The creation of Sand Hills Golf Club in 1995 is a widely recognized turning point in modern golf architecture in the United States. While the effects of this new course may not have been realized until many years after its successful completion, the local golf ecosystem of the Nebraska Sandhills shifted soon after. Rumors and chatter of Sand Hills reached farmers, ranchers and locals across the region who quickly became golf-curious. By the turn of the millennium five more golf courses were ushered into the once nearly golf-less sand dunes and of these five, three designs are credited to two gentlemen who helped build the famous Sand Hills Golf Club. Who better to hire for a new golf course design than the ones who helped build arguably the best? Bayside Golf Club, Bunker Hill’s third original design, was the fifth successor to Sand Hills and like the four others before, it was a product of locals who wanted their own “Sand Hills” for their town. Just northwest of Ogallala and positioned on a bluff high above Nebraska’s largest lake, Bayside is what they call “extreme golf,” and it certainly lives up to that term.
{{content-block-course-profile-bayside-golf-club-nebraska-001}}
Take Note…
Marina. While the project scope was originally just nine holes, a co-owner wanted a proper 18-hole golf course after seeing the success of the front nine. The only problem was they didn’t have the most suitable land to do so. That led to the idea of dredging a large marina in Lake McConaughy and using the sandy dredgings to “soften” the severe land, or in other words, fill in some of the ravines to reduce the amount of forced carries. This was a great idea in theory but never came to fruition and led to a ferocious back nine with several long forced carries.
Par what? The par value of the fourth (par 5) and sixth (par 4) holes may confuse you once you play them for the first time. At 468 and 461 yards, respectively, a NW wind can make four feel like a par 4 and six feel like a par 5. The original plan for the sixth was to have a tee box on the other side of the road making it a true par 5, but the land to do so was never acquired. This means the tiny green built to accept short iron and wedge shots is now receiving long irons and woods. At the end of the day, nine strokes between these two holes is a terrific score.
One half cart-ball. You will need a cart to play the back nine. No exceptions. The land is wild and some transitions are lengthy. The front on the other hand is a delightful walk.
