(DAKOTA CITY, Nebraska) – Architect Trevor Dormer will return to eastern Nebraska in early March to complete construction of the revamped Old Dane Golf Course, owned by the Andersen family – the same family behind the acclaimed Landmand.The Andersens have owned Old Dane since 2007. Originally built in 2002 as Ironhorse Golf Club, the course was reconstructed in 2010 under the direction of owner Will Andersen, transforming a tight 18-hole layout into a nine-hole loop over a flat prairie with only a five-foot elevation change.
After opening Landmand in 2022 – a course that quickly gained national acclaim – Andersen began thinking about how he could elevate Old Dane into a complementary destination experience for traveling golfers. He turned to Dormer, who became a partner at King Collins Dormer in 2024 after starting his career as a shaper and associate for Coore & Crenshaw. Dormer had previously sculpted Landmand’s striking fourth green and impressed Andersen enough to earn his first role as chief architect.
Construction of the new Old Dane began in late 2024. The redesigned course will be expanded to 12 holes, using land that previously served as a practice range. During the 2025 season, the property took full form – a dramatic transformation that added almost nine meters of elevation to land once considered featureless. One of the standout features is a volcano-style green on the par-3 11th hole.
By 2025, most of the course was covered in grass, although five holes remain without grass. That work should be completed this spring.“I hope that we will be completely grassed by mid-June, although that will of course depend on the weather,” said Dormer. “I’m very happy with how the course turned out. There are still a few greens to be finished, but all the shaping and irrigation is completed. Only one hole has no greens mix installed. I may have to get back on the dozer if some sand has been blown around.”
Dormer’s finishing crew comes from a project in Nashville to complete the work. In addition to the course itself, the property will include an extensive putting course near the clubhouse, along with croquet and bocce courts, reinforcing the Andersens’ vision of Old Dane as a welcoming, community-oriented golf destination.
While Old Dane may not match Landmand’s scale or natural movement, Andersen believes it will still surprise visitors.
“There are things that people will ask what we thought we were doing,” he said with a smile. “The opening hole is one of my favorites: a drivable par four with a subtle green and completely out of bounds on the far left.”
Preview play is tentatively scheduled for late in the 2026 season, with a formal grand opening expected in 2027.
About the Andersen and Landmand family
Landmand, pronounced ‘Landman’, is the Danish word for ‘farmer’. Eighteen-year-old Karl Andersen emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the early 1920s and settled in eastern Nebraska. In four generations, the Andersen family has grown into a large agricultural company in the region.
The family developed Old Dane after acquiring the former Ironhorse course and later created Landmand as their second golf venture. Despite their expansion into golf, agriculture remains the backbone of the Andersen operation, and the family remains deeply involved in the eastern Nebraska community.
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