SOUTH HEART — The word “new” is what is going to make the Pheasant Country Golf Course in South Heart, N.D., stand out, and provide an unforgettable experience for people eager to get back on the tee box. The course underwent an entire renovation process to replace the grass that was destroyed by the destructive winters of 2020 and 2021.
It was a tough time for the business and also loyal golfers in the surrounding Dickinson area.
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“There was a gallant effort made to renovate or regress it at that time. You don't just throw the grass seed on the ground. I mean, there's a process,” Chief Operation Officer Dave Solga said.
“And then this golf course being irrigated with high sodium water over the years didn’t help,, it had an impact and created some agronomic concerns that was now exacerbating the entire scenario.”
Solga has been in charge of the entire renovation process since Spring 2022. He started managing turf in the mid-80s and earned his degree in turf management from Penn State in 1992. He has overseen numerous golf courses throughout his career and even started his own company called “Turf Solutions."
He is certain that the brand new features being added to this golf course will provide an experience that is unlike any other course in the southwest region of the state.
“There's so many exciting things about what has been done to the golf course. From turf grass selection, rebuilding greens, enlarging tees, to conditioning, to layout, to features. There’s some really neat things that I think people that come to play are really gonna appreciate, what I'll call an upscale presentation,” Solga said. “We're touting the phrase “experience the new” because this is by far — I'll stake my reputation on it — is the best new public golf course in North Dakota.”
The crown jewel of the renovation process is the new irrigation system, which is responsible for watering the course and keeping the grass green. The old system was a PVC pipe system that was breaking down over time. This new system is a state of the art high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) layout, with a pump station that is capable of producing 1500 gallons per minute (gpm) of water, which pushes water to 850 sprinklers throughout the course.
“When it came to regrassing the golf course, there were a lot of old weed grasses on the golf courses that were not desirable turf grasses from a playability standpoint for the game of golf. So we decided, ‘Well we want the playing surface to be of a superior quality turf grass. So what we did is we renovated the entire thing. We revitalized the [soil with] soil conditioning,” Solga said. “We ended up irrigating everything wall to wall.”
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Other stages of the process was rebuilding some old greens, enlarging tees, shortening and lengthening golf holes, adding 39 sand bunkers, replacing five old bridges and renovating old cart paths with five miles of continuous concrete paths. The new sand bunkers and rerouting holes will provide different challenges to players. They also re-named the restaurant Birdies Bar & Grill and created a new menu. Meanwhile, there are new on-course restrooms and a snack shack at the front of the concourse.
Another piece to the renovation was expanding the driving range, or what the Pheasant Country team calls, “the practice facility,” which Solga labeled as “the best practice area in the southwest part of the state.”
This provides actual target greens to hit to, ranging from 50 to 250 yards and a practice sand bunker. The clubhouse features a state of the art simulator so players can practice their swing and play golf all winter.
With the course reopening late last summer, this will be the first full season in some time. The goal now is to continue to expand. Whether it is with new staff, new equipment or new golf programs for the summer, the growth is going to be evident over the next few years.
“This golf course has always been noted for very successful youth programs, but we want to enhance those programs. We want to make them better than what they ever were,” Solga said. “We also want to provide weekly clinics for all age groups, from youth all the way through to adults all summer long.”
It was a lengthy project that required lots of planning, and all of the hard work that will pay off as the grass gets greener.
“Even though it took two years, when you look at this project, it was like we built a brand new golf course. But we didn't. We took an old one and gave it a facelift. It was a monumental task and we feel it's going to be very successful,” Solga said. “We’re here to primarily cater to the local people. But yet we want to also attract people from the midwest to come and play here as well. We think we have a product that's worthy of the excitement that the game brings.”
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Check out pheasantcountrygolfcourse.com for the latest offerings and to book a tee time.
The Trust Project
