Jim Nantz helps his college teammate to create a golfing destination in Minnesota

NEW LONDON (Minn.) – Before Jim Nantz even stepped foot at the Tepetonka Golf Club property, he called it “Minnesota’s masterpiece.”

This was a beautiful alliterative phrase, but after he had seen the land for the first, he doubled down and declared in his familiar voice that “this land will be world-renowned.”

Nantz, 64, the CBS voice who has been welcomed by sports fans into their mancaves and living rooms for over three decades, could have something to do with it. He is a design consultant for The Prox, but as he put it so elegantly, “This would be like telling Michelangelo, as he was painting the Sistine Chapel centuries ago, ‘Why don’t you do that? ‘”

Nantz has only one golf architecture credit to his name. It is a miniature replica of the seventh hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links that he designed in the backyard. Why is he allowed to play in the sandbox and draw holes? It’s all about friendship. But stay for the whole story.

Mark Haugejorde and Nantz have a special relationship that dates back 46 years to their college days. Haugejorde and Nantz were teammates at the University of Houston’s men’s golf squad. Legendary coach Dave Williams asked Haugejorde to become friends with the freshmen. This included Nantz and Fred Couples, as well as Blaine McCallister, another future PGA Tour champion.

Haugejorde described Nantz as a scrawny child who wanted only to be a sportscaster.

Houston’s golf squad was a juggernaut. They won 16 NCAA titles over a period of 30 years. Nantz, however, is quick to note that he did not contribute to this success.

He said: “I was, without a doubt – and I don’t mean to be modest about it – the worst player ever in the history” of the program.

Williams did not become a legend coach until he learned to create a team in which every player played a part. He also created a unique role for Nantz.

Nantz remembered that “I was the den mohe/r.” “I think that he saw me as a person who had a clear goal in mind because I told him the first time we met I didn’t really want to be a pro golfer. I just wanted to talk to him about professional golfers. Since I was 11, I’ve wanted to work at CBS. I always wanted to be the host and caller of the Masters. My dream was to call and host the Masters. He found me a job. He put me with three of the best freshmen. Then, I worked hard to crack the Top 10 and get as close to the Top 5 players that would be playing the tournament. “But I made sure that every day, my roommates got out of bed, ate breakfast and went to school.

Nantz remembered Haugejorde’s “towering presence” for him and his fellow freshmen. He also described Haugejorde to be “generous and kind.” Haugejorde and Nantz played golf at Cypress Point Club in California, and had dinner in Pebble Beach. Haugejorde, like his father who, during his military service, was asked to construct a golf club for an officer’s club, in Japan, in 1947, shared his dream of building a course. His father then spearheaded the efforts to build Little Crow Country Club, a public golf course two hours west from Minneapolis. Haugejorde began playing there, and in 1973 he won the high school state championship. Haugejorde was confident that he found land and a seller who would be motivated to build a golf course. But when his partner visited the site, Haugejorde had to admit: “Mark, this is not special.” It was time to go back to the drawing boards.

Haugejorde’s senior year in Houston was a time of great dreams for the young golfers he supervised.

“Fred told me he was going to win The Masters. We only ever spoke about that. Nantz said that he was sure it would happen. “They all looked at my like it was a given that I would work for CBS someday. They didn’t think I deserved it. But they had been living my dream for 38 years. They have been with me, and I am grateful for that. We were a group of amazing believers. “I believed in them and they believed in myself, our lives turned out exactly the way we hoped.”

Haugejorde drove his 94 year old mother to Little Crow on May 22, 2021. He was cruising past the land he used to hunt pheasants as a child. Then he turned left and saw the vast farmland and beautiful cedars. He said “That’s all” as he looked out of the window.

He used onX (an app for hunters that includes GPS tracker, waypoints and accurate property lines) to mark the location and take a photo at 8:21 am.

Haugejorde stated, “It will be framed.”

The architects of Ogilvy Cocking and meade were reminded of their home, St. Andrews Beach, in Melbourne, Australia, by the land’s movement. Shockatee Creek is a tributary to the Chippewa River that cuts through Tepetonka’s property. The Aussies, who were visiting the property for Easter weekend, had to borrow Haugejorde’s jackets when it snowed. Cocking, Meade and Ogilvy sat in the warmth of Haugejorde’s home with their laptops facing one another as if playing Battleship while Ogilvy looked behind them at the topography.

“I was doing laps at the table while we were going back and forth asking, ‘What would happen if we did that? Ogilvy said, “What if we did this?

OCM thought they could fit a few holes along Shockatee Creek, but the water is going to be a major factor in the layout seven or eight times. The course is being prepared with some cut lines, paths, and tree removal. Blue-tipped markers are used to mark the tees and red-tipped markers for the centerlines. Green-tipped stakes will be used for the greens. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024, with the course opening scheduled for 2020.

It’s an old marketing slogan that is often used on sites such as this, that God created this golf course. Cocking stated that it is amazing how well the land suits golf. It’s on coastal dunes. The dunes are arranged in a grid pattern. They vary in size and shape. Their contours and scale can be seen from one dune to the next.

Haugejorde informed Nantz that he had located his property. Nantz accepted to become a founding member of the project and dubbed it his “true calling.”

Nantz stated, “He is finishing the script.” His father introduced golf to the area. He’s now going to show the nation this part of the globe and golf, so that they can see something new in this state. He’s got these three geniuses to help shape this land and make it an iconic place. He couldn’t have picked a better team. It is a group, which I also admire.

Tepetonka, Minnesota’s first private golf destination, is now open. In 1994, Nebraska’s Sand Hills was the first to offer destination golf. The model for excellence, however, was set by Oregon’s Bandon dunes in 1999, which offers resort play. Joe Beditz, NGF’s president and CEO, said that if Mike Keiser, the owner of Bandon Dunes, had asked the National Golf Foundation for a feasibility report, the NGF would have replied, “Why bother?” No metrics would have recommended building five courses that are now all bucket list destinations. What was once audacious and bold is now commonplace.

Beditz stated that this is where the majority of the industry’s focus is right now. In a survey that we conducted just last week, one out of four golfers expressed a strong interest in playing destination golf. There is a demand. The Baby Boomers range in age from 59 to 77, with 10,000 people a day approaching retirement age. “The demand for this product, especially in Minnesota’s vacuum, is brilliant. I believe it will become a part of an important Midwest golf rota.”

Nantz, along with several other founding members of the team and the “three geniuses”, who will integrate the short track into Tepetonka’s practice facility, flew to West Central Minnesota last month in preparation for broadcasting the BMW Championship. He walked The Prox on the course and shared a meal with Haugejorde and his fellow founding member.

Nantz said, “I am in awe at these three.” “I have no idea what I can teach them because they are so good. I have been fortunate enough to spend a large part of my life on the best golf courses in the entire world. I have been a member of some of the best golf courses in the entire world. I need golf as much as I need air. I can tell when something is done correctly. “If there is something that I see which can improve the club, I’ll talk to Mark or Haugie.”

Nantz would be able to choose from a wide range of golf courses with which to associate his name if he so desired. He is here primarily because of the friendship he has with his Cougars.

“It’s like everything is coming full circle when a brother says, ‘I’d love you to be part of this.’ I believe in him. I believe in what’s within that heart and head. Nantz stated, “I believe he is a man of great judgement.” “I’m planning to spend some time here. I’m at the point in my career where I want to pursue what makes me happy. I’ve always been like that, but in the early stages of your career you are trying to do everything right and make sure your career grows while you also manage your family. I have been able do that. “The two things I’m most interested in these days are being with the people I love and as a dad.”

Nantz said: “I would like to bring my son. I want to invite my friends. It’s going be great. It’s still early days, there’s a lot to do, but it’s incredible to see how far they’ve come with the routing, plan and vision. It’s a great team. I can guarantee you that Haugie will make you and Minnesota proud. “I’m going sit back, cheering him on at every turn just as we did 46 years ago when we were students at the University of Houston.”