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Editor’s note: The First Call | Extra will be taking a summer break and will not be published on Saturday, July 6 and 13. We will resume publishing on July 20. We also hope you have a safe and enjoyable July 4 weekend.
No luck required in St. Patrick's Links' ascent
The Tom Doak design in County Donegal, Ireland, opened during the pandemic and managed to crack the world top-100 list for best courses — and it's only gotten better in three short years.
:: Tom Mackin | Read
What will become of Rory McIlroy?
Readers of The First Call speculate whether the 35-year-old multiple-major champion will ever get that elusive fifth major — and more.
:: The First Call Inbox | Read
Read Gary Van Sickle on TFC | Extra
BOOKMARKED
Good reads that are mainly about golf, but not always.
📖 57 sandwiches that define New York City
A portrait of the five boroughs between two slices of bread.
:: New York Times | 06.18.2024
New research reveals Jordan's Defensive Player of the Year season likely included home-biased stats.
:: Patrick Sauer | Smithsonian Magazine | 06.12.2024
SUBSTACKED
📖 Simulators are redefining sports
Here’s how and their evolution, including in the sport of golf.
:: Andrew Petcash | Profluence Sports | 06.27.2024
WEEK IN REVIEW
1️⃣8️⃣ The industry’s names, news and notables that are making the headlines. | Read
PERFECT PUTT
The arms race in college golf
Parity in college golf has slowly eroded as bigger schools are spending millions to build or upgrade their practice facilities, writes publisher Jared Doerfler.
:: Jared Doerfler | Read
Each Monday, Jared Doerfler breaks down the business of golf. Subscribe to Perfect Putt here.
ICYMI
This week’s editions of The First Call:
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday
THE STYLE LINKS
When there’s nothing so constant as change, it’s sort of nice to have a few things stay the same. @rickiefowler x @pumagolf = @rocketclassic.
:: Janice Ferguson | IG: @janiceferguson_thestylelinks
DESIGN NOTES
Dream Golf will make Texas’ Wild Spring Dunes a reality
Dream Golf, owned and operated by the Keiser family produced Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley, announced plans recently to establish a world-class destination golf resort in East Texas.
Wild Spring Dunes will be a public golf resort and community developed by Michael and Chris Keiser, featuring golf, accommodations, homesites and dining facilities. Current Dream Golf properties include the award-winning Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, along with Rodeo Dunes, under construction in Colorado.
Wild Spring Dunes occupies 2,400 sandy, secluded acres with 120 feet of elevation change and varied topography and ecosystems, including towering pines and hardwood forest; open, grassy meadows; rolling hills; and steep ravines carved by spring-fed creeks. An ideal site for golf, two course routings are complete, with plans established for a short course and practice center.
“We were so fortunate to get a shot at this site,” said Michael Keiser of being invited to Texas by Dallas businessman Brett Messerall, who had pored over more than 1 million acres via satellite and on foot to find the land. “It was so good, so unexpected, we just had to go for it. The golf courses here will have such great diversity and character — I expect them to be among the best in the country.”
Tom Doak will build the first of two planned 18-hole courses. Bill Coore and Austin, Texas, native Ben Crenshaw have routed a second course.
“This land just has a different feel from anything I’ve worked on in the past,” Doak said. “That’s the attraction for me, and I think the course will be unique and interesting for golfers.”
Wild Spring Dunes is located in historic East Texas, approximately 20 miles north of Nacogdoches, the oldest city in the state. Both Dallas and Houston are roughly two hours away from the resort site, and Shreveport Regional Airport is just 73 miles away.
“It’s just a wonderful coincidence that this site is accessible to so many people,” Keiser sais. “The reason we’re doing it is because of the quality of the site. If it were 10 hours, 15 hours from Dallas or Houston, we’d still be doing it because the site is just that good.”
Golf construction on the Doak course is expected to begin this fall with an opening projected for 2026.
RELATED: Design Notes archive
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