Keiser courses in Texas, Colorado make great strides, interest in Oklahoma sites strong

By Ken MacLeod

Although neither are yet fully open, as these pictures attest there has been plenty of progress this year on the two Michael Keiser projects near Oklahoma.

Michael Keiser is the son of Mike Keiser, who famously built Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin among other projects that have basically given U.S. golfers an entirely new appreciation for firm and fast links-type golf.

Rodeo Dunes, an hour outside of Denver, and Wild Springs Dunes, not far from Nacogdoches in east Texas, about a six hour drive from both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, have golfers salivating for their eventual full openings to public play.

Rodeo Dunes is a course by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore on land that is very similar to their Nebraska masterpiece Sand Hills.

Until we see it with our own eyes, the press release version is “Rodeo Dunes spans 4,000 acres of dramatic dunes with sweeping 125-mile views of Colorado’s Front Range in the Rocky Mountains. The property blends rugged links golf with the spirit of the American West. The first course, designed by the legendary Coore & Crenshaw, is complete and in final grow-in, marking a return to the kind of inland-links terrain that helped define their iconic Sand Hills project. A second course, designed by longtime Coore & Crenshaw associate Jimmy Craig is routed and construction will start soon (dates have not yet been determined). Michael Keiser’s land partner at Rodeo Dunes is the Cervi family. Binion and Chase Cervi own and operate Cervi Championship Rodeo, the largest rode stock supplier and producer of rodeo competitions in the United States. “

Wild Springs Dunes is a Tom Doak creation again on sandy terrain in a beautiful setting. Eight holes are complete and golfers can actually play those eight twice as a preview until all 18 are complete next spring. Play will be on a limited basis in the summer of 2026 with an official grand opening in October.

Rodeo Dunes is fully grassed but will not be open to public play in 2026. However public tee times for 2027 will become available in February or March of 2026 and we will try to alert you, as they will likely go fast. Witness the situation in Nebraska where courses such as Landmand Golf Club in Homer sold out their tee times for 2025 in 50 minutes!

Wild Spring Dunes is set on 2,400 acres of sandy, secluded terrain, the property features dramatic elevation changes and four distinct ecosystems—pine and hardwood forests, grassy meadows, spring-fed ravines and rolling hills—that make it uniquely suited for top-tier golf. Coore & Crenshaw have routed a second course, and clearing is underway. Future plans also include a clubhouse and lodge (set to begin construction in early 2026), a short course, a putting course and a state-of-the-art practice facility.

Wild Spring Dunes has private cottage and estate home sites available for sale, and onsite lodging for resort guests will be available late in 2026 after the October grand opening. For more information, go to wildspringsdunes.com.

The appetite by traveling golfers for this type of golf experience currently seems insatiable, which is why this would be the ideal time for Oklahoma to get in on the action. As Golf Oklahoma has previously reported, talks between Michael Keiser’s group and Oklahoma led by  Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell have been ongoing, with the best possible scenario for the Oklahoma Commissioners of Land office to put up the money to invest in several parcels of sand dunes based land in western Oklahoma and pay Keiser’s company to develop and subsequently operate a course and resort similar to what is going in at Rodeo Dunes and Wild Springs Dunes.

“We’re really excited about that possibility and waiting on Oklahoma to see if it moves forward,” said Tom Ferrell, Vice President of Media and Communications with Dream Golf. “Our people are raving about the sites. They could be both affordable and accessible. If the state makes the commitment, here we go.”

The addition of that level of course near the already popular Boiling Springs in western Oklahoma would make a drivable loop from Rodeo Dunes to Oklahoma and then on to East Texas. Or golfers could fly to Denver or Dallas, be on the tee in a few hours and drop the car off at the other end after staying a day or two at the Oklahoma sites.

“For us, finding sand is like finding gold,” Ferrell said. “That’s what is so exciting about those Oklahoma sites.”