On the recommendation of Coore & Crenshaw, Gil Hanse was hired at the turn of the millennium to tour and lay out a routing along the Snake River Canyon just south of Valentine, Nebraska. 20 years, multiple owners, and some additional land purchases later, he returned to the same site to complete his unfinished business. For the first time in eight years, a new 18-hole golf course within the Nebraska Sandhills would be built. Taking players on a dramatic journey between rolling sand dunes and steep canyon edges and eliciting the feeling of walking through a national park, CapRock Ranch was worth the wait.

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Take Note...

Schoolhouse. The small, inconspicuous schoolhouse on the right side of the entrance road is in many ways responsible for CapRock Ranch’s existence. Original developer and Nebraska native Cleve Trimble saw an aerial photograph of this schoolhouse among the choppy sand dunes in the 1978 National Geographic Magazine, piquing his interest. When the ranch on which the schoolhouse sat became available, Trimble purchased the land with the intent of preserving the natural landscape.

Landmark. CapRock’s logo depicts a pine tree atop a rocky prominence, a scene which happens to appear on the golf course. When walking down the fifth fairway, look back towards the fourth green and you’ll see the logo in real life.

Home. Hanse became so enamored with this region that he built a house high above the canyon overlooking the golf course. This makes him a frequent visitor, allowing him to refine his design over time. Several changes have already been made. They include tee adjustments on the seventh, 10th and 13th holes and reducing the size of the centerline bunker on the eighth.

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