Heartland Golfing: The Prairie Club Experience

What has inspired so many golfers to "head for the hills" in what used to be called “fly-over country?”

Is it the waves of grassy sand dunes that roll across the landscape until stopped by the stark buttes that defy the “flat as a pancake” stereotype of the Great Plains?

 

Could it be the the fascination with  tree-lined holes dangling right on the rim of the awesome Snake River Canyon?

 

Or is it the chance to experience glorious granite sculptures of Mount Rushmore and the rugged beauty of the pinnacles, buttes and grasslands of the Badlands?

 

Might it be the chance for one of the most amazing golf vacations ever, set in a rolling seascape of prairieland that appears to have been sculpted by nature to be the perfect site for golf? 

 

All those factors allowed one of America’s newest hot golf spots, The Prairie Club, to open last May with 186 members and book 1,500 room-nights in its first few months. A semi-private club, it ranks right up there among golf trips for those seeking a golf-focused venue. Based on the successful Bandon Dunes model, golfers take an incredible journey from the airport to the site through some of America’s most spectacular scenery before arriving at the Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska. The development, spearheaded by Tom Shock, features three very different courses and ample lodging

 

The Dunes Course beckons the links style golfer with its stark and canvas-worthy panoramas that eventually culminate in the magnificent greens more akin to a tropical atoll than limiting and erroneous cornfield stereotypes of the Great Plains. In reflecting on the place, Tom Lehmans, who designed the course with Chris Brands, quotes Old Tom Morris: “The Almighty had golf in his eye when he made this place.” 

 

On the Graham Marsh-designed Pines Course, golf becomes a silent reverie as you meander along pines and the canyon rim. Enjoy the warm sun and views of the canyon which blocks the wind that sweeps across the plains. Refresh yourself with a long drink from the Ogallala aquifer—the world’s largest—and end the last hole right in front of the inviting clubhouse. 

 

For a short challenge, get your golfing buddies and head over to the Horse Course, a 10-hole course with undulating greens and breath-taking blowouts. Gil Hanse designed this tee-less course which lets the winner of the previous hole select the stance, lie, and shot for the next one, to maximize creativity and fun.

 

The Prairie Club Lodge and additional cabins along the Snake River canyon offer comfortable but not pretentious lodging. Enjoy fabulous Nebraska beef as well as regional specialties such as buffalo and quail along with a perfect setting for talking golf into the wee hours under a starry sky.

 

For fantastic golf vacations where golfing meets nature head-on, where you will want your camera as well as your clubs, head for the plains and bluffs and enjoy the Prairie Club in its inaugural year or as soon as you can fit it in your itinerary.