Bully Pulpit Golf Course

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round." - Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan is considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time winning 64 PGA tour events over his career. He also happens to describe my traveling philosophy while using golfing terms. That philosophy is what led me to the stunningly beautiful golf course just south of Medora, North Dakota. 

Bully Pulpit Golf Course has been ranked as the best golf course in the state. Impressive because according to NDtourism.com, North Dakota has the most golf courses per capita of any state in the country! Words cannot adequately describe the jaw-dropping scenery, but I'll do my best while showing off some pictures I took as I played my round. 

First of all, just the drive to the golf course is remarkable! Driving through the beginnings of Theodore Roosevelt National Park floored me, which continued as I drove up the winding road to the course. 

My anticipation kept building as I went higher and higher into the mountains, wondering how gorgeous this course must be in person since my drive there is so amazing. 

My advice: take your time. Enjoy the views driving to and from the course. Early morning or late evening should be the goal for tee times. I paid about $70 for my late evening round, which included balls at the driving range. I can't imagine a better round for that price!

The picture above gives you a general sense of what the front 9 generally looks like. Pretty open fairways with either a mountain or river for your viewing pleasure as you play. If you're lucky, you'll see deer or other wildlife during your round. Personally, I saw five deer, countless rabbits, and heard rumor of a rattlesnake on one of the tee boxes (which, luckily, I did not encounter).  

As you near the 9th green, know that you haven't even played the most spectacular holes yet. Be prepared to have a whole lot of fun, hitting off some of the most visually stunning tee boxes.

The back 9 of Bully Pulpit has an abundance of elevated tee boxes, allowing you to hit golf balls into the North Dakota sky onto a fairway nestled in the heart of the canyon.

The two pictures directly above are the same fairway. Prepare to lose a lot of golf balls. I was actually blessed to be driving the ball very well (best I've ever played in my life actually). I still lost a lot of balls because I'd continue to hit off the tee purely for the joy of seeing the ball fly in such an amazing setting.

I remember walking up to this tee box and audibly reacting to it. You may not be able to see it very well in the picture above, but it is an island green. Instead of water, it is surrounded by a sharp drop into the canyon below. The whole time I had a rabbit chomping away at the edge of the box and just after wrapping up this hole, I saw two deer!

I could continue ranting about this course endlessly, but I encourage any golfer traveling in western North Dakota to make a specific trip to this magnificent golf course!