Fox Hills Golf Course in Watford City, North Dakota has been named runner-up 2022 Best Golf Redevelopment in the World by Golf Inc. magazine. The competition is an annual event which includes courses from around the world including Gil Hanse’ new Les Bordes Golf Club in France and Jose Maria Olazabal’s International Olympic Course at Naravino Hills in Greece which nudged out Fox Hills for the top two spots. Unlike Golf Inc’s Renovation of the Year competition, these are existing golf courses which have been transformed by reconfiguring, expanding and/or rebranding.

In 2014, the City hired Golf Course Architect, Kevin Norby, and Nebraska-based contractor, Landscapes Unlimited, to redesign and reconstruct the existing 9-hole course. In the midst of the oil boom,  the project started as a 9-hole addition but by 2016 the project had expanded to nearly 500 acres and an entirely new golf course. “The added land allowed us to work with the natural features and existing topography of the site to create some really stunning golf holes. This is a unique golf course and something most golfers in the region have never experienced” said Norby. One of the primary goals was to create a golf course that would be playable, affordable, and fun for golfers with a wide range of abilities and aid in growing the game of golf in Western North Dakota.

The project was constructed in three phases to allow the existing course to remain open for play while the first 12 holes were completed. The final 6 holes and practice facilities were completed in 2020 with the entire course opening for play in 2021.

Traditional red, white and blue tee markers and selected five symbols for the tee markers that reflect regional landmarks and historic elements including the Lewis & Clark Trail, Long X ox-cart trail, The Badlands, Wild Cow and Cherry Creek.

As part of the redevelopment, the Golf Club turned the course over to the City who in turn hired a new superintendent and a PGA professional. The rebranding also included outsourcing the management to Six Shooters, a local mananagment company, and changing the name of the restaurant to The Foxhole.

For more information, you can visit Golf Inc Magazine at https://www.golfincmagazine.com/content/golf-inc-announces-development-year-winners.