Mount Rushmore, The Devil’s Tower and the perpetually beautiful landscapes of the Black Hills area all rank high on the recreational hit list for travelers to northeastern Wyoming.
Tourists and residents alike, however, should also take note of one of the more beautifully manicured properties in the region, thoughtfully maintained by Campbell County and the charming city of Gillette. This 1100-acre parcel is nothing other than the renowned Bell Knob Golf Course.
Course superintendent Dwayne Dillinger will be the first to tell you that as far as rural western golf facilities are concerned, this one is one of the most underrated courses in the Mountain West.
“It’s a fantastic course with a lot of character,” says Dillinger, a Colorado State University turf management grad and near-20-year veteran superintendent at Bell Knob. “There is some development here, especially over the past eight years, but there are still a lot of the wide open spaces, too.” Named for a solitary bell-shaped rock atop a hill on the property, the course has few trees, he adds. As you might expect, wind is definitely a factor for players and greens crews alike.
Built in 1979, the course was designed as a links-style layout with wide rolling fairways that offer few flat lies. Characterized by a peculiar but efficient figure-8 pattern, it runs a total of 7,258 yards from the longest of its four tee sets. (From the green at Hole No. 5 to the one at No.14 is a span of about 3.5 miles.)
In addition to the 18-holer, the facility also includes a nine-hole par 3 course called the Wee Nine. Its holes stretch anywhere from 60 to 210 yards.
“It’s a perfect little course for practice and for junior players,” Dillinger says. “Kids can play it for next to noting--just a buck a day.”
You’d think that such a clear bargain on junior fees would have the facility choked with kid traffic. Not so, because the deals on adult greens fees are just as good. A season pass fetches a paltry $475, while daily rounds run $35. (In addition to the courses, Bell Knob also has full practice areas including a driving range.)
Both tracks are owned by Wyoming’s Campbell County, and each is fully accessible to the public.
By most accounts, the sometimes harsh winds and occasional encounter with “antelope pie” do little to keep players off the course. The consensus from resident players (representing a modest county-wide population of just 40,000 people) is that Bell Knob is a well manicured course from tee to green, although the rough can be daunting—as it should be.
Despite its far-removed location from the nearest coastline, Bell Knob also has its fair share of beaches—42 of them, in fact. Just recently, Dillinger and his team have completed the second phase of an ambitious bunker renovation project.
The goal of the revamp is two-pronged, according to Dillinger. “We wanted to reshape the bunkers as needed to make them flatter and more accessible, and we also wanted to reposition some of the traps so they would come more into play for the better player.”
So far, so good, he says. Meanwhile, the course also has a new 14.5-surface-acre reservoir to feed irrigation needs and supply lakes on both the front and back nines.
Another major factor for course maintenance is the constant ebb and flow of resident wildlife—specifically antelope. “I’d say there are 250 or more on the course at any given time,” Dillinger says. “They pose their challenges—that is for sure.”
Human traffic at Bell Knob is also considerable. According to Dillinger, the course records anywhere from 27,000 to 30,000 rounds per year--a stat that works out well for Bell Knob’s sturdy Penn-Links bent grass greens. The season generally runs from April through October, which is about “on par” with the small handful of other courses in the area.
For more information on the ongoing efforts at Bell Knob, contact the course at 307-686-8146.