Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club

Overview: Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club is an 18-hole private course in Dagsboro, Delaware, designed by Algie Pulley beside the Indian River Bay. The layout uses marshland, water views, trees, changing turf and natural topography to create a parkland and coastal setting that is more varied than its 6,800-yard length alone suggests. The course's playing character comes from wind, pin positions and the interaction between the fairways and surrounding wetlands. Pulley's design leaves room for different lines into the greens while keeping the landscape central to the round.

History: The idea for a Bethany Beach-area golf community began in 1982, when Donald Wilgus asked Algie Pulley to study the site. The original 142 acres were purchased in 1983, ground was broken for the front nine in June of that year, and the first nine officially opened on July 21, 1984. The back nine followed on Memorial Day weekend in 1986, completing the present 18-hole course. The club later became member-owned in 1993 and its current clubhouse became operational in 1995, giving the property a development history that extends well beyond the initial course construction.

Did You Know? Before golf, the Cripple Creek property produced strawberries, winter wheat and chickens, and a small lumber mill stood near the present entrance. The golf course was therefore built on working agricultural land, with Pulley routing the holes around marshes, trees and Indian River Bay views.