Courses

Gravel crunches beneath Steve Kuhn’s black-and-white sneakers as he strides across the parking lot of his sprawling 86-acre dominion 20 miles southwest of Austin. Here at Dreamland, you’ll find multiple mini-golf courses, disc golf, two outdoor live music stages, psychedelic art installations, a bar, and 16 courts dedicated to the fastest growing sport in America: pickleball. Teeming with whimsy and chill vibes, it’s an unusual place to find a Minnesota native and Harvard graduate who raked in a billion-dollar fortune on Wall Street before a lobbying stint in Washington, D.C. But, somehow, it tracks for Kuhn.

Clad in a pickleball hoodie and a matching red, white, and blue cap that proclaims “Pickleball will save America,” he’s unabashedly invested in his latest gambit. Wearing a steadfast almost-smile, it’s an expression that bears a wide-eyed optimism that might be mistaken for naïveté… if his track record didn’t prove that he could excel in some of the toughest rooms in the world. In fact, Kuhn is so pervasively good-natured that it might inspire skepticism. Like Ned Flanders, if Homer’s pious neighbor had the business acumen and foresight of Steve Jobs.

Kuhn is fond of referencing a quote typically attributed to Robert F. Kennedy, although it was originally lifted from Back to Methuselah, a play by George Bernard Shaw: Some men see things as they are and say, why? I dream things that never were and say, why not? It sounds grandiose, but it does a good job of encapsulating the ethos that has guided the entrepreneur through his multifarious career. 

Originally, the site of Dreamland was purchased by Kuhn simply as a 9-acre property to house the production facility for Richard’s Rainwater, the bottled water company that Kuhn invested in heavily (and still holds the largest ownership stake) in 2017. Eventually, the operation outgrew those digs, and the tract sat dormant until the would-be sports tycoon expanded its footprint by a magnitude of 10 and constructed the pickleball mecca that exists today. 

It’s a chilly afternoon in late winter, and Kuhn has invited some buddies from his running group to check out his expansive playland. The cadre of retired men has gathered around Dreamland’s bar, and their ringmaster leaps behind the counter to pull a few drafts of foamy beer. “I think you’ve really got a tiger by the tail with this pickleball thing,” jests one of his running mates. 

As co-founder of Major…

Almost any golfer who’s ever played the game has said quite a few prayers.

The new disc golf course in Midlothian might actually make things a little easier as was built directly next to the First Baptist Church on land the church owns. The church is on about 43 acres with a creek in the middle.

The neighborhood adjacent is named Creek. Hence, the name of the course is Creek Bend Disc Golf Course.

“We felt like this was a good project for our own members and to provide for folks from the community to play as well,” said Jason Golden, Executive Pastor at FBC Midlothian.

So they brought in Ryan Vanderburg, a video/record producer based out of Midlothian. One of his biggest video clients is the world’s largest disc golf media channel, JomezPro. He’s produced many documentaries and other videos for them, and is himself a lover of the sport.

“I’ve been an avid disc golfer since 2016 and have since made my career by elevating the sport all over the world via video production and producing disc golf content for JomezPro, ESPN and CBS,” Vanderburg said, who now also designs courses, including Creek Bend.

“What got me into designing courses was likely going on this trip to LaPaz Mexico which I produced, shot, directed and edited the documentary for the Paul McBeth Foundation,” he said.

At the time, he was on staff at FBC Midlothian as a worship leader and musician and church leaders approached him about designing and heading up the installation on their property as a way to use much of their unused property for community outreach.

“Since I myself play at a lower professional level, I’ve always had a keen eye for designing courses,” he said. “It took six to eight months of planning, walking, flagging fairways and trees and changing our minds several times before we settled on the layout that we have now. It’s the best possible layout you can fit on the property, having both short tee pads for beginners and long tee pads for advanced players. There is really no course like it in this area.”

Nine Disc Baskets

Next to the course is the church’s counselling center – also called Creek Bend.
The 18-hole course opened Jan. 1 and features nine disc baskets. Golfers have their choice of two tee boxes. It has been a popular addition to the community, Golden said.

“We’ve had a lot of people who come from all over to play,” he…

When Natalie Kelly lost her brother Nelson Kelly in a Sept. 2021 car crash, the grief of losing her “best friend” was almost too much to bear. After all, the siblings had been “attached at the hip” since they were kids. Their mutual love of the sport known as disc golf, formerly known as frisbee golf, made them even closer.

“I was really good at throwing the disc, but he’d still make fun of me, in a loving way,” Natalie, who lives in Ontario, Canada, tells Yahoo Life about the flying-disc sport, with rules similar to those of golf, played on nine- to 15-hole courses. For years, along with their mutual friend Stewart, the trio became avid disc golfers, routinely going on day trips to various courses to laugh, play and forget about their problems. Those are the moments Natalie misses the most.

“When he was killed, it crushed us all. I know my life is always going to be a little bit worse without him, and I have to live with that somehow,” she says. Since Nelson’s death, Natalie has paid tribute to him in a number of ways — including a tattoo with the letters “DEGU,” which was on his license plate. “It stood for ‘don’t ever give up,’” she explains.

Her level of devotion reached new heights last year, when she and Stewart commemorated the one-year anniversary of Nelson’s death by writing a special message on a few disc-golf discs — smaller and denser than regular frisbees, designed to fly faster and farther — and placing them at their favorite courses, hoping fellow players would enjoy a game in honor of his memory and share their experience on social media.

“This disc is in memory of Nelson Kelly,” the message reads. “Please toss this hole for him, then leave on next hole for next player. If found on last hole, please take to a new course. Post pics on IG, #NelsonKelly952.”

Natalie also created an Instagram account, where she routinely posts photos and fun memories of Nelson’s life: “I loved him so much, I want to keep his legacy and memory alive with this disc and account,” she captioned the first post, featuring an image of one of the discs.

Story continues

What happened next was unexpected: In the…

Good news, everyone: Summer golf is right around the corner, and our summer trips package has you covered. Over the next week, our experts will name their favorite courses and resorts, we’ll look at the newest style trends, help you plan your next buddies’ trip, introduce you to people who can help you plan your golf getaways and more. The goal here? To educate and motivate you for your next golf trip. So read up, then grab your clubs and bags.

MORE: 8 amazing family-friendly golf resorts worth visiting this summer | 20 of our staffers’ favorite summer golf courses | 8 smart essentials to stash in your golf bag this summer

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Planning a golf trip is like prepping for a golf shot: there’s a lot to ponder. But unlike your swing, a golf trip isn’t something you can really overthink — because the details you dial in now are pretty much guaranteed to pay off later. Here are six questions to consider as you map your getaway.

Who’s your crew?

Traveling with your buddies is not at all the same as traveling with your colleagues, which is different from traveling with your spouse. The relationships you have with the people on the trip, and the seriousness of the golf they play, are like your stance and your grip: they influence every move that you make next.

What’s your budget?

Golf trips range in their extravagance from helicopter rides to your next tee time to packaged stay-and-plays in Myrtle Beach. Prices vary with them. Do a breakdown of the costs and make sure everyone is comfortable with them. That accounting shouldn’t end at tee times and accommodations. It should include add-ons such as post-arrival transport and meals, along with an understanding of how they’ll be divided. Things…