Medicine Hole Golf Course

Overview: Medicine Hole Golf Course is a public nine-hole Jim Engh layout in Killdeer, set among the ridges and open native grass of western North Dakota. The course plays to par 36 and 3,290 yards from the black tees, with dramatic elevation changes that are unusual for a short course. Engh used the natural terrain to create steep drops, raised ground, deep sod-faced bunkers and a series of holes that reward confident line selection. The wide views toward the Killdeer Mountains are part of the experience, but the changing lies and coulees give the course its real character.

History: Medicine Hole opened in 2004 after a community effort brought a new golf facility to the Killdeer area. The project gave Dickinson-born architect Jim Engh an opportunity to work on a nine-hole course, using a relatively compact property to showcase the rugged Badlands landscape. The course was built as a local facility rather than a resort development, and it has continued to combine daily public play with leagues, tournaments, youth programs and community events. Its scale makes it approachable, while the ground keeps the design more demanding than the yardage alone suggests.

Did You Know? The name Medicine Hole comes from a cave in the nearby Killdeer Mountains. The course is also unusual within Jim Engh's portfolio: local reporting identifies it as the only nine-hole course he has designed, making this small North Dakota layout a distinctive part of his work.