In 2023, while guesting on a podcast with famed architect Gil Hanse, I mentioned in passing that, had my childhood dream of becoming a sports commentator not come true, my second choice was to be a golf course designer. The allure of sculpting earth and building something with permanence was enticing to a young boy. A small part of my fallback plan came to fruition in 2015 with the construction of a backyard par-3 hole at my home in Pebble Beach. Then I built another one seven years later at my house in Nashville.
There’s an old broadcasting adage in radio that also applies to podcasting: You never know who might be listening. Tuned in to that pod was my old University of Houston golf teammate Mark Haugejorde, a fine player and dear friend whose golf DNA is imprinted deep.
After college, Mark enjoyed a diverse career that included handling global partnerships for Jack Nicklaus’ design firm. “Hoggie,” as we call him affectionately, was now pursuing a dream of his own, a national golf destination in his home state of Minnesota. As a child, Mark had watched his father create the Little Crow Golf Resort not far from the piece of land he now had in mind, a generous tract 100 miles west of the Twin Cities. He broadly told me his plan for a 27-hole facility that would include a nine-hole par-3 layout. Then he popped the question. “Why don’t you come join me on this project and work as a design consultant on our short course?” After a moment of stunned silence, I, of course, accepted.
I was absolved from examining topo maps and trying to operate a bulldozer—not my strong suits.
A short time later, I was on site in Minnesota walking the property that would be known as Tepetonka. “Tepe” is distilled from teepee, and “tonka” in Sioux means big, so you have “Big Tent.” When the course opens officially in 2027, golfers will find that few places in North America are better suited for golf. Some 12,000 years ago, glaciers two miles in depth began to melt and creep south from the Great Lakes region. When their journey was complete, they left behind a sprawling, shallow-ravined landscape covered with prairie grasses, red cedar trees and creek beds stretching into the horizon. From afar the land resembles a giant wrinkled blanket that stirs the imagination of every armchair golf course architect. The slight remoteness of the property inspired in Haugejorde a “Land of 10,000 Lakes version” of what Sand Hills is to Nebraska, Whistling Straits is to Wisconsin and The Dunes Club is to Michigan.
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Soon, Mark and I were meeting over dinner in Minneapolis with the team at OCM (Ogilvy, Cocking and Mead), one of the hottest firms in golf course design. Geoff Ogilvy, who will captain the International Presidents Cup team against Brandt Snedeker’s American squad in September, is best known for winning the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Mike Cocking, once an outstanding amateur, brings along with Geoff a player’s perspective to design. Ashley Mead is a skilled executioner of the team’s jointly conceived creations. The portfolio of the three young Aussies already is prolific and has been widely praised. Most recently, OCM designed and built Fall Line Golf Club in Georgia, selected by Golf Digest as the Best New Private Course of 2025. OCM also renovated Shady Oaks, Ben Hogan’s hang spot in Fort Worth, as well as Kingston Heath in Australia and the famed Medinah No. 3 in Chicago, which will add to its long history of hosting big competitions when it serves as the site of the upcoming Presidents Cup Sept. 24-27. Yes, Geoff will lead his team on a course he helped reimagine.
With a powerhouse like OCM on board, I was absolved from examining topo maps and trying to operate a bulldozer—not my strong suits. Gratefully, in October I’ll become one of only a few non-architects to receive the Donald Ross Award, an honor coming to me mostly due to my appreciation and support of outstanding designs. My role at Tepetonka has been to add features on and around the inland links course that serve Hoggie’s end goal: to make the experience fun and memorable, kind of like my backyard designs. “Can’t wait to get there—can’t stand to leave!” was an early motto. I wanted to add fun to the par-3 course, an eye-catching, breezy layout near the clubhouse, practice range and an indoor/outdoor bar and grill.
Near the final green of the short course, we’ve installed a Rock of Fame like the ones adjacent to my backyard holes in Pebble Beach and Nashville. Players who make a hole-in-one will have their names engraved on the rock, but only if the ace is made under a special circumstance. On a balcony over the indoor bar, overlooking the hole, is a Gjallarhorn, an enormous instrument you may have seen sounded prior to the start of Minnesota Vikings games. In summer months at roughly 5 p.m., the Gjallarhorn will sound. In Norse mythology, the bellow of the Gjallarhorn served as a call to war and to signify the end of the world. At Tepetonka, its thundering tone is a signal for all to gather at the bar, at which time each person gets one shot at an ace, with patrons cheering each player on. The bar has been named “Hog Heaven” as a nod to Hoggie.
To make the day’s final shot at glory more obtainable, the ninth green will pitch similar to the 16th hole at Augusta National, where a slope guides balls toward the cup—or you can go right at the pin. Watching a ball trickle and fall into the hole will no doubt elicit cheers that match the Gjallarhorn in volume. Sharing that scene with other national guests will bring people together. Hello, friends!
DESTINATION MINNESOTA Remote Tepetonka is scheduled to open for play in 2027. Photograph courtesy of Tepetonka
Each of the holes at the short course, which we named The Gjallarhorn, has been assigned a name. “Jack Nicklaus,” for the greatest player of all time, measures 86 yards, while “Couples,” at 92 yards, is a nod to our beloved Houston teammate. I’m sure you see the Masters symmetry there. There’s “Patty Berg” and “Tom Lehman,” named after Minnesota’s finest female and male golfers. OCM named one hole “Peter Thomson” to honor their Australian golf hero. My favorite might be “Mike Schultz” after the man who served as head pro at Hazeltine for 37 years and was one of Hoggie’s first mentors.
Behind the eighth green of the big course is a cozy halfway house built literally into the green complex. It even has a grass roof. It serves golfers not only at the eighth hole but also at the 14th and 16th holes. Hoggie christened it “The Dead End,” and we don’t doubt golfers will venture back there to hang out after their rounds, watch shots and enjoy some great food and beverages. At Tepetonka, “Minnesota casual” prevails, not strictly to attire but also to the friendly discourse among people who love the game.
On each of the five site visits I’ve made—I have two more scheduled this fall—my admiration for Geoff, Mike and Ashley has soared to great heights. Watching this “Minnesota Masterpiece” come together has proven to be one of my greatest thrills in golf. When I’m at Tepteonka, I’m quite literally in hog heaven.
