Mapleton GC breaks ground in eastern South Dakota

Ground has broken on construction of Mapleton Golf Club, a new private, golf-only escape in Mapleton Township, South Dakota, five miles north of downtown Sioux Falls.

Central to the exclusive club will be an 18-hole championship golf course traversing natural prairies with the look and feel of famous classics Shinnecock and National Golf Links on Long Island.

Renowned golf course architect Scott Hoffman promises wide bentgrass fairways, sloped landing areas, greens with subtle movements and short-grass surrounds for creative recoveries, and bunkers with natural fescue edges. Short distances from greens to tees will make Mapleton “one of the easiest walks in all golf.”

“We want to test the best players, but just as important, make Mapleton extremely playable and enjoyable for less accomplished golfers,” said Hoffman, whose work includes Gozzer Ranch, Lost Rail, Monterey Dunes and Scottsdale National. “No two holes will be remotely the same and shot values will differ from day to day.”

A number of landmarks and terrain changes are spread across the property’s 210 acres, including a 50-foot-tall, dome-less silo, Slip Up Creek, high ridges, low meadows, mature trees, natural streams and long-range rural views. Cottonwoods towering above the rolling prairielands and wildlife sightings provide additional character and tranquility.

The grounds also feature a driving range and a practice facility, along with a roughly 13,000-square-foot clubhouse. Overnight accommodations are in development plans. True to its golf focus, Mapleton doesn’t plan to offer tennis, swimming, banquet facilities for large parties, or other amenities often found at other clubs.

The course is scheduled to open in summer 2025.

Landscapes Unlimited’s Project Development Group is overseeing all aspects of site planning, design and engineering, permitting, contractor selection, project administration and budget planning, and will undertake golf course construction. Sister company Landscapes Golf Management is directing membership strategies, business and operational planning, pre-opening activities, course grow-in and full-service operations upon Mapleton’s opening.

“Mapleton is the first new private golf club in Sioux Falls in more than 60 years,” said Danny Amundson, a Sioux Falls native who is also managing partner of the club’s ownership group the son of South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame inductee Mark Amundson. “It’s the perfect opportunity for members to host guests for an all-inclusive golf, business meetings with dining and overnight accommodations.”

This is the second collaboration between the Amundson family and Landscapes Unlimited.  Mark Amundson previously developed Sutton Bay in Agar, South Dakota, with Landscapes Unlimited chairman Bill Kubly.

“Mapleton takes advantage of the beautiful Heartland topography on which it sits,” said Jack Morgan, senior vice president of Landscapes Unlimited’s Project Development Group.  “The golf course will not be contrived,” instead feeling “like it’s been there for generations yet boast all the modern trappings today’s golfers desire.”

Mapleton Township’s history dates to 1866 when Norwegian settlers discovered ideal farming conditions. Later, the Milwaukee Railroad stopped at Renner Station, bolstering residency and commerce.