Sutton Bay Architect Dies

Wire Reports

When Sutton Bay Golf Resort opened in 2003, it almost instantly put South Dakota on the golf map. Ron Whiten of Golf Digest called it an “It” course that would “someday merit serious consideration for a spot on America's 100 Greatest. It has that potential, given its wide range of shotmaking challenges, its bold greens, flashy bunkering and grand vistas. In other words, it has 'It' all. Which makes it an 'It Course.'”

One of driving forces behind Sutton Bay and the man who worked alongside architect Graham Marsh was Mark Amundson, a prominent figure in the South Dakota golf community who served as CEO of the resort.

Amundson died in an ATV crash early Monday morning. He was 55.

Amundson was driving a 2014 Polaris Ranger Utility Task Vehicle south on Sutton Bay Trail, a private road, around midnight, Department of Public Safety public information officer Jonathan Harms said.

Amudson drifted off the roadway and overcorrected the vehicle before it rolled, Harms said. Amundson was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected. He was pronounced dead on the scene, Harms said.

Amundson grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Washington High School before attending and playing golf at South Dakota State University. He helped conceive Sutton Bay resort on the eastern side of the Missouri River near Agar.

“I wanted to see South Dakota put on the map for golf in the United States,” he told GolfClubAtlas.com in 2006.

Amundson became the 38th person to be inducted into the SDGA Hall of Fame. He has won 13 SDGA titles, including Match Play Championships in 1985, 1989, and 2000 and the Men's Amateur Championship in 1999. Amundson was the director of operations for Destination Golf Ventures of Sioux Falls. He was also the director of operations at Sutton Bay and the director of marketing and development for Graham Marsh Golf Design.

“Mark was a prominent figure in golf in South Dakota for many, many years and his vision to create Sutton Bay will be his legacy to golf in our state. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” said Wade Merry, executive director of the South Dakota Golf Association.

Amundson also helped run the annual Orion Classic, an annual golf event in Sioux Falls that benefits the Children's Home Society.

Kevin Roberg, an owner at Sutton Bay, has known Amundson since the resort opened in 2003.

“Many of us have dreams and he's one of the few who made his dream happened,” Roberg said. “Because of him we have something that's a national treasure, in my opinion.”