shares a scenic surprise at every turn, but it was Superintendent Rob Duhm’s experience at The Kingsley Club in Northern Michigan — that gave him the multifaceted skill set needed to take on the task of growing and maintaining what was essentially a rolling, barren ATV track. Truly nothing could have prepared Duhm and his team for the challenges they’d face molding the towering dunes into the versatile, playable vision set out for Sand Valley by designers Coore & Crenshaw. In an interview, Duhm revealed that Sand Valley’s key ingredient turned out to be his biggest obstacle.
Push play to view our short documentary below. Or, read the full story here.
