Williston Municipal: A community investment

The Williston Municipal Golf Course, a nine-hole layout in the Bakken Oil Fields of western North Dakota, is set to be redesigned and expanded to 18 holes by golf course architect Kevin Norby.

The project forms part of a near-800-acre development known as Williston Square, converting the former Sloulin Field International Airport into a mixed-use development that includes housing, commercial, retail, medical and recreation.

“The city of Williston has experienced rapid growth over the past 20 years due to fracking and the presence of oil and gas resources,” says Joe Barsh, executive director of Williston Parks. “As a result, the city is now well-positioned for housing development and quality of life investments. This project aims to address both by creating a premier golf facility in the heart of the community, while also promoting housing development to meet the current housing demand.”

In June 2025, city residents passed a sales tax referendum that will fund the golf course renovation.

Norby’s new routing will see the course completely redesigned and rerouted, with more space for practice facilities. The first five holes, plus nine, seventeen and eighteen, will play on gently rolling land with mature trees that is occupied by the existing nine-hole layout. The back nine will be laid out on an area of the site that has dramatic elevation changes, deep ravines and native prairie. A new clubhouse will be built in a similar location to the existing building, with holes one and nine finishing close by. The driving range will also be in a similar location but expanded and oriented in a different direction.

“In addition to expanding the course to 18 holes, one of my goals was to create a more spacious routing with expanded safety corridors and improved visual separation,” says Norby. “I walked the site to identify potential green sites and lines of play. The new property to the north of the existing golf course has dramatic topography which makes for some interesting par three holes, but makes it somewhat difficult to route par fours and par fives with good sightlines off the tee. The new par-three eleventh is a 260-yard hole that will play downhill to an 8,000-square-foot green positioned in a natural bowl. Shots that miss the green long or to the left have an opportunity to feed back down on to the green. The proposed tenth is a long par four of 470 yards and plays nearly 60 feet downhill through a natural valley. The hole will play to an elevated green.

“The wind blows all the time here in North Dakota so the course will play differently from day to day. The course will have wider corridors and will not rely on trees to provide separation. It will have a more natural and more sustainable character that embraces the rolling North Dakota landscape. We’ve provided as many as six tees to ensure the course will be fun for juniors and golfers with slower swing speeds while remaining strategic and challenging for the more-skilled golfer.”

The first five holes, plus nine, seventeen and eighteen, of the new Williston Municipal layout play over land occupied by the existing nine (Image: Kevin Norby)

The new course will measure 6,935 yards from the back tees and will feature Kentucky bluegrass fairways and bentgrass greens. Williston Parks & Recreation District (WPRD) will hire a contractor to execute construction and has selected Erik Christiansen of EC Design to design a new irrigation system.

“Because we do not take community investment for granted, WPRD aims to prioritise the long-term sustainability of the golf course beyond just golf itself,” says Barsh. “We plan to invest heavily in its design and construction, as well as ensuring access to sustainable resources such as recycled water. In the best interest of taxpayers and local government responsibilities, no shortcuts will be taken.

“Our goal is to maintain the municipal nature of the course. The course will prioritise local users, serve as the home course of cross-country, high school and middle school golf and be the hub for youth golf development in the area. WPRD will strive to ensure as much accessibility and inclusion as possible.”

Construction is expected to begin in July 2026 with a view to the course being playable by summer 2028.

This article first appeared in the October 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.