We do not make you wait for the drama. It arrives at the second hole, The Bluffs, where the fairway runs out to a green perched on the cliff’s edge and anything struck long simply disappears over the side. Play it at first light, with the mist still in the low ground, and you will understand why we routed it second on purpose.
The green falls away off the front edge and gives nothing back beyond it. There is a correct miss — short and left, every time — and a catastrophic one, and the gap between them is a single club of judgment. Aim for the heart, respect the drop, and walk away with your par. Get greedy with the flag near the edge and the cliff will collect your ball and your composure together.
The hole asks one question early: are you here to attack, or to score?
Most courses build to their drama. We front-load a piece of ours, because we want the round to declare itself early. By the time you walk off the second green you know what kind of test the day is going to be, and you have made the first real decision of your round. The prairie, it turns out, does not believe in easing you in.
