Hawktree Golf Club, Bismarck, N.D.: A good one in the Badlands – Brief Article
For four seasons, Red Mike sat tallest in the saddle among North Dakota golf courses. The Links of North Dakota at Red Mike Resort, near Williston, debuted as runner-up in Golf Digest’s Best New Public rankings in 1996, then became North Dakota’s top course in 1997 and repeated in 1999. But last year, a Black Bart appeared in the form of Bismarck’s new Hawktree Golf Club, with its gritty black bunkers and sinister Burnt Creek. Mirroring Red Mike, Hawktree finished second in our 2000 Best New Affordable Public ranking. Then, it took aim at the state title.
It became a battle of art versus artistry. Red Mike, designed by New Yorker Stephen Kay, follows the folds of the land and offers simple, strategic bunkering. Hawktree is by a North Dakota native now living in Colorado, Jim Engh, who beefed up the landscape with curvaceous whorls and muscular symmetry to make each hole an eyeful and a handful.
The votes are in: Hawktree is the state’s new No. 1 course. Red Mike drops to second. North Dakota has it good. Its two best courses are both public, with modest green fees.
Our Best Courses in Each State survey (see the accompanying Pocket Planner or www.golfdigest.com/ 100greatest) runs concurrently with our ranking of America’s 100 Greatest, where, this year, Pine Valley’s long reign as No. 1 has ended.
Getting on: Hawktree: $42. Phone 888-465-4295; www.hawktree.com. Walking allowed anytime.
Author: Ron Whitten