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ChatGPT played an important part in the River Ranch Golf Resort's new David McLay Kidd course developing along the bluffs of the Snake River near Pasco in Washington state.
When four men - Ben Harris and his business partner Brad Beauchamp and brothers Keith and Jordan Tiegs - started exploring what to do with the land they purchased at auction, they used Ai to answer an important question. Their original plans to turn a bankrupt winery into a residential development, while using a portion of the land for farming, were about to drastically change once their new rezoning permit indicated they could build a golf course.
"We were using ChatGPT to find out how much acreage it would take to build an 18-hole golf course," Keith Tiegs recalled. "How much could be left for a wedding venue, event space, houses, all the things that would go with a resort overlay. That's how it all started."
The four men were golfers but knew very little about what it takes to be successful golf developers.
"It couldn't be just another municipal-style golf course. We knew that's not going to work," Beauchamp said. "We didn't really know what destination golf was at that time. We knew what Bandon Dunes was, but we had never played it. We were a little inexperienced and a little naive to call David out of the blue (in late 2024)."
That they landed Kidd after cold-calling his office is nothing short of a miracle given his busy schedule as one of golf's hottest architects. Kidd, who lives in Bend, Oregon, was originally skeptical and hemmed and hawed about visiting the property.
When Kidd finally saw the sandy soil that would allow him to grow bouncy fescue turf and golfers to enjoy such stunning river views, he got excited about a project so close to home. He calls the site a "unicorn".
"I kept pushing it off for like three months for me to fly up there. When I landed, I jumped in Brad's truck and we went to the center of the river front and I thought, 'Why didn't I get up here way earlier'," Kidd recalled.
Eventually, Kidd took the four men to one of his newest designs, the private GrayBull Club in Nebraska, to introduce them to the world of high-end destination golf and modern architecture.
"We had no idea we called the rock star," Keith added. "We had different plans. We had more of resort golf with a big hotel and a spa. When David showed up, he very quickly said, 'You are not doing that. This is pure golf. You are focusing on the golf'."
Kidd's routing will climax at the 15th hole, a likely par 3 set upon a rim of land overlooking the river that sets up a dramatic tee shot over the water. Kidd said the hole is reminiscent of the famed 16th hole at the Cypress Point Club.
"It will be, I'm sure, the most photographed of the holes on the property (and) its breathtaking vista," he said. "I sort of pinch myself and realize the imposter syndrome comes right back. I'm likely to get a whole bunch of credit for something that I had nothing to do with. Mother Nature put that there. I just planted a flag."
The course is expected to open in August 2027.
More about River Ranch Golf Resort
The River Ranch Golf Resort, managed by KemperSports, will welcome traveling golfers and overnight guests to stay in cottages. Pasco is about 3 1/2 hours southeast of Seattle. The Tri Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco offers non-stop flights from Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and San Diego. River Ranch is almost three hours directly south of Gamble Sands, meaning golfers could potentially stay and play at both to experience a highlight reel of DMK's greatest hits in the Pacific Northwest.
A clubhouse overlooking the Snake River, plus some real estate, will eventually be a part of River Ranch. The Tiegs own nearly 1,000 acres of additional land on three miles of riverfront about a mile and a half away should the day come to build more golf.
