Eventful Days: 2023 Scraper at Prairie Dunes

This just in: Perry Maxwell knew a thing or two about golf course design.

It’s always a treat to visit Prairie Dunes to see Maxwell’s original holes as well as those designed by his son Press. It’s a course that has some incredible land and bold architecture, two of our favorite things to experience and write about.

Yesterday, we hosted our third edition of the Scraper at Prairie Dunes, one of our favorite days of the year. PD is a difficult test, as those who have been in the gunch know all too well, yet we always hear people rave about the test they just faced. Below, I’ve compiled a few notes from our day and the experience that is Prairie Dunes. As always, please don’t take offense if my dumb brain didn’t mention you below. It’s basically soup by the end of these weekends.

Some things that will stick with me from the 2023 Scraper…

– Prairie Dunes is a pilgrimage for most of the country. There are those who can drive from Kansas City, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, etc., but many people have big travel days to spend time there. Thanks to all of you who made the trip, especially those of you who spent 10+ hours in the car. Off the top of my head, I know Josh Gerbur, Nate Reabe and Tony Scallon, and the Cashmans drove a long way to be there. I also talked with people from Washington, New York, and Key West, so we definitely had a great representation from around the country.

– The front pin on No. 17 is diabolical, as many participants found out. Glad some of you got to experience those chips a few times in a row 😉

– Charlie Wood claimed he didn’t know anything about the PNC Championship. Just because he’s like 6’3” and doesn’t look anything like Tiger doesn’t assuage my suspicions. The guy hits the ball too well.

– The bartender in the clubhouse told me that he had lost track of how many times he’d refilled the Gunch Punch slushie machine. The beverage-cart attendant also told Meg and I that everyone was behaving and had tipped her well. I’m very proud of everyone on both accounts.

– Shoutout to the Southern Hills contingent. Those guys represent their club harder than any place I know.

– Jay Peterson and Jace Keaster win the award for best outfits. We don’t often see matching team kits or purple shorts and those guys brought the heat with both.

– Every time I visit Prairie Dunes, I get a deeper appreciation for the 15th hole. It’s a long par 3 that still requires you to bounce the ball in if you want to hold the green, a rarity these days.

– It’s always a treat to talk to people with Southern Indiana experience. Thanks for talking Turoni’s, Todd Vogel!

– Doug Rarick is a relative newcomer to The Fried Egg but decided to take a risk and come out for an event with us anyway. We love meeting the longtime listeners and readers, but it’s also means a lot to us when newbies give us a try. Thanks to you, Doug, and any other single to made the trip to play with a bunch of strangers.

2023 Scraper Champions

– Stephen and Charlie Cashman (Low Net, -13)

– Jason Long and Matt Sanders (Low Gross, +2)