A very private club, Prairie Dunes is perhaps Perry Maxwell's most famous design, ranked as high as #30 in Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Courses in the U.S. The prominent Emerson Carey family built Prairie Dunes, which opened with nine holes on September 13, 1937. Although Maxwell routed 18 holes over 480 acres, the club elected to open only with the first nine. The second nine opened in 1957 with a design by Perry's son Press.

Prairie Dunes' championship pedigree is undeniably strong; it has hosted seven USGA championships and five Trans-Mississippi Amateurs. The club also hosted the 1986 Curtis Cup, where Team Great Britain & Ireland defeated the United States for the first time ever on American soil. The club also hosted the 2014 NCAA Division I championships, with (relatively) nearby Wichita State University as the host school.