Wild Spring Dunes: Tom Doak Finds Something Rare in Texas
I played Tom Doak’s newest course on a rare stretch of Texas sand
Why can’t we have this in Texas?
That was the question wealthy Dallas businessman and entrepreneur Brett Messarall asked himself when he visited Sand Valley Golf Resort a few years ago, right after the pandemic. He was so enamored with this bucket-list-worthy destination, located in the Central Sands of Wisconsin, that he wondered if it would be possible to build something similar in Texas.
The Land That Changed the Conversation
When Messarall returned, he looked for a suitable site. Of the million acres he evaluated, the first location he scouted turned out to be the perfect fit, a site next to the East Texas town of Mount Enterprise (population of 505). The property was covered with pines, but more importantly, much of the land that didn’t support timber growth was covered in sand, not the red clay that’s so prevalent in most of East Texas.
Why is the sand base is so important? Consider the great links courses around the world. They’re built on dunes with natural undulation and the best drainage in the world.
Sand is an ideal base for growing grass. It nourishes better turf health and can whisk away a torrential downpour with no pooling to be seen. That’s why the links courses in Ireland and Scotland rarely closes because of inclement weather.
So Messerall acquired a 2,463-acre parcel, blessed with spring-fed creeks, prairies, ravines, forest, and elevation change.
Then he called Tom Doak.
Doak visited the site and compared the terrain to that of Pine Valley in New Jersey and Pasatiempo in California. Still, Doak said the site had a different feel from anything he had ever worked on. That’s saying a lot from a man whose resume includes Pacific Dunes at Bandon, Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand, and the Blue Course at Streamsong.
How an Idea Became a Destination
Messerall also needed a developer, so he reached out to Michael Keiser. When it comes to destination golf, Keiser knows a thing or two. Along with his brother, Chris, Keiser is behind the vision of Sand Valley, building on a legacy that began at Bandon Dunes on Oregon’s southern coast.
Soon after visiting, Michael Keiser agreed to develop the resort and community, and it didn’t take long. The new resort, Wild Spring Dunes Resort, is already open for business.
Clearing for the first of two championship-length golf courses started in 2024. By the fall of 2025, all 18 holes were grassed and ready, though only eight were available during Founders play. Making two loops through those holes in this early window offered a clear sense of what’s coming, with a spring 2026 opening for all 18 holes, and a formal grand opening set for September 2026.
“I will say Michael (Keiser) has got the magic,” said Mike Abbott, a hospitality guru who has overseen several high-end developments, including Discovery Land properties and Bluejack National north of Houston, and now worked with Wild Spring Dunes. “I didn’t know what to expect. Even in our preview play here, the reaction has been tremendous.”
A few people, however, did get to play all 18 holes of the new Doak Course in December. With the entire golf course sodded, the course is already in great shape. Greens ran true, and fairway lies were plush. By springtime, like the other courses in Keiser’s portfolio, conditions surely will be flawless.
More importantly, the golf resort will attract golf enthusiasts from all over the state and the country. The finished produced will include a par-3 course, a second championship course designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, a lodge, cottages, restaurants, and other amenities.
For Michael Keiser, it follows the “if you build it, they will come” model that cares only about the finished product, not the location. Wild Spring Dunes lies more than two hours from Dallas and Houston, and a little more than an hour from Shreveport, Louisiana.
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Walking The Doak Course at Wild Spring Dunes
Wild Spring Dunes also delivers a walking experience. Caddies not only enhance the golf, but are also required for most months. Like at Streamsong in Florida, carts may be allowed for a couple of the hotter summer months, with the course possibly closing for August.
One observer likened Wild Spring Dunes to the sand belt looks of Pinehurst and Tobacco Road, with some of the adventurous feel of the latter.
Wild Springs Dune pro Angus Henderson, who is from New Zealand and worked at Cape Kidnappers, said there are some similarities between the two properties, minus the ocean, of course. They both mix some smaller greens with some larger, more undulating greens.
“Also, hole 4 at Wild Spring Dunes is very much like Hole 18 at Kidnappers, with it being a big bowl green and a blind shot in,” Henderson said.
The Doak Course at Wild Spring Dunes is built around the highest point on the property. Known as Old Baldy, hunters used to perch there to aim at deer and hogs. Now, golfers aim tee shots from this spot, perched 40 feet above the first fairway. This same vantage point will also stage the opening salvos for the Coore-Crenshaw Course when it’s completed in a couple years.
“I did not expect to see in Texas what I found here,” said Doak, whose other Texas projects have included the highly acclaimed Rawls Course in Lubbock and the redesign of Memorial Park, host of the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open. “We tried to get every hole to touch some natural feature of the property, and try to build it around something that’s already there… If you’ve got a really good site, you don’t have to try too hard. This is a really good site.”
Doak is known as a minimalist, meaning he doesn’t like to move too much dirt. He used the natural contours to create a collection of natural-looking holes throughout this property. You're not going to find a bunch of manmade lakes and ponds, just creeks and landforms that were already there.
The trees come into play at times, but the fairways are more than generous. There are prickly pears and native grasses. And the adventures often escalate when you get to the greens. Great putting and a deft short game are real assets on Doak courses, and Wild Spring Dunes is no exception.
“It’s a beautiful walk,” Doak said. “You get a foreshadowing of the ravines early on the second and third holes, but the back nine really kicks things into high gear, starting right from the (par-3) 10th tee. The (par-4) 11th hole was the one hole we really didn’t understand well at the start, and it was a lot of work to get the hole to drain. But the view through the green, and up the hill to the (par-4)12th is stunning.”
Doak’s course will surely be difficult from 7,000-plus yards. On the day a few played all 18 holes in December, it was set up at a little over 6,000 yards, and some of the holes, especially uphill or into the wind, played long and difficult. Fortunately, Wild Spring Dunes has tees that start around 4,000 yards, so it will accommodate a wide range of golfers.
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The Future at Wild Spring Dunes
The short course will be next, scheduled to open sometime in 2026. While the build-out of accommodations and restaurants will take place over the next few years, you can expect great service right away. Even in its temporary state, the food and beverage service, golf shop and valet service are all top notch.
In the meantime, Wild Spring Dunes is in partnership with local businesses in Nacogdoches, home of Stephen F. Austin University, to offer stay-and-play packages. Most notably, there’s the historic boutique Fredonia Hotel, which has been around since 1955. Owned by residents, it’s quirky and charming, but most of all comfortable with good dining, and a well-stocked bar, perfect for regaling the day’s round at Wild Spring Dunes.