A little project with a lot of pastel smugness, peacocks, and just enough truth to sting
Golf, as many of us know, walks a fine line between the sacred and the ridiculous. One minute you’re standing in silence under a rising sun, watching dew lift off the fairway—and the next, you’re overhearing someone in salmon-colored pants say something about “helicoptering in for the member-member.”
Enter Willow Dunes Country Club.
This is my side project. A fictional place born out of a lifetime around the game, a love for storytelling, and an appreciation for the quirks, excesses, and unintentional comedy of high-end golf culture. It’s satirical. It’s absurd. But if you’ve ever played at a club that took itself just a little too seriously, some of it might feel oddly familiar.
What Is Willow Dunes?
It’s a made-up ultra-private, prestige-soaked country club that prides itself on exclusivity, pastel wardrobes, and unnecessary amenities. It has a lawn bowling court named The Monarch’s Lawn. Its pool is The Peacock Lagoon. And its child care facility? The Young Elites Academy, of course.
The idea behind Willow Dunes is simple: poke a little fun at the upper-crust country club world, but do it in a way that still honors the spirit of the game. It’s a fictional place, but the satire is rooted in reality—sometimes uncomfortably so.
What You’ll Find There
- Blog posts from fictional members like Eddie Langston, a mid-50s golf romantic who’s always chasing the perfect round (and the perfect bar stool).
- Invented club updates with real-world nods—like the rollout of autonomous mowers on the back nine.
- Merch mockups for the Willow Dunes pro shop, The Prestige Outfitters, where you can someday buy a $285 putter cover with gold trim (or at least laugh about it).
- And maybe, eventually, a book or two chronicling the ridiculous beauty of this over-the-top golf utopia.
Where to Find It
You can explore the full project over at WillowDunesCC.com, where satire, storytelling, and swagger blend into a golf club like no other.
Why It Belongs Here
While MidLifeGolf is grounded in the real, the reflective, and the relatable, Willow Dunes is the outlet where I get to explore the other side of the game. The weird. The luxurious. The borderline ridiculous. And somewhere in between, it all circles back to the same thing:
Golf is full of characters. So why not build a club just for them?
If you like humor, imagination, and a light-hearted take on golf culture, you’ll probably enjoy the ride. And if you’ve ever had to tuck your shirt in just to use the practice green, you’ll feel right at home.
Check it out at WillowDunesCC.com and keep an eye out for crossover stories right here on MidLifeGolf.
Because whether it’s a 6 a.m. muni tee time or a valet-only club that offers spa-tuned swing analysis, we all love this game for the same reason:
It brings us back.
—Kurt
MidLifeGolf.com
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