DMK Design Associate Nick Schaan goes hole-by-hole on the thinking behind Scarecrow’s unique layout, challenge and playability.

“This part of the site has higher, peakier spots that were more akin to classic sand-dune, sandhills type blowouts — and we exposed some of those, we preserved some of those. And the piece of land is just smaller. If you draw a circle around the first course, it sits on 350-500 acres depending on how you draw it. This new course sits on about 300 acres, and so it’s a lot more compact, things are a bit closer together. But the fairways are still wide — in some cases, they are even wider.”

That’s how DMK Design Associate Nick Schaan describes the framework of Scarecrow, opening Aug. 1, 2025, where he took the lead on creating a “sibling not a twin” of the original Gamble Sands course that has gained acclaim over the past 10-plus years.

“The whole golf course kind of climbs over this knob, through a saddle, up another nob, through a valley — you see a lot more of the river, hole after hole after hole. And you see a lot more golf that you’re not playing across the site.”

In a recent interview, Schaan goes hole-by-hole through the thought process of how Scarecrow’s layout traverses the terrain — and how playability and challenge mix for the resort’s next intriguing experience.

READ FULL INTERVIEW