Aug. 29, 2024

The first new private golf club in Sioux Falls in decades is about a year from seeing its first rounds.

Mapleton Golf Club is on track for a late August 2025 opening, with its first full season coming in 2026.

“It’s coming together really well,” said Danny Amundson, who is leading the group of founding owners to support construction. “The buildings are on schedule for (a late August 2025) delivery. The golf course is on that same schedule.”

The private club is set on 210 acres northeast of interstates 229 and 90, across from the South Dakota Veterans Cemetery and along Slip Up Creek.

Earthwork, irrigation and drainage have been underway this summer, and grassing just started.

“Since February when we had such a nice winter, they’ve been moving dirt pretty much ever since,” Amundson said.

Three buildings have started construction: the clubhouse, a maintenance facility and a building to house the golf carts and water storage in case of fire.

“The maintenance facility will be done by Thanksgiving, so that’s nice, and the clubhouse will be next summer closer to opening.”

The club is in its design phase for 12 overnight suites, which will break ground in the spring.

Mapleton also recently hired its general manager, Zac Gavlak. A 17-year industry veteran, he most recently served as general manager of Brookings County Club and previously worked at several clubs in the Kansas City area. In 2021, Gavlak was awarded the Dakota Chapter PGA Professional of the Year.

“He’s a great player and teacher and will fit in really well,” Amundson said.

“We’ve also hired the golf course superintendent and assistant superintendent, and once the grass goes in the ground, that’s kind of the formal turnover from the construction to the operations team.”

The rest of the operations staff will be hired over the winter and into next spring as opening nears, he said.

The club has continued to sell memberships, Amundson added.

“It’s going really well, and we have a limited number of single, corporate and national memberships,” he said.

“We have tons of interest. We’re doing tours every week, and people understand the time frame of when the club will be open. We’re still optimistic by the time we open next year that we’ll be very much full on membership.”