BELLE FOURCHE COUNTRY CLUB is golfer friendly

BY JASON GROSS BLACK HILLS PIONEER

Way back in 1934, a group of people wanted to hit some golf balls around a field.

That group of people got approval to use a swampy piece of land at the intersection of Highways 85 and 34. With little money to move earth, the group decided to route the golf course in areas that would disturb the natural landscape as little as possible.

They plotted out nine circles of sand and called it a golf course.

For almost 90 years, golf has been played on the beautiful land in which Belle Fourche Country Club rests. The course has gone though changes over the years, but the routing of the course largely has remained the same.

“It’s a short but still very challenging golf course,”

Superintendent Casey Eggleston said, when asked what sets Belle Fourche Country Club apart from others in the area.

Eggleston credited the smaller, push-up greens for making the course more challenging for a golfer’s short game. He said a golfer may score well by staying in the fairways and hit good, short shots.

The nine-hole, par 36 course spans 3,257 yards off the longest tee and 2,367 yards off the shortest tee.

Hole number 7 is the lon - gest. This par 5 measures 572 yards off the longest tee, and 392 yards off the shortest tee. The fifth hole is the shortest, measuring 175 yards from the longest tee, and 133 yards from the shortest tee. Eggleston cited numbers 2 and 5 as the course’s signature holes.

“It is a difficult one to par on,” Eggleston said of the second hole, which is a par 3 measuring 346 yards from the longest tee, and 285 yards from the shortest tee. “If you walk away with a bogey, it’s a good score.”

Eggleston said the second hole goes downhill to the green. “If you go over the back of the green, you’re into the creek,” he added.

Crews redid the green on that second hole in 2020, and it was open for the 2022 season. The fifth hole goes over a pond and features a view of Crow Peak in the background.

A well-stocked pro shop carries top name brands in apparel and gear. The clubhouse includes a full-service bar with many food and beverages available.

The Belle Fourche Country Club made some improvements to its course in 2022 and will make more this year. A new fleet of golf carts is also available for 2023.

“We’re putting in a new astro-turf driving range for hitting capabilities all year long,” Eggleston said in look- ing toward 2023. He added a golfer may insert a golf tee anywhere, and a tee box is available for regular-season use.

The course opened for the season on April 12. Spring rates are $52 for 18 holes and a cart until May 1, when they increase to $72 for 18 holes and a cart.

“We also have a 10-hole punch card that we do,” Eggleston said. A nine-hole punch card costs $350 with cart, or $300 without a cart. The course does not have a bunch of tall grass everywhere, so one won’t be searching for golf balls all day. It is the type of course where one may use one ball for the entire round.