11 Best Golf Courses in Nebraska

“Nebraska? For golf?”

We get it. Nebraska – you’re probably picturing cornfields, college football, and cattle. Or maybe the world’s largest porch swing (yes, that’s a real roadside attraction). But golf? Not so much. Some folks would struggle to find it on a map without a little help from the audience. 

And yet, little did you know, Nebraska is quietly home to some of the most remarkable golf in America. In fact, among architecture buffs, the Sandhills region has become a kind of holy land, with prairie dunes and rolling grasslands that look like they were designed for the game long before anyone picked up a club. 

But the story doesn’t end in the Sandhills. Sprinkled on the other side of the state in more urban settings like Omaha and Lincoln, you’ll find classic municipal tracks and even a few modern designs that deliver more than you’d expect. 

So yes, Nebraska. Smack in the middle of the country. The land you’ve probably flown over on your way to somewhere else. Turns out, it just might be the destination of choice for your next great golf trip.

Here’s a closer look at the best golf courses in Nebraska.

Best Golf Courses in Nebraska

1. Sand Hills Golf Club

Mullen

Built in 1995, Sand Hills is the pinnacle of golf in Nebraska. Coore & Crenshaw’s masterpiece isn’t just the state’s best – it’s one of the finest in the world. Built with a “move as little dirt as possible” philosophy, it feels discovered rather than designed. The architects spent weeks walking thousands of acres, simply flagging naturally occurring fairways and greens. The result? Just 4,000 cubic yards of earth were shifted to bring the course to life. For perspective, even the most minimalist modern builds often require moving 100,000 cubic yards, while highly engineered layouts can top a million.

At Sand Hills, the dunes, wind, and firm fairways do the shaping. It’s golf in its purest form. The catch? You’ll need an invite to play. So if you’re ever lucky enough to get the call, drop everything and go.

2. CapRock Ranch

Valentine

If Sand Hills is the granddaddy of Nebraskan golf, the wise elder that proved this land was destined for greatness, then CapRock Ranch is the bold new heir. The vision for CapRock began in the early 2000s, when Gil Hanse was first brought in to study the rugged landscape of the Snake River Canyon. Over the years, changes in ownership and shifting plans delayed the project, but Hanse remained committed to crafting a course that honored the land. When CapRock finally opened in 2021, it emerged as a members-only layout with sweeping ridgelines, dramatic canyons, and prairie vistas that take your breath away.

3. The Prairie Club

Valentine

Continue along the Snake River corridor and you’ll find some of the best public-access golf in the state, a must-stop on any Nebraska golf trip: The Prairie Club. Its two 18-hole tracks are a real study in contrasts. The Dunes Course feels like a game in motion across a restless, windswept landscape. Fairways roll generously, but the greens play coy – perched, tucked, or partially hidden – rewarding only perfectly placed approaches. The Pines Course shifts the mood entirely. Fewer holes traverse the prairie, but many flirt with the canyon’s edge, lined with stately pines and cedars that bring a Rocky Mountain feel to the heart of Nebraska.

4. Landmand Golf Club

Homer

Do you remember your first trip to Disney World as a kid? That sense of wide-eyed excitement and endless possibility? Landmand Golf Club delivers a similar kind of rush. Some industry watchers even call it a glimpse into the future of golf course design – a move away from formulaic templates toward a place where courses feel alive and utterly original. Ok, enough teasing. Here’s why it’s so epic.

The name Landmand, Danish for “farmer,” reflects its roots: a tribute to the land and the Andersen family, who have stewarded it for generations. Nestled in the state’s lesser-known Loess Hills, Landmand sprawls across 588 acres of dramatic terrain. But loess soil is temperamental – hard and stable when dry but fragile and shifting when wet – making the site both a formidable canvas and a massive challenge for architects Rob Collins and Tad King.

So, bringing Landmand to life was no small feat. Over 2 million cubic yards of earth were moved (which makes Sand Hills’ 4,000 look downright modest) to shape corridors, soften peaks, and craft greens that feel both natural and bold. From “up top,” the scale is dizzying. Peaks stretch for miles in every direction, and fairways sweep like ribbons across the horizon. It’s audacious, inventive, and unforgettable. This isn’t just golf – it’s Landmand, and nothing else comes close.

5. Lost Rail Golf Club

Gretna

We’ve talked at length about clever use of land thus far, and Lost Rail is no exception. But where most courses on our list were spoiled with sprawling acreage, Lost Rail had to get a little crafty. Architect Scott Hoffman had roughly 150 acres to work with (about a quarter of Landmand’s footprint), but he turned the constraint into a strength.

The name, Lost Rail, honors the old railroad line that once cut through the prairie. Originally built in the early 1900s, the line was a major investment that was ultimately abandoned after the First World War. Today, remnants of the railbed are integrated into the course, crossing ravines and shaping the layout of several holes – turning a once-failed venture into a defining feature of the course.

6. GrayBull Club

Maxwell

GrayBull (part of the Dormie Network) is truly the new kid on the block, having opened in 2024. But yes, it’s already racking up top-five state rankings and national praise. Designed by David McLay Kidd, the Scottish architect behind favorites like Bandon Dunes (Oregon), Gamble Sands (Washington), and Mammoth Dunes (Wisconsin), GrayBull showcases his signature approach: letting the land dictate the design. But unlike his other courses, there’s no ocean backdrop or resort bustle here – just sky, sand, and silence across 600 acres of rolling Sandhills prairie.

7. Dismal River Club 

Mullen

The origins of the Dismal River’s name are a bit murky. Some claim early European settlers were overwhelmed by the vast prairie and rugged terrain, and dubbed it “dismal.” Others say it’s a mishearing of the French “dix milles” (“ten miles”), a nod to the river’s length. Either way, the name might sound grim, but don’t let it deter you. 

Dismal River Club is anything but its namesake. Here you’ll find two wildly different experiences: the White Course, Jack Nicklaus’s bold and brawny powerhouse of a layout, and the Red Course, Tom Doak’s understated, cerebral creation. The White Course, inspired by the famed Sand Hills, plays big and dramatic – wide fairways framed by rugged dunes, steep bunkering, and elevated greens. The Red Course, by contrast, is about as organic as they come. With minimal intervention, nearly every green (all but four) took less than an hour to transform from raw land to seedbed, and freeform tee boxes really let the land dictate the play.

8. Omaha Country Club

Omaha

We’re leaving the Sandhills behind (for now) and heading about five hours east for our next stop: Omaha Country Club. Founded in 1899 and relocated to its current site in 1926, it’s one of the oldest and most prestigious private clubs in the Midwest. Over the decades, the course has been shaped by a who’s who of architects – Langford & Moreau, Perry Maxwell, and, most recently, Keith Foster, who restored and modernized it in the early 2000s.

What really makes Omaha CC stand out, though, is the land. Forget “flat as a pancake” Nebraska – this place is all rolling hills, big valleys, and fairways that feel like roller coasters. Most folks are happy to let the golf cart do the climbing here.

9. Wild Horse Golf Club

Gothenburg

If Sand Hills is the exclusive, bucket-list dream, then Wild Horse is the people’s version. Sure, its famously low green fee might grab the headlines, but even stripped of its bargain status, this would still rank among the very best golf courses in Nebraska. Like Sand Hills, it’s pure lay-of-the-land golf: minimal earth moved, maximum character.

Built on a shoestring budget by modern standards – just $1.6 million versus the $10 million (give or take) most courses cost today – Wild Horse is a masterclass in doing more with less. Only 5,000 cubic yards of dirt were shifted, leaving a course that feels like it’s always belonged to the prairie.

Yes, the cost to play is low. But don’t confuse ‘value’ with ‘second-rate.’ Wild Horse is the real deal: firm, fast, Sandhills-style golf that locals cherish and visitors can’t believe they stumbled upon. It’s grassroots, it’s pure, and it’s proof that you don’t need connections or deep pockets to experience world-class golf.

10. Firethorn Golf Club

Lincoln

Some courses you play for fun. Others you play to be tested. Firethorn Golf Club is the latter, and it fits squarely into this bracket. It’s the only Pete Dye-designed course in Nebraska, and his touch is evident just about everywhere, from his signature bunkering to calculated water hazards.

Holes 11 through 14 are a particularly notorious stretch that Dye himself described as “the best consecutive four holes I’ve ever designed.” And with a variety of shots required to get around this stretch, it’s easy to see what he meant.

11. ArborLinks

Nebraska City

You never really know where a dirt road will take you in this part of the country. Sometimes nowhere special. Sometimes it leads to ArborLinks, a Nebraskan gem tucked between cornfields and prairie. Along with GrayBull, ArborLinks is part of the Dormie Network. It was designed by Arnold Palmer in the early 2000s in partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Spanning 300 acres of restored prairie, ArborLinks uses native grasses, wildlife corridors, and natural bunkers to create a truly sustainable golfing experience. Water runoff is carefully managed through holding ponds and filtration basins, protecting the nearby South Table Creek while enhancing the course’s beauty.

More than just a round of golf, ArborLinks is an active example of environmentally sensitive design, where players can enjoy a challenging, links-style course and know they’re walking in harmony with the Nebraska landscape.

Nebraska may not boast the number of courses you’ll find in Florida or Arizona, but what it does have is something rare: golf that feels untouched, almost secret. Here, you trade crowded tee sheets and resort clichés for sunsets over rolling prairie, wide-open skies, and courses that seem to have always belonged to the land.

So yes, Nebraska – the place you thought was all cornfields and cattle – just might surprise you with the most unforgettable golf trip of your life. And with ShipSticks making it easy to send your clubs ahead, all that’s left to do is show up and experience it for yourself.