By Tom Cunneff
The Old Course at St. Andrews set the standard for an 18-hole round in 1764, down from the original 22, when it combined the first four short holes into two, thereby creating 10 holes of which eight were played twice. It would be another 100 years till there were a full 18 holes, but most early courses all had a different number of holes. Prestwick, which was built in 1851 and hosted the first Open Championship nine years later, only had 12 holes.
So why not a 14-hole course? That’s just what King Collins Dormer Golf Course Design is building at Destination Kohler in Sheboygan, Wisc., home to Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run. Located just west of Blackwolf Run, Purebred Farm will be walking-only, multi-loop layout about 5,000 yards and is expected to open in the fall of 2027.
Golf as it was meant to be is clearly resonating with folks. Dream Golf, the creative forces behind Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley, are set to open three new middle-of-nowhere resorts in Colorado, Texas, and the Florida Panhandle.
The first of six planned courses at Rodeo Dunes 40 minutes northeast of Denver International was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and is set on towering dunes that reminded the pair of Sand Hills in Nebraska, their seminal design that begat the modern minimalist movement in 1995. Preview play for founders and VIPs will begin in the spring with public able to book tee times for 2027 beginning next February. Jim Craig, a shaper on many of Coore and Crenshaw’s courses who created the 12-hole Common course at Sand Valley, will design the second course.
Public play has already started on Wild Spring Dunes in east-central Texas about 2.5 hours from both Houston and Dallas. Designed by Tom Doak, the course weaves among spring-fed creeks, open meadows, and pine trees. The property has nice elevation change, too, and clearing has already begun on the second course by Coore and Crenshaw. Four-bedroom cottages will open in 2027.
Doak is also designing the first course at Old Shores, 30 miles of the Panama City airport. The name comes from the fact that the area once bordered the ocean, which is what makes is such a great site for golf, among the best Michael Keiser Jr., who has taken over the day-to-day operations of Dream Golf from his dad, Mike, has ever seen.
In other Florida golf travel news, Saddlebrook Resort, just unveiled its a $92 million transformation. Spanning 480 acres of cypress-lined fairways, championship courts, and other leisure amenities, the revitalized resort near Tampa blends Saddlebrook’s legacy in golf and tennis with a fresh sophistication.
The comprehensive renovation touches every corner of the property, including new guest rooms, fresh dining concepts, vibrant meeting spaces, and a brand-new poolside experience. Rees Jones redesigned the two existing 18-hole layouts into three interchangeable nine-hole courses, which will offer greater variety and improved pace of play.
Opened in 1981, the resort is also home to Saddlebrook Golf Academy, Hopman Tennis Program, and Saddlebrook Prep – institutions that have shaped generations of international sports icons such as Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis, Alex Zverev, K.J. Choi, Karl Vilips, and Aline Krauter. In 2024, the Professional Tennis Registry and Professional Pickleball Registry established their global headquarters at the resort, further underscoring its reputation as an international hub for sports and performance.