Nine New Golf Courses from 2019

Investment in the U.S. golf market is focused almost entirely on course renovations, with new construction extremely limited.

That’s to be expected, as the U.S. boasts more than 16,500 courses – over five times more than any other country in the world. As these facilities continue to age, making improvements to stay competitive has accounted for the lion’s share of investment throughout the industry.

But a few new courses continue to open here and there, as all golf is local and supply is ultimately dependent on demand.

Oxbow Country Club (New 9) – Oxbow, North Dakota

About 20 miles south of Fargo, Oxbow Country Club completed an extensive flood mitigation project with the opening of nine new holes in August. The course, originally built in 1975 by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. along the Red River, gets its name from the U-shaped oxbow bends in the river, but flooding in the area put homes at risk and necessitated a river diversion project. A levee was built through the old property, leaving half of the course and the clubhouse on the riverside. The club opted to build a new clubhouse and a new nine holes away from the river, then completely reworked the other nine. Oxbow opened nine holes two years ago before completing the second phase this year, taking any existing holes all the way down to the dirt and starting over. Almost half of the course now plays along the levee, which is barely noticeable unless you know it’s there. As for the former nine holes along the river, they’ve been turned over to the state and will slowly revert to nature.