PERRY MAXWELL'S PRAIRIE DUNES

Prairie Dunes Country Club is an oddity. It sits in the heartland of America, but is considered by many to have the characteristics of a seaside links golf course. Its original designer, Perry Maxwell, was a banker. Its construction was begun in 1937, but it wasn’t fully completed until 20 years later. Yet, Prairie Dunes is one of the best golf courses in the world. In 2003, Golf Digest placed it at No. 25 in its annual “Top 100 Courses in America” list.

Perry Maxwell’s Prairie Dunes, by Mal Elliott, is the remarkable story of how this remarkable golf course came to be. Vintage photos, historical text, and beautiful full-color photography by John Johnson take the reader through every stage of development of this historic course — site of the 2002 U.S. Women’s Open.

Mal Elliott is a retired golf and sportswriter for the Wichita (KS) Eagle-Beacon. For more than 30 years he covered golf and other significant sporting events in the Wichita and Kansas area. He authored 100 Years of Kansas Golf, Wichita Country Club: Centennial Edition, and Rolling Hills: The First 50 Years. He and his wife, Fran, reside in Wichita.

Acknowledgment.

Foreword.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: The Founders.

Chapter 2: The Maxwells: Father and Son Architects.

Chapter 3: Planning and Construction.

Chapter 4: Prairie Dunes.

Chapter 5: Maxwell's Rolls.

Chapter 6: The Front Nine.

Chapter 7: The Back Nine.

Chapter 8: Major Events.