Heart River at Heart River Golf Course

Heart River Golf Course sits on the western edge of Dickinson in the North Dakota Badlands region, designed by Rees Jones and opened in the late 1990s. The course occupies rolling prairie terrain characteristic of southwestern North Dakota, where the landscape transitions between grassland and the more dramatic topography of the Badlands to the south. Jones routed the layout to work with the natural contours and incorporated the Heart River into play on several holes, giving the course its name and its most distinctive strategic element.

The design reflects Jones's approach to public golf in the northern Great Plains, balancing playability for a broad membership with enough length and challenge to host regional amateur events. The course features wide fairways that accommodate the wind conditions common to the area, along with strategically placed bunkers and water hazards that define shot values without overly penalizing recreational players. The river crossings and elevated greens provide memorable moments within an otherwise straightforward routing.

Heart River serves as Dickinson's primary public facility and hosts local tournaments and high school competitions. The course benefits from the area's long summer daylight hours and draws golfers from across western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Its setting offers views of the surrounding prairie and distant buttes, giving players a sense of the region's open landscape character.