Why Nebraska Has the Best Golf You've Never Played
Nebraska is not a state that comes up in golf travel conversations. When serious golfers discuss their next trip, they talk about Bandon Dunes, Pebble Beach, the Carolinas coast, Ireland. Nebraska does not appear on most radar screens. This is the best argument for going.
The Nebraska Sandhills — a 20,000-square-mile landscape of grass-covered sand dunes in the north-central part of the state — is the most unusual and most naturally golf-ready terrain in the continental United States. It looks like nothing else in American golf. Several courses built on it rank among the best in the country. Almost nobody is playing them.
Landmand Golf Club — Homer, Nebraska
Landmand Golf Club sits in the northeastern corner of Nebraska, near Homer, on the bluffs above the Missouri River. The course opened in 2021 and immediately drew comparisons to Bandon Dunes and the great British links — not because it plays like a links course, but because it was designed with the same philosophy: use the natural terrain, walk the course, let the land make the holes. Tom Lehman and Chris Brands routed it through native prairie on rolling hills with views across the Missouri River valley that don't exist anywhere else in Midwest golf.
It has a gallery wall of art that captures what makes it special — three views of the course across different holes, each one rendered in a different style (oil, gouache, pointillism) that reflects a different aspect of how light falls on Nebraska grass.
Sand Hills Golf Club — Mullen, Nebraska
Sand Hills Golf Club is the best golf course in America that almost no golfer has played. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed it in 1995 on the actual Sandhills terrain of Cherry County — rolling dunes covered in native fescue, holes that blend into the landscape so completely that photographs rarely convey the scale of what's there. The golf design community ranks it among the top five courses in the country. It is extremely private, has no website, and accepts almost no outside play. Getting on requires a member invitation and significant advance planning.
Its existence is what anchors the Nebraska case. When the best course in America is in Nebraska, and the second-best accessible course in the state (Landmand) was just built, the argument for the Nebraska golf trip becomes very strong very fast.
Dismal River Club — Mullen, Nebraska
Tom Doak designed the Dismal River Club near Mullen on terrain adjacent to the Sand Hills Golf Club — the same fescue-covered dunes, the same wide sky, the same complete absence of anything urban for 50 miles in any direction. The course plays through the natural dune corridors with routing decisions that consistently find the most dramatic and interesting ground on the property. It is accessible to non-members through limited outside play.
The Prairie Club — Valentine, Nebraska
The Prairie Club has three courses — the Dunes and Horse courses designed by Tom Lehman, and the Pines course — near Valentine on the Niobrara River. It is the most accessible high-quality golf in the Nebraska Sandhills and serves as the base for golfers who want several days of quality golf in the region without the access challenges that Sand Hills and Dismal River present. The Dunes Course is the standout.
The Case for the Nebraska Trip
Fly into Omaha for Landmand (45 minutes). Drive four hours west for Dismal River and Prairie Club. Add a Sand Hills round if you have the access. Return via Omaha. The distances are real — this is Nebraska, not coastal New England — but the golf is genuine, the green fees are a fraction of comparable courses at coastal destinations, and the complete absence of crowds is a feature rather than a bug.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska open to the public?
Sand Hills Golf Club is an extremely private members club with almost no outside play available. Access requires a member invitation. It has no website and no booking process for non-members. Dismal River Club and The Prairie Club are the most accessible alternatives in the same geographic area.
What is Landmand Golf Club?
Landmand Golf Club is a semi-private golf course near Homer, Nebraska, designed by Tom Lehman and Chris Brands, opened in 2021. It plays through native prairie on bluffs above the Missouri River and has quickly established itself as one of the best new courses in America.