Rodeo Special Special Section - Spring 2026

GOLF’S NEW FRONTIER ON THE COLORADO PRAIRIE

BY JIM BEBBINGTON

Out where the prairie stretches flat and endless, where the horizon feels like it belongs to the brave, Rodeo Dunes rises like a new frontier carved from sand and sky. This isn’t a golf course built for convenience or comfort: it’s a bold claim on the wild, a modern-day Manifest Destiny for the golfer willing to ride a little farther, walk a little harder, and chase something truly untamed. Here, the fairways wind through towering dunes and whispering grasses, and the only landmarks are the Rockies on the horizon and the promise of a game that feels as rugged and free as the land itself. At Rodeo Dunes, you don’t arrive—you earn your view, step by step, cresting each dune like a rider scanning the horizon for what’s next. It’s a place that doesn’t ask you to tame it… it asks you to meet it head-on.

Last fall – when the heat of summer was gone and the chill of winter was still to come – Rodeo Dunes founders traveled from across the country to the rolling sand dunes near Roggen, Colorado.

Everyone was there to get a first glimpse of Rodeo Dunes – the new course from Michael Keiser, son of Bandon Dunes founder Mike Keiser. Can they add a new destination to the growing phenomenon of remote public resort golf, and will people come?

The fact that getting to the first tee box took a bit of doing is part of the attraction. Most visitors traveled up Interstate 76 and got off at a widespot in the road. (Except Rockies great Todd Helton, who said he drove in from his nearby home). They traveled over the highway to the north side on a precarious-looking bridge, then turned left at a gas station where the men’s room has been inoperable since the Carter administration.

A tiny sign stuck in the ground led cars down a winding dirt path that finally let out into a gravel field surrounded by native-grass covered dunes. A short shuttle ride away, players and their clubs were deposited on another wide spot where crews prepared for a full-blown rodeo to be held that night. But there were no buildings, no permanent utilities, nothing but temporary trailers and tents, with horses and steer in pens.

The terrain on which Rodeo Dunes sits must be experienced. The majority of sand dunes are 20 feet high or more, so visitors typically can see only what is immediately in front of them. A wood-chip path led up one dune, and then from the top players got their first glimpse of the emerald golf holes spread out among the landscape.

Near here a small clubhouse will be built, if Keiser’s plans come to fruition. There will be a seven-acre putting course. Scottish architect Clyde Johnson is already at work on this putting course called ‘The Rockies’ right next to the path.

All that was there were those emerald fairways and greens extending off to the north and east, nestled among the light tans and browns of the native grasses. The first 18-holes of the Rodeo Dunes complex were designed by two of the most sought-after designers of the past 30 years – Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Coore has

said they wanted to use the land that was presented to them as much as possible, moving dirt only when necessary. As anyone can tell you who has visited Bandon Dunes or Sand Valley, the golf courses take a very light approach to man-made objects. Most signs and benches are made of wood - small and low to the ground. Paths are covered with wood chips or other natural material. The courses are designed to be walked, and to help players leave their busy, mechanized lives behind.

Rodeo Dunes delivers on that promise.

The holes weave through dunes in a way that makes it very easy for players to feel they are the only people on the course, even when they are not. The few times players crest over the top of a dune they get views that push on for miles –the Rockies to the west, Pikes Peak to the south, local grain silos, and miles and miles of prairie.

Coore Crenshaw courses are just fun. They famously build greens by meticulously peeling layer after layer off – or on – to the land to see what they create. Rodeo Dunes gives players enormous variety and opportunity for towering hero shots, dramatic saves, and surprises.

What is the future of Rodeo Dunes?

For the complex, Michael Keiser has big plans – up to five more courses, resort hotels and cabins over the next 20 years. The club’s founders will have nearly exclusive access to the course this summer – public tee times won’t begin until 2027.

But were not another blade of grass grown, Rodeo Dunes has already created a glistening destination for golfers in Colorado’s northern prairie that will entice visitors to come for many years to come.