fill the 48 spots and they could have 
easily done so several times over. He 
adds, “With a tighter group this year, 
we were also able to play 36 holes 
on Monday. Amazingly, Cory and his 
grounds crew reset all 18 tees and pins 
while we broke for lunch. This kindness 
allowed our community the opportunity 
to experience this renowned golf course 
from a completely different presentation 
in the afternoon!”
Knights first personally experienced 
the Dunes as a collegiate competitor 
for the University of Evansville Purple 
Aces during the 2016 Missouri Valley 
Conference Men’s Golf Championship. 
“It was the first time in my golfing life 
when the golf course architecture piece 
really clicked for me. Prairie Dunes 
was so different from any course I 
had played, and I could really begin 
to see and understand the strategic 
underpinnings of the design.”
A UNIQUE GOLF COMMUNITY
Fried Egg 
Golf Founder 
Andy Johnson 
was initially 
on a mission 
to make 
golf course 
architecture 
more 
approachable and golf content — 
competition and architecture — more 
relevant and digestible for folks like 
himself: avid golf enthusiasts who are 
also busy, on-the-go professionals. 
When Garrett Morrison joined the team, 
Perry Maxwell-designed golf courses 
moved up the priority list. Knights 
indicates once the crew saw Prairie 
Dunes they were convinced the course 
had been grossly neglected by golf 
media.
Will Knights,
Fried Egg Golf 
Community 
Manager
D
estination. Destination. 
Destination. “Perry Maxwell’s 
Prairie Dunes tops a lot of bucket 
lists in the informed golfing public,” 
says PD PGA Head Professional John 
Lanham. “To maximize prime tee times 
for members we have dialed back and 
been incredibly selective about the 
outside events we host. That said, every 
year for the past several we have looked 
forward to receiving our friends at 
Fried Egg Golf Club (FEGC) and their 
enthusiastic golf community. It’s an 
awesome partnership for us and them.”
Fried Egg Golf 
made their first 
trek to Prairie 
Dunes in 2019; an 
enviable trip that 
also included a stop 
at another High 
Plains Sandbelt 
sensation — Sand 
Hills Golf Club in 
Mullen, Nebraska. 
FEGC Community 
Manager Will Knights says Fried Egg 
Golf founders were blown away on that 
first trip by what they encountered at 
the Dunes, by the raw naturalness 
of the layout and terrain. 
From 2021 through 2025, 
FEGC typically arrived at 
Prairie Dunes with 100 
members and their guests. 
In 2026, the decision 
was made to reduce 
the field to 48 so that 
all players could stay on 
property and fully immerse themselves 
in everything the Club has to offer. 
Knights indicates there was a lottery to 
9

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