PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
Past Prairie Dunes President Dale Snell says this: “National 
championships like the U.S. Senior Open force a club to 
continually invest in excellence. They challenge us to maintain 
the course at the highest standards, improve our operations, 
develop future volunteers and leaders, and think long term 
about the stewardship of Perry Maxwell’s masterpiece. From 
a broader perspective, golf’s greatest venues should be tested. 
Prairie Dunes is one of the most distinctive and architecturally 
significant courses in America. Championships ensure that 
new generations of players, fans, and media continue to 
discover and appreciate it.”
UNIQUE VENUE
In an era when professional golf often gravitates toward 
the same markets and similar venues, Prairie Dunes offers 
something increasingly rare: authentic architecture, natural 
 
“From a broader perspective, golf’s greatest venues should be tested. 
Prairie Dunes is one of the most distinctive and architecturally significant 
courses in America. Championships ensure that new generations of 
players, fans, and media continue to discover it.”
Dale Snell, Past Prairie Dunes President
terrain, wind as a primary defense, and a community 
that fully embraces the championship. The USGA agrees, 
evidenced by how pleased it was with its recent Walker Cup 
Championship hosted by Cypress Point Club, a unique venue 
that has never before hosted a Major Championship.
The USGA has always believed that its championships should 
identify the best players through a variety of tests. Prairie 
Dunes provides a test that looks and feels completely different 
from parkland courses, mountain courses, or modern resort 
developments. Snell reminds us, “The best championships 
aren’t always in the biggest cities. They’re at the best golf 
courses — places with soul. Prairie Dunes has soul.” Prairie 
Dunes is a course that asks all the right questions of the 
players, questions that modern golf doesn’t often ask 
anymore, and that’s exactly why it remains important.
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