The unicorn, a creature once confined to childhood fantasy and fairy tales, has migrated into the real world of adults. It’s long been a buzzword in tech, shorthand for a private startup valued at more than a billion dollars.
Recently, the “unicorn” has also found a place in golf course architecture.
David McLay Kidd used the term earlier this week when referring to his latest project, which was announced Wednesday: River Ranch Golf Resort, a developing destination in southwest Washington. “When I first set foot on the site for River Ranch, I knew I had found another unicorn,” he said in a statement accompanying the news.
Of course, no architect has ever spoken ill of a site they were hired to design. But this looks legitimately intriguing.
Perched on the bluffs of the Snake River near Pasco, the property has features that are catnip to architecture lovers: ample movement, sweeping views and sandy soil ideal for fescue. Ancient floods carved the terrain and winds swirl through the river corridor — elements McLay Kidd said he plans to incorporate into his route, which is slated to debut in August 2027.
The project comes amid a boom in golf course development, particularly at high-end resorts and private clubs. It also deepens the Scottish-born architect’s ties to the Pacific Northwest, which were first formed more than a quarter of a century ago with Dunat Bandon on the Oregon coast. That property was a unicorn in itself. Many in the business thought developer Mike Keiser’s plans for a remote resort were so far-fetched they didn’t stand a chance. McLay Kidd then put down roots in the Pacific Northwest, settling in Bend, Ore., where he added Tetherow to his resume. Now, it’s back in rarefied territory four hours north.
Behind River Ranch stands a local ownership group. Their collective vision includes overnight accommodations in guest cottages, a clubhouse overlooking the river, and a residential component. KemperSports, which has been with Bandon Dunes since the beginning, will handle operations.
Like many architects these days, McLay Kidd has been busy. Among his other duties: following a new course in Streamsongan as-yet-unnamed urban development that will be located next to the Black Course and is set to open later this year.
“The older I get, the pickier I get,” McLay Kidd said this week. “With perhaps more courses behind me than ahead, I look even more for those unique places and opportunities.”
Unicorns, that is.
3 things I’m thinking
50 Shades of Streamsong: Actually, not 50. But with an 18-hole fourth course in the works at Streamsong, I can’t help but wonder what color will be chosen as the name. It has to be a color, right? This would make more sense considering the other three parts of the resort are red, blue and black. Then again, when I expressed as much to an executive at Kemper (which owns Streamsong), he smiled and said cryptically, “Who knows? Maybe we’ll go with something completely different.”
Maybe. But I doubt it. Like swinging a golf club, naming a course gives you a lot to think about. But in the end, it usually comes back to basics. Take, for example, what Pinehurst honcho Tom Pashley told me when I asked him how the resort names its courses: “I always joke that we hire expensive consultants and then we decide to name the next course in a row.”
For its most recent course, Pinehurst went with “No. 11.” With that in mind, it seems reasonable to predict that at the ribbon cutting later this year, we will be introduced to Streamsong Green.
The view from the top of Streamsong Blue.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
What’s in this name? With the PGA Tour in the California desert this week, I’ve been scrolling for golf news in the Palm Springs area. This article caught my eye: Trilogy Golf Club in La Quinta, a former host of the Skins Game that was renovated a year ago has a newly unveiled restaurant, Kitchen Ten Eleven. Do they think they are Pinehurst, naming an amenity after a number? Actually, no. The name has local roots. It nods to the 1,011 homes within the Trilogy community whose owners voted overwhelmingly in favor of redeveloping the property.
A PGA Show No Show. Again. The PGA Merchandise Show is in its 73rd year. I am in my 58th year, more than half of them have been in the golf industry. Strange, then, that the big shindig and I have never overlapped. I’m not sure if this should be a source of pride or embarrassment, but I’m a PGA Show virgin. I’ve never been there, done that. And this week, as another iteration of the gathering unfolds in Orlando, I’m continuing my no-show streak. Some colleagues tell me I’m lucky; others insist I’m losing. Whatever the case, I have spies at the convention center this week who will be cleaning the travel pavilion for me. I will share any news that comes from their reports.
;)
