Space may be the “official” Final Frontier, but Captain Kirk clearly never tried to find the second-cut rough at a nine-hole muni in North Dakota during a June bug hatch. The first part of this journey has shown me grand vistas, neon cityscapes, and the coastal wonders of America. With the addition of North Dakota (where I arrived on my 75th birthday), I have finally visited all 50 states.
This is the Heartland, where the tee boxes are sometimes plastic, the clubhouses are often converted double-wides, and “course management” means avoiding a collision with a John Deere combine.
Ohio: The Land of the “Industrial” Dogleg
Our journey into the unknown began in Ohio, where golf courses coexist beautifully with heavy manufacturing. Soybean fields and ball-bearing factories may surround the local nines. We also took the time to visit the Football Hall of Fame.
Parto’s Big on Golf – Youngstown
Sunny Hill Golf & Recreation – Kent
Illinois: A Return to 1972
As we crossed into the Chicagoland area and headed west toward Rockford, the memories of hard-fought soccer and baseball games between the Aurora College Spartans and the Rockford College Regents resurfaced in the mind of this 75-year-old. Home, sweet, home!
Sinnissippi Golf Course – Rockford
Minnesota: The 10,000 Water Hazards
They call Minnesota the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but that is a gross understatement. It is actually a land of 10,000 lakes plus about 40,000 golf course ponds. Some of the courses felt like swamps with a flagstick in the middle. You can spend more time “fishing” for your golf balls than actually swinging your club.
Mayflower Golf Club – Fairfax
Springfield Golf Course – Springfield
Bunker Hills Golf Club – Coon Rapids
Fort Snelling Golf Course – Fort Snelling
Stalker Lake Golf Course – Dalton
Brookview Golf & Lawn Bowling – Golden Valley
South Dakota: The Badlands Bad Lie
Since we left most of our golf balls in the lakes and ponds of Minnesota, the first stop was the local sporting goods store as we crossed into South Dakota. We are now entering the West and this can truly be wild. The fairways are beautiful, but the moment your ball trickles into the rough, you enter a wasteland of tumbleweeds and prairie dog villages. They usually bolt at the sight of golfers, but I would not stick my hand down their hole looking for your lost ball.
Kuehn Park Golf Course – Sioux Falls
Springfield Golf Club – Springfield
North Dakota: The Infinite Horizon
Finally, I made it after 75 years! Playing a nine-hole track is a surreal experience because there are no trees in North Dakota. None. You stand on the 1st tee box and you can see the 9th green, the next town over. You can watch your drive sail majestically into the endless blue sky, and watch it roll into Canada.
Osgood Public Golf Course – Fargo
El Zagal Public Golf Course – Fargo
Mission Accomplished
It took me 75 years to visit all 50 states, and I can confidently say that the nine-hole courses of the Midwest are the glue holding this golfing nation together. They don’t have valets, they don’t have dress codes, and the “beverage cart” is usually a cooler on the cart for your “birdie juice”. However, as we sat in the 19th hole of our final stop, I realized something: space may be the final frontier, but it doesn’t have a Friday night Fish Fry and a cold beer waiting after your round.