WILD HORSE (Courtesy of GCA)

In the second half of my interview with Josh Mahar, the superintendent of Wild Horse, he discusses their practice of burning the native grass rough once every three years. There are pros and cons to this practice, but to me it is a very attractive option. It recreates the process that naturally manages the prairie  and it requires less fuel than mowing the roughs. (video after jump)

The downside is that it does really seem to revitalize the native grasses. Last summer was wetter than average in the Sand Hills and the rough was frequently a jungle, making finding a mis-hit ball almost impossible. This problem is one that affects all the courses in the region. Keeping irrigation out of the native is a very difficult task which I think Ballyneal has done the best job of accomplishing.

Josh goes on to talk about the size of his staff. His ability to keep this course in such great shape with so few resources is something that should be studied in these lean economic times. Josh claims that because the course has so few extras (trees, landscaping, etc.), he can get away with a very small crew.

For the first half of the interview, click here.

I really like this video by Geoff Shackelford about figuring out the land plan at the Prairie Club. It was great having Geoff, Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner out in Valentine for at least part of the summer. Their final product, the spectacular Horse Course, interacts with the canyon in way that highlights the unique setting and is quite different from the way Graham Marsh used it on his course. It will be a great place to drink a few beers and goof around with friends after a round or two on the larger golf courses.

The Hanse Design team, including the Scottish trio of Ross, John, and Neal who did a lot of the labor in the hot Nebraska sun, should be very proud of the incredible beauty of the bunkers on the course and the way they tie into the canyon. The wide variety of shots that can be played over this small bit of ground will make this one short course that you will want to play over and over.

Let’s hope that Geoff produces at least a Volume Two about the Prairie Club.

Tom’s enthusiasm for anything related to golf, from green design to siting of the clubhouse, is evident in the fianl product at the Prairie Club. He and Chris decided to route the golf course in a way that was very different from how Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw used the landscape at Sand Hills and Tom Doak did at Ballyneal. The course attacks the dunes and the result is a dramatic course that is still very playable due the course’s width.- WS