Pure Golf
Nebraska and golf the way it was meant to be played
Cornhusking, quiet, unassuming Nebraska holds more miles of rivers than any other state in the U.S.—and more of the country’s epic golf than one might imagine. In fact, in an era that celebrates the pure game, Nebraska might be the single best golf destination on offer anywhere. Don’t believe us? Read on
L ¡¢ £¤¤ ¡¥¦, corn, cattle and not much else, Nebraska is regarded as one of those Midwestern states with views to the horizon, a huge sky overhead, and plenty of space for cowboys to do what they do. But somewhere along the way golf rode in with the cattle, and the game stuck. Stories have it that in 1887 Scotsman Alexander H. Findlay and his partner, Edward Millar, designed and built a six-hole layout in what is today Fullerton, Nebraska, and that Buffalo Bill and Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull both witnessed golf there. If true, this would make Findlay’s Nebraska course the first in the United States, and who knows. Findlay would go on to design courses in Florida, including the Breakers at Palm Beach (built in 1896), and Nebraska’s golf legacy would go on as well. Today the state is a kind of ground zero for the minimalist golf design movement that emerged in the 1990s, with Nebraska’s sandhills region in particular existing as a sort of modern touchstone for old world golf. Whatever one’s opinion on trends, it’s impossible to argue that Nebraska doesn’t offer some of the country’s, if not the world’s, best pure golf opportunities, a few of which are celebrated here. Bonus: No matter which Nebraska course you try, there’s a top-quality steak and a cold drink on offer somewhere nearby. Giddyup.