The New Rodeo Dunes Destination Resort Looks Awesome, But Is It A Good Thing For Golf?

Another new destination golf resort is slated to open in Colorado in 2027 and, by all accounts, it’ll be a doozy.

It’s called Rodeo Dunes and it’s the work of Michael Kaiser and Dream Golf. If those names sound familiar, they should. They’re the folks behind Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley which rank among the top golf destinations in the world.

The Rodeo Dunes property is 35 minutes northeast of Denver International Airport and spans 4,000 acres where the high plains meet the Rocky Mountain foothills. The Coore & Crenshaw design is being built on ranch land owned by the Cervi family, operators of the largest rodeo stock supplier and rodeo competition producer in the United States.

The story of how Kaiser and the Cervi family got together is fascinating. The question remains, however, whether another high-end destination golf resort is a good thing for the future of golf course development.

The Rodeo Dunes backstory

The 50,000-acre Cervi Ranch sits on a transitional piece of land, characterized by rolling dunes and open rangeland. To the west are the Denver foothills and the Rocky Mountains. To the east are the Great Plains that ultimately descend to the Mississippi River. The ranch has been in the Cervi family for over 150 years and serves as the base for the Cervi Championship Rodeo. Hundreds of horses roam freely across the open landscape.

Cervi Championship Rodeo

Michael Kaiser found it almost by accident.

“This was Michael playing on Google Earth,” Dream Golf Communications VP Tom Ferrell tells MyGolfSpy. “He just found it. It had been hiding in plain sight.”

In the most Kaiser-like thing imaginable, the golf developer flew to Colorado, drove to the site, hopped a fence and started looking around. It wasn’t long before he was caught by a ranch hand.

“He said, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’’ says Farrell. “They sent Michael packing back across the fence, but he ultimately set up a meeting with the owner.”

Kaiser and Michael Cervi spent the next four years negotiating. At first, Cervi couldn’t understand why Kaiser wanted the land. In Kaiser’s eye, the high dunes and rolling terrain screamed “inland links.”

“From a rancher’s point of view, the land wasn’t perfect for anything,” says Farrell. “From Michael’s point of view, it was perfect for golf.”

Michael Cervi passed away this past April but his two sons are active and enthusiastic partners in Rodeo Dunes.

“We’re going to have what we call a ‘showdeo’ arena as part of the resort,” says Farrell. “Guests will be able to take roping classes and we’ll have riding demonstrations and things like that.

“Will we have a PRCA-sanctioned rodeo every year? I don’t know, but we’re a lot closer to that being a reality.” (PRCA is the acronym for Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.)

Will rodeo and golf mix?

That’s what Dream Golf and the Cervi family are banking on. Of Kaiser’s developments, Rodeo Dunes is by far the least remote and Kaiser has enough space to build up to six golf courses on his portion of the property.

“We have three 18-hole courses planned for now,” says Farrell. “The second one, designed by Jimmy Craig (a former Coore & Crenshaw associate), is already routed and mowed. Heavy construction starts in 2027.”

The third site has been identified and staked, but Dream Golf has not yet selected an architect.

As with most destination golf developments, the project will also feature a luxury lodge as well as private residences.

“We’ve had great success with private residences doubling as hotel rooms,” Farrel explains. “That seems to be the way golf travel is going. It’s small groups that love to stay together.”

That said, you won’t have to actually stay at the resort to play Rodeo Dunes. Farrell says Dream Golf remains committed to public access golf.

“There will never be a private course at Rodeo. At most, it might be something like Lido at Sand Valley, where there’s a mechanism for public access. That’s important to us.”

Public access, however, doesn’t mean inexpensive. Rodeo Dunes will begin taking 2027 tee time reservations early next year. You can expect greens fees to be in the same neighborhood as those at Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley.

Rodeo Dunes opened for Founders Club limited play this year

 Is this a good thing for golf and, more importantly, golfers?

High-end destination resorts certainly have their appeal. The golf, accommodations and amenities at places such as Pinehurst, Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley are all world-class. What it costs to enjoy the golf, accommodations and amenities is also world-class.

It’s important to note, however, that the addition of a world-class golf destination doesn’t mean a more modestly priced alternative is being taken away. Golf isn’t a zero-sum game.

“It’s like skiing,” says Farrell. “You can go to your local hill and ski but maybe once a year or every couple of years, you can go to Colorado or Utah and ski a world-class mountain.”

That may or may not come as consolation to golfers but some context is required. From 2022 through 2025, the U.S. golf market experienced a net gain of 17 golf courses and six facilities. That actually represents a reversal of a two-decade trend of closures.

However, while 25 new golf courses either have or will open in the U.S. this year, only nine can be categorized as affordable, public access facilities. A 2025 report from the National Golf Foundation asserts that affordable public courses remain underrepresented in new developments.

What’s more, industry sources estimate that 100 to 150 public golf courses are at risk of closure and redevelopment as housing complexes, commercial use or solar farms. One such situation involves the public Cape Cod Country Club in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Falmouth Town Meeting members this week voted to accept a land donation from the golf course owners. The town will then lease a little more than half the land to a company called PureSky Energy for a solar energy field. The balance of the land will become walking trails and open public space.

Cape Cod Country Club is a century-old facility and is considered one of the few remaining affordable public courses on the Cape. The Friel family has owned the course since 1985, but cited growing financial challenges and diminishing interest in maintaining the property as a golf course as its reasons for donating the land to the town.

Solar array plan for Cape Cod Country Club

What does any of this have to do with Rodeo Dunes?

In short, not a blessed thing.

Even though it’s happening concurrently, new destination golf resorts aren’t forcing affordable local courses to close down. What’s happening with Cape Cod Country Club and other public tracks at risk has more to do with land value, environmental issues (water use, fertilizer runoff) and the prohibitive cost of upgrading aging course infrastructure.

When you couple those issues with investors offering course owners the proverbial “offer they can’t refuse,” the trend becomes more understandable.

Jekyll Island in Georgia

On the other hand, we’re also seeing a trend to renovate public courses to improve their long-term viability. For example, the city-owned Forest Park Golf Course in St. Louis has seen upgrades to improve conditions and accessibility. Winter Park in Florida underwent a full redesign recently and remains one of the best affordable golf experiences in the country. Jekyll Island in Georgia reopened earlier this month following a major revitalization, with maximum greens fees in the $100 range.

“We’re getting ready to see a wave of renovation and restoration of public courses,” says Farrell. “As associates from outfits like Coore & Crenshaw strike out on their own, these things shake down. I think local, public golfers will find a much better product over the next five to 10 years.”

It’s a matter of value

Enjoyable golf doesn’t have to cost a lot.

On a recent trip to Seattle, I had my sights set on a rematch with Chambers Bay, but the stars weren’t in my favor. Instead, I found a charming little course in Tukwila called Foster Golf Links. It wasn’t Chambers Bay, but for 35 bucks to walk 18 holes, I had a great time and lost far fewer balls.

Foster Golf Links, Tukwila, WA

“People are kind of realigning the way they approach the game,” says Farrell. “I got a note from a guy recently who dropped his membership at a mid-tier private club and now plays at public courses. He uses the money he saved from his club fees to take two big golf trips a year. He’s managing his golf resources.”

Each of us has our own definition of affordable. However, affordability and value might be two different animals. Pebble Beach will run $675 for 18, but for that once-in-a-lifetime round, it might just be worth saving up for. TPC Sawgrass for $900? Count me out, but that’s just me. For others, it’s a must-play.

Value doesn’t mean cheap. Value means worth it.

“Places like Sand Valley, Streamsong, Pinehurst, they’re the best in the world,” says Farrell. “They’re difficult to build and difficult to operate, and the price is going to be higher. However, we believe that our golfers are adventurous. They’re not looking for over-the-top luxury. That’s when you get into really stupid pricing.”

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