Chris Brands

Valentine, NE

The Dunes Course at The Prairie Club opened in 2010 near Valentine, Nebraska, in the Sandhills, and was designed by Tom Lehman with Chris Brands. The property is remote by any measure, several hours from a major airport, and the golf is built directly into the natural dune formations. The Dunes is the more open and rolling of the club's two 18-hole courses, with wide fairways, blowout bunkers and greens that use the existing contour rather than imported shaping. There are no trees and no shelter, so the wind sets the difficulty on any given day, and the same hole can play two clubs differently between morning and afternoon. The club also has the Pines Course, routed along the Snake River canyon, and the Horse Course, a 10-hole short course with multiple hole locations. Stay-and-play access is available to the public along with member play.