The inspiration for this course grows out of a commitment to environmental protection. The Vinland Natural Nine is devoted to wildlife habitat preservation and biodiversity. The elements and forces of nature are accepted, not resisted. The course vision and design are based on reality of place, not fantasy. The course has grown from this place, sculpted from the terrain—the route from tee to green, from hole to hole—through a variety of landscapes. This has been done without moving earth, reminiscent of links-style courses of Scotland, with narrow fairways and deep rough.

One of the important ways to restore and maintain native prairie is occasional burning of the grasslands to control the invasion of the prairie by woodlands, an ancient struggle between ecosystems. Walking through the scorched prairie revealed a fascinating topographic variety that had been concealed by the prairie grasses. A course sprang to life, rolling across the prairie, over the wetlands, up the hill, along the ridge, down to the stream, and into the woods.

There are only human-powered carts at the Vinland Natural Nine. The walk through the course is about 2 miles. Visitors are invited to enjoy the hiking trail—through the old growth oak-hickory forest and around the course—about 1 1/2 miles. Read more...