McKenzie County Farmer - Latest News

Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer

As the snow melts and the greens begin to wake from their winter slumber under a spotty snow cover, Fox Hills Golf Course in Watford City, North Dakota, is already buzzing with activity. Tony Carmichael, the head golf professional at Fox Hills, can barely contain his enthusiasm for what promises to be a standout season. “We’re busy,” Carmichael said, leaning into the understatement with a laugh. “Most evenings, we’re pretty packed.”

The course, with a rapidly developing reputation in the rugged northwestern corner of the state, has emerged from winter in what Carmichael calls “immaculate” condition. According to Travis Rodenhizer, the course superintendent, the greens are poised to thrive as soon as warmer temperatures kick in. “They’re still dormant, but they don’t look worse for wear,” Carmichael noted. “There’s still some moisture in the ground, so it’s just a matter of time before they start growing. They’re going to come in quite nicely.”

This optimism isn’t just about the turf. Fox Hills is riding a wave of momentum from a record-breaking 2024, when the course logged over 20,000 rounds. Carmichael believes 2025 could surpass that mark. “We got a jumpstart already being open a few days,” he said, acknowledging the fickle North Dakota weather. “Even with the colder weather coming in and out, we’ve been pretty steady. Weather permitting, I think we’ll be busier than last year.”

The course’s growing buzz is a key driver. “Word of mouth is the best marketing tool,” Carmichael said, and Fox Hills is benefiting from it. With one final fairway set to fully mature by June, he’s confident the course can stand toe-to-toe with any in the region. “I think our golf course will be as nicely conditioned, with a great layout, as nice as-if not better than-any course in the state,” he declared.

A Community Hub for All Ages
Beyond its rolling fairways, Fox Hills is cementing its role as a community cornerstone, particularly through its thriving junior golf programs. Supported by local initiatives like the Brice Brenno Foundation and the Wayne Olson Birthday Bash, the course is nurturing a new generation of golfers. “We’ll have at least 200 golfers in our junior golf program this year,” Carmichael said proudly.
The programs cater to a wide range of ages and skill levels. Through the Rough Rider Center, beginners as young as four get their first taste of the game through a four-week introductory course. Older kids progress through Golf 101 (ages 7-11) and Golf 202 (ages 12-18), learning fundamentals like swinging, chipping, putting, and course etiquette. “We want them to know what’s expected of them when they go golfing somewhere,” Carmichael explained.

For more experienced players, Fox Hills offers the PGA Junior League for ages 7-13, which already has more than 20 participants signed up for its June start. The league combines twice-weekly practices and two-person scrambles with postgame lunches sponsored by local businesses. “We sit down and discuss golf rules, things that come up, birthdays-anything under the sun,” Carmichael said. “It’s about being social and having fun.”

For teens aged 14-18, the program shifts focus to the mental side of the game with a goal of getting golfers “tournament ready.” The lessons discuss visualization, staying present, and target awareness. “It’s not about how to swing the club,” Carmichael emphasized. “It’s about preparing for tournaments, sticking to the task at hand.” The results speak for themselves; in the past two years, several Fox Hills juniors have earned medals at the state junior tour level. “I don’t compete anymore,” Carmichael said. “I guess now I compete through my students, and I’m very proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Accessibility and Affordability
Carmichael says Fox Hills remains committed to keeping golf accessible. Despite rising costs across the industry, leadership has worked to keep fee increases modest. Memberships have gone up by about $100 per category, and daily green fees have risen by $5. An 18-hole weekend round, including a cart, now costs $70-up from $65 last year. “This is a public golf course,” Carmichael stressed. “We want it accessible to everybody. It’s not a country club.”

Still, Fox Hills has a goal to make golf an “experience” not just an activity, says Carmichael, who notes that Fox Hills has worked over the years to elevate every aspect of a visit, from the pro shop to the dining options. “Our food and beverage are busy most evenings during the season,” Carmichael said. The pro shop, staffed largely by local students, prides itself on personalized service. “We really stress making everybody’s experience positive, one customer at a time,” he said. “We want everybody to be treated like they’re going to a country club, so they can call this their home.”

A Journey to Watford City
Carmichael’s own journey to Fox Hills is as winding as the course’s fairways. Raised 60 miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia, he says he spent his twenties seeking adventure. “I was in a small town, and I had to see the world,” he recalled. That quest took him to Mexico for four years, where he met his wife. In 2000, they immigrated to Palm Springs, California, where Carmichael spent 15 years in the golf industry. But by the mid-2010s, he grew uneasy with the political climate. “Things were just a little too bizarre,” he said.

A friend working at a course in Williston, North Dakota, offered an opportunity. “He said, ‘You want to come up here as an assistant pro?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I want to get my kids out of the left coast,’” Carmichael recounted. He wanted his children to experience life in a different part of the country and make their own choices. The move paid off. Today, Carmichael is a fixture at Fox Hills, guiding the course and its community into a new season.

Looking Ahead
As Fox Hills gears up for the heart of the 2025 season, the focus remains on growth-both on the course and off. The high school teams from Watford City and nearby Alexander are already filling the fairways most evenings, a testament to the course’s role as a regional hub.
For Carmichael, it’s about more than just golf. It’s about building a place where kids learn life lessons, where families connect, and where anyone can feel at home. “People play golf for different reasons,” he said. “It might be for business, for fun, or to compete. We want everybody to have fun-because when I found out I had fun, I played a lot better.”
As the season unfolds, one thing is clear; Carmichael’s goal is not just to keep pace with the best golf facilities in North Dakota-he aims to set the standard. And that can only mean good things for golfers in McKenzie County.

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