Nebraska lies in the Midwest Region of the United States and it’s a triple landlocked state, situated far from either the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean and it occupies two major landforms – the Dissected Till Plains and the Great Plains – that stretch out far and wide as rich, fertile prairies. For a supposed golfing backwater, you might be surprised to know that there are almost 200 affordable courses available for play in the Cornhusker State.

The Nebraska Golf Association was founded in 1966 and it conducts five men’s state competitions annually. The Nebraska Women’s Amateur Golf Association was formed in 1973 and it too organises state-wide events for members in 66 affiliated clubs every year. On the professional front, there’s a thriving Nebraska Section of the PGA that also covers a number of clubs in Iowa and South Dakota.

A couple of modern courses – Wild Horse, close to Gothenburg and Prairie Club (Dunes) near Valentine – have elevated the quality of golf in Nebraska to new heights in recent times but even these wonderful layouts are totally eclipsed by Coore and Crenshaw’s remote Sand Hills layout in Mullen, Hooker County. Opened in 1995, it’s a truly world class track that lies fourteen miles from Jack Nicklaus’s solid 2006 creation at Dismal River (White) and Tom Doak's acclaimed Red course at the same facility.

A couple of exciting projects are currently underway in Nebraska. The first is CapRock Ranch, which is laid out along the rim of the Snake River Canyon and in the sandy chops hills. Hanse Golf Course Design, Caveman Construction and Landscapes Unlimited are all working on this project. The other development is King-Collins Design’s Landmand course in the glacial till of the Loess Hills near Homer which has been described as “a dramatic trek across ridges, rolls and ravines”.

Our Nebraska Best In State Rankings were last updated in October 2020. Click the link to read the story.