Don nicewonder biography

WHARNCLIFFE, W.VA. - Just when Mark Nicewonder gave up his dream of designing golf courses, his uncle called with an idea: come build one at a southern West Virginia coal mine – 2 miles up a mountain.

Nicewonder, admitting he “had to pull a few rabbits out of the hat and do some things that a lot of your top architects would not do,” came up with Twisted Gun Golf Club, a links-style course short on trees, long on distance, and definitely worth the drive.

At first, golfers don’t know what they’re getting into.

The miles leading up to the former Low Gap mountaintop mining site in Mingo County consist of a curvy, muddy road and a coal truck or two.

Get to the top of the mountain and golfers see a stark contrast – rolling green terrain, meadows, rock walls and wetlands.

“Mountaintop removal has had its negative publicity in the state, but what I think they did at Twisted Gun was a wonderful reclamation of that piece of property,” said Danny Fisher, executive