[Jason Thurman]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

[David Kelly]

The biggest question I had after playing the course with Mayhugh a few weeks ago is whether the course will be able to be maintained in the way it was presented to us into the future.  The amount of grass on the course is staggering and at the same time the bunkers are immense.  Add to that huge greens (I walked off one par 3 green and it was 86 yards long x 56 yards wide and it wasn't even the biggest green on the course), many of which, like the punch bowl, have steep walls of grass that will be a bitch to mow.  If they aren't doing land office business, are they prepared for the money and commitment it is going to take?

[V_Halyard]

The biggest question I had after playing the course with Mayhugh a few weeks ago is whether the course will be able to be maintained in the way it was presented to us into the future.  The amount of grass on the course is staggering and at the same time the bunkers are immense.  Add to that huge greens (I walked off one par 3 green and it was 86 yards long x 56 yards wide and it wasn't even the biggest green on the course), many of which, like the punch bowl, have steep walls of grass that will be a bitch to mow.  If they aren't doing land office business, are they prepared for the money and commitment it is going to take?

A fair question. 

I will offer this. Having spent a couple years visiting and filming intermittently, I have learned that virtually all of the farmland you were able to see, both adjacent the course, and in the valley below, is owned, farmed and managed by Will and his family. You met the soft spoken father Bryce, but don't let his gentle demeanor fool you. 
They are family farm PROS, with tens of thousands of acres (or more) in production. This is not to imply that managing a golf course of that magnitude is a cake walk, but in relation to their wide variety of crops from turf grass, to corn to beans to other veggies, and fruit, the golf course is a small footprint with fewer complexities. All of the fields around and behind 8,9,10 are theirs as well as the fields you can see in the distance behind the clubhouse. 
The folks that work there have all dealt with a wide variety of complex agronomic environments and are seeming to enjoy the trials, creative challenges, and experimentation associated with this tiny-tiny >500 acre plot.



LANDMAND 18 towards Clubhouse - V.Halyard Photo



Fields LANADMAND 18 towards Clubhouse - V.Halyard Photo



LANDMAND Hole 8_9_10- V.Halyard Photo

[Tommy Williamsen]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

Jason, I enjoyed Landman but I seriously doubt many will fly to Sioux City to Play Landman and then drive five hours to western Nebraska.

[Kalen Braley]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

Jason, I enjoyed Landman but I seriously doubt many will fly to Sioux City to Play Landman and then drive five hours to western Nebraska.

Tommy,

This was my thought too, although its only a 4 hour drive according to Google maps from Landmand to Valentine.

However, its also 2 lane highway the whole way... driving thru town after town and being careful to avoid head-on collisions, vs driving on a wide open Interstate with Cruise Control and enjoying the views.

[Jason Thurman]

Kalen, have you ever driven in Nebraska? Those two-lane highways have speed limits of about 80 mph and you see another car about once every 2 hours...


Tommy, I don't disagree that Sioux City to Valentine is a haul. But that's more of a Prairie Club problem than a Landmand problem, right? It feels like more GCAers have already played Landmand than have ever made it to Prairie Club, and the joint officially opened barely a week ago. I think this partly reflects the fact that it's just not that damn hard to get to.

[ward peyronnin]

John
What were your connections form Louisville?

[David Kelly]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

Jason, I enjoyed Landman but I seriously doubt many will fly to Sioux City to Play Landman and then drive five hours to western Nebraska.

There are some that will.  I made the KC to Omaha to Valentine to Sioux City to Salina to Hutchinson to KC run in 5 days.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

Jason, I enjoyed Landman but I seriously doubt many will fly to Sioux City to Play Landman and then drive five hours to western Nebraska.

There are some that will.  I made the KC to Omaha to Valentine to Sioux City to Salina to Hutchinson to KC run in 5 days.

That’s a lot of in car time. What did you play that motivated you to do all that driving?

[Kalen Braley]

Jason,

Having lived in the Western US my entire life, I've driven more 2 lane highways over long distances than I'd care to admit.  While I've never driven the specific ones mentioned in Nebraska, I'd dare say they aren't that fundamentally different than the ones found in the other 11 states out West that I have driven in.

P.S.  The dangers of 2 lane highways is well documented, so yes give me median separated Interstate highways where I don't have to watch out for oncoming traffic or people cutting across intersections every day and twice on Sunday.. 

[Jason Thurman]

LoL the Sandhills definitely aren't for everybody. If you're afraid of 2 lane highways, you're definitely not ready for Soddy Rd.


Anybody else ready to talk about the golf yet? I wasn't sold on 8 until I finally saw somebody hit it close. I wasn't sold on 15 until I finally saw somebody besides me miss the green. I'm surprised that I think 7 and 17 both work. I'm not sure that 10 does, but I did enjoy lasering a 106 yard approach and then swinging hard with my 160 club to set up an easy par. I thought it was remarkable that the first putt I faced at Landmand could've been played either 15 feet left or 20 feet right, and that I lagged it to inside 3 feet from both directions. I was more surprised that I never really felt like the course went over the top... up top sure, but not over the top.

[David Kelly]

Landmand is 18 minutes from downtown in an 86,000 person city - not huge, but a rock solid homebase for a golf trip. An easy connecting flight from anywhere. 90 minutes from Omaha. Fairly priced. Totally outside the box. It'll justify the trip for many, many golfers.


The best golf trip I ever took involved flying to Denver and making the journey deep into the Sand Hills, stopping and playing along the way to an all-time guys' weekend. Landmand makes an equally great trip available to any golfer with an adventurous spirit. You fly to Sioux City, drive to Dannebrog, swing over to Gothenburg, up to Valentine, and over to Homer. A lot of driving, but touring Nebraska is part of the joy of visiting Nebraska.

Jason, I enjoyed Landman but I seriously doubt many will fly to Sioux City to Play Landman and then drive five hours to western Nebraska.

There are some that will.  I made the KC to Omaha to Valentine to Sioux City to Salina to Hutchinson to KC run in 5 days.

That’s a lot of in car time. What did you play that motivated you to do all that driving?

Omaha CC
CapRock
Prairie Club
Landmand
Salina CC
Prairie Dunes

[Jason Thurman]

David, how was Caprock? And Salina for that matter?

[David Kelly]

LoL the Sandhills definitely aren't for everybody. If you're afraid of 2 lane highways, you're definitely not ready for Soddy Rd.


Anybody else ready to talk about the golf yet? I wasn't sold on 8 until I finally saw somebody hit it close. I wasn't sold on 15 until I finally saw somebody besides me miss the green. I'm surprised that I think 7 and 17 both work. I'm not sure that 10 does, but I did enjoy lasering a 106 yard approach and then swinging hard with my 160 club to set up an easy par. I thought it was remarkable that the first putt I faced at Landmand could've been played either 15 feet left or 20 feet right, and that I lagged it to inside 3 feet from both directions. I was more surprised that I never really felt like the course went over the top... up top sure, but not over the top.

Wasn't thrilled with 8 but I'm generally not a fan of "2 or 20" holes.  I agree with you about 7, 17, and 10.  14, the redan worked very well with the slope moving the ball right to left but not rocketing it like the banks of the punchbowl 10th do.   I'm guessing that repeated plays on 10 would tell you where to use the slope for each pin placement.  I was a little disoriented on 16 and didn't play my tee shot correctly, both rounds.  I had no idea what the carry was towards the fairway bunker but now I know I can't make it regardless.

[David Kelly]

David, how was Caprock? And Salina for that matter?

Salina was ok.  I think it is up in the air as to whether Maxwell did renovations there.  His name is on the scorecard but if so those are the tamest Maxwell greens I've seen.  The course needs tree work and the bunkers are pretty shallow and uninspired. Still worth playing though.


CapRock is pretty damn good.  The greens look a lot tamer than say the Dunes course at the Prairie Club next door but once you are around them and on them they are much more interesting.  The green sites on the ridgeline that Gil picked out for the par 3s are incredible, to the poiint that I commented that I would have liked to have seen one that wasn't so dramatic just for a break.  Maybe that's because you end on a par 3 that is a 200+ yard carry over a river canyon.  The course is as good as anything in the sand hills.

[John Mayhugh]

I seriously doubt Landmand will have trouble attracting enough play. It's probably too pricey to be someone's regular public course, but it doesn't need to be. There is enough population nearby to ensure there is local play, and it's a pretty easy trip to make from a number of larger areas. If I lived in Omaha, I would happily make the trip every month or so.

It seems like a great buddies trip location. Stay in Sioux City where there is a casino and it's much cheaper than a trip to the likes of Bandon, Sand Valley, Kohler, or Streamsong. I agree that a second course makes for a more desirable trip, but the area isn't nearly as remote as some posters are acting.

Ward, I flew SWA through Chicago to Omaha, but that was so I could play Omaha CC and see a good friend of mine who recently moved there. It was maybe 1.5 hours drive to Landmand. I flew Delta home through ATL, but like the outbound flight that was just due to schedule needs. I think United is the only airline that goes to Sioux City. Sioux Falls is another flight option, but it's also 1.5 hours from the course.

I think it would be more interesting to see discussion on the golf course than on the business case. The owners didn't strike me as noobs.

[Steve Lapper]

A few points for the interested:


1. The Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City has great rooms for a very reasonable price <$140 midweek.


2. Be sure to have your own transportation. I could not get either an Uber/Lyft, nor any cab on a perfectly sunny Thursday morning. There was literally not a single car for hire in a city of 80k to get from town to the airport.


3. Landmand is a 20 min drive from Sioux City. A fellow golfer gratefully offered a ride back into town, but the prospect of finding any mode of public (or private for hire) transportation simply does not exist.


All of the above said, I can't wait to go back. I throughly enjoyed the golf course.

[V_Halyard]

A few points for the interested:


1. The Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City has great rooms for a very reasonable price <$140 midweek.

2. Be sure to have your own transportation. I could not get either an Uber/Lyft, nor any cab on a perfectly sunny Thursday morning. There was literally not a single car for hire in a city of 80k to get from town to the airport.

3. Landmand is a 20 min drive from Sioux City. A fellow golfer gratefully offered a ride back into town, but the prospect of finding any mode of public (or private for hire) transportation simply does not exist.

All of the above said, I can't wait to go back. I throughly enjoyed the golf course.

Damn. Question, did you fly United into SUX?

[Ira Fishman]

For those of you who seem to have a connection to the Landmand enterprise, the Landmand tee time function does not seem work on iOS for iPads. It says that the next available day/time should be displayed after a search, but it is not.


Ira

[Steve Lapper]

A few points for the interested:


1. The Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City has great rooms for a very reasonable price <$140 midweek.

2. Be sure to have your own transportation. I could not get either an Uber/Lyft, nor any cab on a perfectly sunny Thursday morning. There was literally not a single car for hire in a city of 80k to get from town to the airport.

3. Landmand is a 20 min drive from Sioux City. A fellow golfer gratefully offered a ride back into town, but the prospect of finding any mode of public (or private for hire) transportation simply does not exist.

All of the above said, I can't wait to go back. I throughly enjoyed the golf course.

Damn. Question, did you fly United into SUX?

I flew UA out of Sioux City.....drove in from Denver with Barry,


Regardless, it's important that there be some transportation availability (there was exactly one car available all that week according to the only car rental desk at the airport) to facilitate those who might want to fly into the closest commercial airport.

[Ben Hollerbach]

For those of you who seem to have a connection to the Landmand enterprise, the Landmand tee time function does not seem work on iOS for iPads. It says that the next available day/time should be displayed after a search, but it is not.


Ira

I passed along a message about the booking app, but I’m pretty sure they do not have any online tee times available for the rest of the year.  You might want to call and see if you can schedule a time that way.

[Ira Fishman]

Ben,


Thanks for passing my message on. I am highly unlikely to get out there this year although it is on the list for a future trip.


 My post actually was intended as a subtle nudge to any posters who might have a self-interest in Landmand's success. I have zero objection if they do so, but disclosure would be helpful. Richard Mandell has been transparent about promoting his book. Doak has been similarly transparent about his books and courses (including his financial stake in St. Patrick's). Landmand looks compelling, but I am a bit skeptical that the enthusiasm on the part of some posters is completely disinterested.


Ira

[John Mayhugh]

My post actually was intended as a subtle nudge to any posters who might have a self-interest in Landmand's success. I have zero objection if they do so, but disclosure would be helpful. Richard Mandell has been transparent about promoting his book. Doak has been similarly transparent about his books and courses (including his financial stake in St. Patrick's). Landmand looks compelling, but I am a bit skeptical that the enthusiasm on the part of some posters is completely disinterested.

I read back over the thread. There were three people - Jason Thurman, Vaughn Halyard, and me - that tried to address some of the non-architecture questions & criticisms about the course. I cannot answer for anyone else, but I have absolutely no self interest in what happens at Landmand. I visited the course a few weeks ago for a preview day and I paid to play. The opinions I posted are based on my experience and observations.

There are going to be a lot of complimentary reviews of Landmand because it's a very good golf course, pretty unique, and it's new. Those factors might also have a lot to do with positive comments. You should consider that. Or you can just continue insinuating things about people you don't know.

[V_Halyard]

Ben,

Thanks for passing my message on. I am highly unlikely to get out there this year although it is on the list for a future trip.

 My post actually was intended as a subtle nudge to any posters who might have a self-interest in Landmand's success. I have zero objection if they do so, but disclosure would be helpful. Richard Mandell has been transparent about promoting his book. Doak has been similarly transparent about his books and courses (including his financial stake in St. Patrick's). Landmand looks compelling, but I am a bit skeptical that the enthusiasm on the part of some posters is completely disinterested.


Ira

Ira
If you have a question ask it or send a DM. This is a pussyfoot. If you weren’t there, you have no idea what the experience was like.
I have no interest in the Landmand enterprise. I have started a documentary on the project with Andy Fried Egg that is public knowledge and in the public domain. We have made one installment to date.it has been shared on GCA and is on the inter web for all to see with full credit and labeling.
 
I have been reimbursed for some imagery assistance that has gone toward a content pool available to all outlets and can be seen in multiple publications.

I have known Rob and Tad since 2019 when we explored a plan to try to restore a trashy collegiate course with the hope of it helping attract a USGA event. Another GCAer and I even found donors. We also spoke with Tom D and Don Placek who were exploring ways that we might get it done.

The College shat upon the deal in a way that was so hilariously bureaucratic, Rob, Tad and I remained close friends. I regularly chide Rob for “Designing Angry”. They are signed on to help us with a public golf development we are saving from bulldozers and a PODS warehouse so I am a big fan.

I asked for their support of a GCA Landmand Mashie almost two years ago when they weren’t sure when the grass was going to grow in.  Simply because it had the promise of delivering  really interesting GCA for a Mashie.
 
I was magnetically attracted to the Andersen’s commitment to great public golf at Landmand who have also supported my desire to assist a golfer of color who was #1 in his age group but interestingly has not been invited to visit some of the top Nebraska courses in the same manner as some of his peers. I asked if Landmand would entertain him for some preview play and practice, they enthusiastically obliged.

I am also on the BoD of the Iowa Golf Association and with Landmand adjacent to the border, I am a cheerleader. I have disclosed that I am a Landmand Member the same way I disclosed I am a Cedar Rapids member and will ALWAYS fly a flag in support and proselytization of great gca, ESPECIALLY great gca for the public.

I have openly evangelized the same for Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Harvester. 
And to be clear, when we approached each of these overbooked destinations for two days of GCa Mashie, at discounted rates so good I refuse to publish them on this open forum, they obliged and delivered world class conditions and hospitality.

The Mashie engages in no subterfuge. It is a guerrilla organization that grinds to secure great gca venues. Period. To infer otherwise will visit ire upon your soul so step and type carefully. When a Mashie suffered a COVID cancellation, we scrambled and cobbled together the 36 hole, socially distanced, no overnight stay Lawsonia event with fast thinking, George’s credit card, cunning and 11th hour help in high places from friends such as Craig Haltom. Do we call our contacts and relationships in golf in support of the delivery of great Mashies? You bet your ass.

Did I cheerlead for Landmand and the Andersens across all media platforms and golf outlets. You bet your ass. Did they block off two of their only 30 public tee time days to provide GCA with tee times and a closed course, for which we paid greens fees, yes they did. (Raters and media also paid)

So, Ira, if you still have any questions, please feel free to either post them openly or contact me directly and I will be abundantly clear. Stop simpering around with smug inferences.

LA Vaughn
(It is advisable not to conjure the LA Vaughn persona too frequently)

[Ira Fishman]

Always glad to be proven wrong. And the facts help put the posts in proper context.


Ira

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