Here’s our list of the top 10 courses in Nebraska, also known as The Cornhusker State.
1. SAND HILLS, Mullen
The most natural course this side of the British Isles, this 1995 masterpiece of minimalism by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw (just 4,000 cubic yards of dirt moved) drew instant acclaim and put Nebraska on the map as a bucket-list golf destination.
2. DISMAL RIVER (RED), Mullen
Tom Doak’s expansive yet seamless routing wends across the massive dunes before heading to lower terrain for a strong finish beside the eponymous river. There are no tees—just freeform pads—and the contours of most greens come less from Doak than Mother Nature.
3. PRAIRIE CLUB (DUNES), Valentine
Tom Lehman teamed with architect Chris Brands to transform a former cattle ranch into an imaginative out-and-back test with sweeping vistas, broad rolling fairways, and perched and tucked greens with surfaces that are wildly contoured but fun to putt.
4. LANDMAND, Homer
Set in the northeast corner of the state, 15 miles from Sioux City, Iowa, this debut 18-hole design by the team of Tad King and Rob Collins caught instant attention with its grand scale, endless vistas, and the largest greens in America (averaging 14,000 square feet). Last year, the entire season’s tee times sold out in less than three hours.
5. OMAHA COUNTRY CLUB, Omaha
Among the first clubs in the Midwest, Omaha opened in 1899 before relocating in 1926. Perry Maxwell later made major revisions to the steeply undulating site, notably on the greens, which took on his distinctive and daunting “Maxwell Rolls.” The club hosted the U.S. Senior Open in 2013 and 2021, won respectively by Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk.
6. PRAIRIE CLUB (PINES), Valentine
This design by Graham Marsh may not have the pure sandhill experience of its sister Dunes course, but it compensates with refreshing variety. With seven holes lined by majestic pines and bordering the Snake River Canyon, the feeling is part Nebraska, part Colorado.
7. CAPROCK RANCH, Valentine
Just a few miles from the Prairie Club and set on the same terrain, this Gil Hanse/Jim Wagner course has a similar vibe to the Pines, beginning in sandy prairieland and then moving through pine barrens before finishing beside the canyon where several greens perch in the trees 200 feet above the Snake River.
8. WILD HORSE, Gothenburg
One of the best values in public golf is this daily fee version of Sand Hills. Built by Dan Proctor and Dave Axland for less than $1 million, it is the full prairie links experience—big skies, fickle winds, rolling dunes, natural bunkers, firm and fast conditions—for just $65 weekdays, $80 weekends.
9. LOST RAIL, Gretna
Twenty-five miles from downtown Omaha, this cozy layout set on just 150 acres packs plenty of challenge and charm. Wooded ravines, culverts, washes, and gulches come constantly into play, as does the abandoned railway line for which the course is named.
10. DISMAL RIVER (WHITE), Mullen
The river may be dismal but there’s plenty of excitement in this layout set on land similar to Sand Hills. Blowout bunkers, blind shots, heaving grass dunes, sharp elevation changes, and endless prairie views distinguish Jack Nicklaus’s 250th course design.
