Lazy J Sporting Club looks to maximize land potential with golf course addition – Mitchell Republic

WINNER, S.D. — Wanting to maximize the vast property that makes up the Lazy J Sporting Club, the Jorgensen family is turning to a sport much older than their cattle-farming business.

Destination golf is on its way to the Winner area.

As part of a multi-year project to improve the club’s facilities and accommodate more guests, Lazy J is in the process of adding a championship golf course to a growing list of amenities offered, which include pheasant hunting, a sporting clays course and space to hold special events such as weddings.

The rationale for adding golf to the venue, according to Jorgensen Land and Cattle CEO and club partner Nick Jorgensen, was simple: bringing people across the country to enjoy the property throughout the entire year.

“We brainstormed for a long time about what we can do to get people here in June, July and August for an extended-type stay,” Jorgensen said. “You need something that’s attractive and really, our only option there was golf.”

Partnering with Landscapes Unlimited for development and the construction of the course using a design from golf architectural firm Craig and Coyne, Lazy J will feature a par-72 layout that measures 7,216 yards from the championship tees.

Additionally, a 12-hole short course will be built alongside a putting course, short game practice area and driving range. Groundbreaking is planned for the upcoming fall, with the hope that the course will be ready for play in the June 2027.

Lazy J golf will be a private club with Nick Jorgensen and cousin Cody, who is also the Jorgensen Land and Cattle Chief Livestock Officer, looking at admitting around 350 total members. Traditional stay-and-play packages offered to public guests of the club will include golf as an option, but with the added benefit of learning about more than just the land they’ll inhabit upon arriving at the property.

“What we’re looking to do is take the rest of that time throughout the year and get people to come see this part of the world,” Cody Jorgensen said, “See our operation, our family, our land and we think one good way to do that is to add golf.”

While the sporting club has served the Winner area since 2012, the Jorgensen’s history in Tripp County dates back to 1909, when Nick and Cody’s great-grandfather relocated to an area 15 minutes north of Winner and outside the unincorporated community of Ideal, which became the land where Lazy J stands on.

Their grandfather, Martin, began breeding Angus cattle in the 1960s, eventually leading to the current cattle and farming company they primarily help run with part of the company’s emphasis on conservation efforts. Always looking to add value through forward thinking, it’s how pheasant hunts began on their land in the 1990s.

“We started offering what we call dayhunts or a trespass fee,” Cody Jorgensen said. “We did that up until 2012, which is when we built the lodge. We started operating full, all-inclusive, three-day hunt packages to several people across the United States.”

Around 450 people will visit the Lazy J Sporting Club for pheasant hunting, usually from the beginning of September up until the middle of December. For the rest of the year, the club lies mostly dormant outside of special events.

Using the same approach when the Jorgensens began to allow pheasant hunters onto the property, discussions about adding a new feature started around 2018 in the name of maximizing the space they have available, where important questions needed to be answered in order to move ahead.

“It was really contingent on if we have the right kind of land for it,” Nick Jorgensen said. “Is it a facility set up the right way? Can we create the demand? Does this make sense from a business perspective?”

Bringing out Craig and Coyle for a tour of the club grounds in November 2023 to see if the property was viable to conceptualize a golf course into a design, the architectural firm was able to create a design to showcase the surrounding land at various points throughout the layout.

“It’s designed in such a way to accentuate the natural golf that’s already there,” Nick Jorgensen said. “We got this beautiful property. So, let’s keep it that way. Let’s just put golf on it.”

Before walking the south end of the property, the architectural firm interviewed both Nick and Cody Jorgensen about what they were looking for regarding the golf course design, who made it clear they wanted to preserve much of the natural landscape, owing to their sustainability efforts.

“They interviewed us to get an idea about what the club is,” Cody Jorgensen said, “How we would like to see the club, and that’s one of the things that we emphasized pretty hard. We don’t want to disrupt the land as much as possible.”

The design takes advantage of the natural formations surrounding the property to create challenging holes for golfers to experience. The planned par-4 No. 3 hole will require a tee shot over Thunder Creek onto a sloped fairway from right to left, with a rock formation to the left of the fairway sending errant tee shots down into a hazard area.

Remnants of an old bridge crossing along the creek serve as an obstacle on the par-4 No. 7 hole. The planned greens are also designed to feature natural runoffs for drainage, while tee boxes will be in close proximity to each green to allow the course to be walked, allowing the utilized space to serve multiple purposes.

“It’s just beautiful out there,” Nick Jorgensen said. “The less dirt you move, the less money you have to spend putting a golf course in. The idea was building it as affordable as we could do it while in a way to have premium world-class golf here. That was the balance we asked them to strike.”

The design also maximizes the views on the property, with holes No. 4-9 taking golfers from the southernmost point of the land back up towards the lodge nestled into the backdrop. Holes playing north to south on the proposed back-nine see scenic hills come into view.

It’s part of the club’s ultimate goal to entertain members and guests with their families and friends on the land, which Cody Jorgensen dubs “agri-tainment” with the other activities Lazy J offers throughout the year.

“We farm the land, we run cattle on the property and now we can say we also entertain on hit,” he said.

While the future golf course sits on 440 acres of land, utilizing the natural surroundings throughout the layout, the golf project will cost approximately $15 million to complete. The Jorgensens are currently raising funds through investment opportunities at the property, including equity ownership. The club is also in the process of adding cabin space to accommodate more guests, putting a total of 60 beds on the premises.

The Jorgensens have also partnered with Landscape Golf Management to help oversee operations of the course, relying on their experience of running resort-style properties, which includes Sutton Bay Golf along the Missouri River outside of Forest Hills. It’ll allow the family to remain focused on their primary farming operations.

While the project currently has a two-year window to build the course, much of the plans going forward are contingent on fundraising and membership drives to keep the June 2027 opening on schedule. However, the reception from prospective individuals has been positive since the announcement of the golf addition.

“Destination golf is the new thing and people love to fly into a remote area and play golf,” Cody Jorgensen said. “We have a lot of people that are interested in investing and being a member. Their response has been really good.”

“Once the dirt starts to move and grass starts to look like a fairway, I think we’re going to see a lot of people say, ‘I want to get on here before I can’t get a membership,” Nick Jorgensen added.

Although the golf course has the potential of becoming a top destination for golfers across the country, the ultimate goal is for those who grace the club grounds to appreciate more than just 18 holes of championship-level golf.

“It’s important for people to just get a little taste of where their food comes from,” Cody Jorgensen said, “And that’s part of the theme of the course. It’s about the land spot, our family and it’s about what we do. Sharing that with people would be huge for me.”

Any inquiries about investment, along with membership opportunities, can be made on the 

Lazy J Sporting Club website

.