The hottest golf resort destination brand heading into 2026 just might be Dream Golf and the Keiser family.
More than a quarter century after Chicago businessman Mike Keiser rolled the dice on a remote location along the Oregon coastline that would become Bandon Dunes, and eight years since opening picturesque Sand Valley in central Wisconsin, the Keisers are poised to unveil resorts in Colorado and Texas, with a Florida location waiting in the wings.
Those projects are now being run by son Michael Keiser as he expands on his father’s legacy by continuing to focus on creating destination golf experiences on exceptional land.
The main thrust of the design work at the three locations is being executed by the duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and Tom Doak — architectural masters who each have a long history with the Keiser Family. But there are a few other surprises sprinkled in by some rising design stars.
“When the Keisers call, you do perk up because of the background, because of the knowledge, because of the success they’ve had,” says Coore, half of one of the most sought-after design firms in the world. “And then it’s their ability to locate truly gifted sites for golf in a natural form, and allow the people that work for them like us or Tom to do what we do. If they call you, rest assured we instantly think this must have some merit, this is absolutely something we need to at least take a look at.”
Unlike Bandon Dunes and Sand Valley, which are not close to any metropolitan areas, the Colorado project, Rodeo Dunes, is just 35 minutes from Denver International Airport. However, the public resort course is set on over 4,000 acres of towering sand dunes, which will remind many world travelers of the southwest coast of Ireland. The Coore & Crenshaw design will also offer long views of the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s such an extraordinarily good site, so interesting,” Coore says. “It doesn’t need a great deal. It just needs editing of the ridges and the mounds. I could not have imagined that this exists that close to a metropolitan area. It’s one mile off the freeway and you could literally drive down Interstate 76 and be within a mile of it and not know it exists because the dunes literally stop right there.”
Rodeo Dunes is scheduled to start booking tee times in February 2026 with public play open in 2027. A select group of Founders golfers — a program offered by Dream Golf with preferred access and lodging at each of the Rodeo Dunes, Wild Spring Dunes in Texas and Old Shores in Florida locations the Founders support — recently took a preview of some of the finished holes at Rodeo Dunes.
There was a Rocky Mountain high, so to speak.
“We were all collectively euphoric when we saw Founders at Rodeo Dunes playing 11 (finished) holes and coming off and seeing their smiles and their enthusiasm and their desire to get back on there,” says Tom Ferrell, vice president of media and communications for Dream Golf. “So, there’s a lot of anticipation and it’s really gratifying.
“We’re so fortunate to have travelers who kind of believe in our courses before they even open up. And many are willing to come, often at great traveling pain, to get to a great golf destination.”
A second course, which has been routed and will begin construction soon, will be the solo architectural debut of Jimmy Craig, who has been a longtime Coore & Crenshaw associate.
“Given the proximity to population, the demographics and the accessibility and the idea that it is going to be public access with a site large enough to accommodate three or four golf courses from my perspective it’s going to be a home run in terms of the quality of golf and the business aspect as well,” Coore says.
Meanwhile, Wild Spring Dunes is set on 2,400 acres of sandy soil in east Texas, a two-hour drive from Dallas and Houston, with the closest airport 75 miles away in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Doak has designed the first 18 holes — with 100 feet of elevation change — to be opened in fall 2026. A second course at the secluded location has been routed by Coore & Crenshaw.
“The property really gives me Pinehurst vibes with native wiregrass. It’s really an amazing, amazing place,” Ferrell says. “The terrain is probably a little more rugged than Pinehurst, and the first time I walked it I felt like I was in the Appalachian foothills. There’s nowhere else in Texas like that. There’s nowhere else in the county that this property is like. It is my understanding that thousands of years ago there was a fault line that ran through there and it slipped and created the elevation.”
“The great thing is it’s not like years ago where you’d find a bad site, build an OK golf course and try to sell real estate or memberships,” Coore says. “The Keisers are finding sites that are truly, truly gifted for golf in their natural state. And they’re finding golf course designers who know how to work with those sites and not overwork them so much and allow the sites to present themselves.”
Old Shores, north of Panama City, Florida, has been permitted, and Doak is slated to design one course, as well as one of his top lieutenants over the years — Brian Schneider — getting a crack at a solo project for the second course.
The Florida property features massive depressions, high dunes and a bevy of ecosystems.
“You won’t believe you’re 25 miles from the Gulf,” Ferrell says of the proposed location.
Each new resort location will eventually feature on-site lodging options.
With numerous accolades and awards over the years at its other locations in Oregon and Wisconsin, the expansion of the Dream Golf brand in 2026 should prove to once again feature bold architecture, local flair and the embracing of life’s simple pleasures.
“We believe in a spirit of adventure with all our properties, and travel is one of the most adventurous aspects of golf. We want to encourage that,” Ferrell says. “Our resorts are literally and figuratively born of the same DNA, yet every one of them is a little different.
“Listen, there are some wonderful luxury golf destinations out there, places like Pebble Beach, Whistling Straits and Pinehurst. But the people who are attracted to our destinations are adventurers, they embrace walking golf. And we’re not trying to execute Michelin ‘Five-Star’ food. Our food is designed for people who have either traveled hundreds of miles or walked dozens of miles that day. I always like to say, ‘Own the cheeseburger.’”