Golf Course Architecture - Issue 63, January 2021

65 review and walk of the routing, the severity of some of the proposed elevation changes were “worrisome”. To be transparent, I thought it was a bit batshit hilly. There was nothing remotely minimalist about this master plan. Back in the day, though, Langford and Moreau would be buying rounds for the house. The project began taking physical shape over the course of 2020. Tons of glacial till was bludgeoned into a variety of compelling lanes, softened elevation changes, and fantastical features. No two holes will ever be mistaken for each other. The shock and awe has abated. The property has big sky infinity views, outsized punchbowls, expansive landing areas that ascend ridges to the bottom of the sky. Hybrid steam shovelling The machines have won and forced the land to do the bidding of the architectural drawing. If there is an outstanding variable, it will be the delivery of visual drama. Hilltop big sky views have forced adjustments to the routing and width. The big sky is where the big wind originates. There are days when the wind blows as if you’re teeing off of a bullet train platform. King-Collins have made significant expansions of strategic landing areas. Simply stated, more width. The architects eschewed a number of lower elevation nap-of-the- earth routings that would have resulted in boxed dead ends and severe climb outs. Additionally, the glacial till drains well and wind-bakes into a sand like dry surface. The grass slicks like ice when windy and wet. This necessitated reworked corridors to deliver yet more width. Another issue taken into consideration is the ability get the water to hit the grass in the windy conditions. With a 310-foot elevation change from the irrigation lake to the high point atop the fourteenth green, the irrigation and pump house infrastructure spec could service a ski resort snowmaking system. During each of our multiple site visits, more earth was moved, softening the shock of the elevations changes. Minimalists will still hate it . The enormity and drama of the property is amplified by the routing. On a clear day, the views atop the ridge stretch for more miles than you can squint. Also seen is the wind coming from Montana, Wyoming The closing stretch, two par fours and a par five, runs across a ridgetop Photo: StoryLounge/Vaughn Halyard