The history of the Dismal River Club is highly complex and includes various owners, multiple course changes, bankruptcy, and continuous comparisons to the sacred cow next door, Sand Hills Golf Club. The story began in the early 2000s when a group of college buddies from Denver wanted to build “the next great place” in the Nebraska Sandhills, which they had fallen in love with. High-end amenities and a “championship” style golf course from none other than the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, was the main objective and driving force to make the club differ from rustic and minimalist Sand Hills only eight miles away. Shortly after the 2008 recession, a third ownership group spearheaded by one of the original members of SHGC, Chris Johnston, took over the club with plans to expand and build a second 18-hole course designed by Tom Doak. They hoped to attract a new subset of golfers, increase the time members spent on property, and allow for membership growth while maintaining an uncrowded atmosphere. Doak’s free-flowing Red course is set on a large rumpled hillside that slopes down towards the Dismal River with nearly 200 feet of elevation change. The 400-foot tall dune ridge backdrop, unique dune formations, and “open-ended” routing make the Red Course distinct in the region.

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Take Note...

Big Cat in the Dunes. Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design ultimately beat out Tiger Woods to win the job and design the second course on property. This would have been Tiger’s first original design. A resort with courses designed by both Nicklaus and Woods would have been the first of its kind and great for marketing, but I’m glad they picked Doak and Co.

19th Hole. During planning, Doak designed a 19th hole that would play back up to the road from the river where the 18th hole finishes. This would have brought players back up towards the starting hole/entrance road but required a short par-4 that climbed nearly 90 feet. Doak believed this would have taken away from the great finishing 18th, so he scrapped the idea.

Course #3? In February of 2023, the club announced plans for a third course at Dismal River Club. They interviewed five of the top architects in the world and selected a site on top of Big Horseshoe Hill, which is the large dune ridge that overlooks the back nine of the Red course. This was alarming news to many as the club has struggled financially over the years, and the remote location makes finding labor difficult. The club has had four different owners and several maintenance struggles over its 18 seasons, including bankruptcy in 2021. There have been no new reports following the announcement of the third course nearly two years ago.