Sand Valley Golf Resort - Par 3 Hole 5

Sand Valley Golf Resort Progress Report - As of July 1, 2016

An Interview With Michael Miller, Resort Operations Manager

By Brian Weis

Sand Valley Golf Resort has been generating massive media buzz in anticipation of its 2017 grand opening. So much so, the course has already been labeled as The Bandon Dunes of the Midwest. I recently caught up with Michael Miller, Resort Operations Manager, and he shared the latest on the project.

Q: When I visited last August, 6 holes were planted on the first course-a Coore & Crenshaw design-and it was reported that the course was slightly ahead of schedule due to favorable growing conditions. What is the current status of the course?
The Coore & Crenshaw course will host preview play for Founders and Sand Valley Insiders (you can sign-up to become an Insider at www.sandvalleygolfresort.com) in 2016 and will open to the general public in 2017. We started 2016 with 13 finished holes, and the remaining 5 holes have been seeded and are growing in. We expect Founders and Insiders to be playing the full 18 holes by early September. The golf course is walking-only but caddies are available and encouraged.

Q: Any new developments with the David McLay Kidd-designed second course?
A: Site prep and shaping continues on David's course, with preview play scheduled for 2017. We are excited for the Armchair Architect Contest being run by Golf Digest in tandem with David Kidd and Sand Valley. You have a chance to design the Par 4, 14th hole on David's course and have until July 15th, 2016, to submit your design. Visit http://golfdigest-armchair-architect.squarespace.com/ for more information!

Q: Have locations been determined for the club house and lodging. Has ground been broken?
Our first 4-bedroom cottage is already hosting overnight guests. Two additional 4-bedroom cottages are under construction and will open in August, and an additional 12-bedroom lodge (overlooking Coore & Crenshaw's 18th hole) will open this year.

Q: Why should a trip to Sand Valley be on every golfer's bucket list?
We are excited to share Sand Valley with the golfing world because the terrain-with mammoth 80-foot sand ridges and rolling valleys-is so unique, particularly to the Midwest, but also within the United States. These prehistoric sand dunes appear made for a golf course to be routed through them. With Coore & Crenshaw and David Kidd working on the project-two of the best in the world--the experience will be truly unique and extremely fun.

Q: Anything else to report?
2017 reservations will open to Sand Valley Insiders and the general public in mid/late July, so visit www.sandvalleygolfresort.com and sign up to be an Insider so that you are the first to know when 2017 reservations open.

Revised: 07/08/2016 - Article Viewed 34,705 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.