The double switch!

09/22/2015

When you least expect it.  I usually call and talk to the first course of the day about their start time and if they have any events scheduled for the day. I couldn't get a hold of anyone at Valley View in Gibbon, so I headed out west on I80 to exit 285. The fog got steadily thicker as I approached Gibbon so I stopped at a quick shop and waited about an hour as the fog slowly lifted. It still wasn't clear enough to play golf as I began driving the 4.5 miles north of town to the golf course but I couldn't wait any longer. As I crested the hill next to the clubhouse, I was surprised to see several high school girls warming up in the light fog. After a brief conversation with one of the coaches, I headed back to Hwy 30 and east towards Wood River. What a welcome sight at the Wood River Country Club, no fog and no golfers!  Wood River's course layout was shaped by years of overflow from the Platte River creating depressions and dry culverts. The course plays around the outside of the property while the driving range and waste land make up the middle area. A few trees align some of the wide well manicured fairways approaching small elevated greens. Even though the fairways are relatively flat they contain many undulations that make for uneven lies.  While I was leaving Wood River headed to Alda, I was told that the Alda golf course was closed a couple of years ago so I looked through the travel packets in my brief case and found Centura Hills of Cario to be near by. I did call them about availability and they said no problem.

Cario is about 15 miles north of Wood River on Hwy 2. The original 9 holes were completed in 1996 over a gentle rolling hills area now with mature trees lining most of the well manicured fairways and large fast greens. The second nine holes were completed in 2007 in a very flat area with young trees and a developing housing area with native grasses and thick demanding rough. Since then they have re-arranged the holes so each nine plays on both sides of the course. This stretches the course out and makes it a long walk and a cart is necessary. It is in excellent shape and is well worth the visit. The 16th hole is one of the longest holes in the state at 628 yds.

Big Boy par 5

Cool yard sign!

Score Card: 141 courses played

Miles Driven: 285

Total Miles since 7/21/2014: 4513

A foursome of a day!

9/17/2015

Another glorious day to play golf in Nebraska! I am quickly running out of day trips from Lincoln so I decided to stretch my starting point out to 165 miles. Forty one miles south of I80 ext 279 is the Franklin Country Club. A fairly level layout with generous fairways and small flat greens with a tree lined creek coming into play on four of the holes. Two of the holes have trees either in the fairway over hanging over the fairway that need to be dealt with.

Just east of Franklin is the Red Cloud Golf Course.  Located east of Red Cloud in a hilly terrain with wide fairways and very large elevated greens that set up a good short iron player for a great score. There are lot of side hill lies on this excellent conditioned course. Well worth a second look!

Straight north of Red Cloud is Blue Hill and the Ash Hollow Golf Course. A very short course positioned on a gradual slope with very small greens but the unwatered fairway allowed nothing less than a wedge on the approaches.

The last stop of the day was at Lawrence and the Lawrence Cow Chip Club sand course. What I am learning about sand courses is that you have to very accurate to hit the sand for a possible birdie putt or very lucky when playing short for a good bounce onto the "green". Playing around and over a hill, the course is almost 2900 yards with a water hazard coming into play on two of the holes. Playing a sand course is an art that I have not yet acquired.

 My 1st sand birdie putt!

  


Score Card: 139 courses played

Miles Driven: 349

Total Miles since 7/21/2014: 4228

Another 3 course Day!

9/9/2015

There is nothing like a "three course day" to get you going.  I set out for Hebron which south of York on Hwy 81 about 12 miles from the Kansas border.  Hebron Country Club is made up of moderate rolling hills and tree lined fairways with medium sized elevated greens that are undulated to flat and very receptive to iron shots. The 9th is a great finishing par 3 hole at 170 yard  over a valley to an very large green.

Off to my next stop in Superior, which is south and west of Hebron.  Superior Country Club is a long course that plays at 3070 yards and has two par 3's measuring 201 and 227 yards. A creek and pond come into play on 8 of the holes. Tree lined fairways and small elevated greens combined with the hazards make this course a demanding driving as well as accurate iron play to be successful.

The last golf stop of the day was in Nelson at the Elk Creek Country Club which is an artificial greens course. I arrived just in time to join the locals in there daily scramble match. Originally built as a sand greens course and then converted to a conventional artificial turf course. I was teamed up with the manager of the course and his daughter. We were opposed by four senior golfers. As we approached the first green I was expecting to see an astro-type turf that I was used at Fairplay in Norfolk for a few years but what I saw was an elevated large green with two cups ( they move the pin as we left each green) and about 10-15 feet of watered collar grass. They held high pitch shots very well and putted very quick. My playing partner told me that it was field turf similar to a football field. It was an interesting and fun round!

Score Card: 135 courses played

Miles Driven: 271

Total Miles since 7/21/2014: 3879

BIG week of golf around my old home town of Norfolk

8/31/2015  Day 1

As I was heading out on I80 for Hwy 15 in route to Leigh, I noticed the fog getting thicker. When I passed through Schuyler and up to Hwy 91, it was very thick so I slowed down and used my flashers until just east of Leigh. When I arrived no one was at Club 91 on the south edge of Leigh, so I headed to the first tee to begin my day. Wide rolling tree lined fairways with berms on the edge of the landing areas and a few sand bunkers with large flat greens that had grass knolls around them and thick rough made hitting the fairways a must to score well. A water hazard on the dogleg fourth keeps the long hitters from cutting off yardage. It was a nice enjoyable walk and it excellent condition.

Back into my Ford Escape golf mobile and west on Hwy 91 to Steeple View Golf Course in Humphrey. Noticed a few cars in the parking lot but only 4 senior foursomes were spaced out on the course so I started on hole #5.Wide generous fairways with a lots of mounding and scotch pines with medium to thick rough makes for accurate tee shots. Large elevated greens surrounded with mounding and water on holes 1 and 2 makes the center of the greens a good target.

Back onto Hwy 91 and west 56 miles to the Cottonwood Greens Golf Course at Spaulding. Narrow fairways and small crowned greens make it difficult to get the ball close from the fairway. Good chipping skills are important here. Large cottonwood trees surrounding the course as well as the Cedar river coming into play on 4 of the holes make you find the fairway with the tee ball.

Back onto Hwy 91 again and east to Hwy 45 and into Newman Grove and the Shell Creek Valley Golf Course. Shell Creek is one of the few sand green course in the state. Actually the course is 8/9ths sand greens and 1/9th artificial greens as my ball got quite a surprise on the 2nd hole as it bounced after a good shot into the green!

Into my golf mobile and on the road to Norfolk and my mom's cooking, some cribbage and rest up for Day #2.


Score Card: 118 courses played


9/01/2015  Day 2

Up early and off to Wakefield, 45 minutes northeast of Norfolk for Day 2. Logan Valley Golf Course has some interesting facts and features. The property was a land grant walnut and butternut farm in the early 1800's that was used for golf from 1910 through the 1950's. The greens are Scottish greens meaning that they reside on the natural lay of the land without modification. The Sandhills course at Mullen and Wild Horse at Gothenburg also have Scottish greens.  Beside the walnut trees, there are many pine trees that line the fairway and no doglegs. It is in excellent condition and is a very easy walk.

Next stop Laurel and Cedar View Country Club. The course, a traditional treed lined country club that was built in part by John Calcavechia and his son Mark learned the game here. The gentle rolling course with large flat elevated greens that are welled bunkered calls for good placement for scoring. This course is in excellent condition and is worth another visit!

Into the golf mobile on off to Hartington. The Hartington Golf Club was built on the site of the city park in the 50's and has dense tree lined fairways with large relatively flat greens with good speed.  There are 5 bunkered greens. The gentle rolling hills make for a nice walk in the "park"! Another to re-visit!

My last stop on Day 2 is Randolph, just south of Hartington. The Randolph Community Golf Club was built in 1991 and has a lot of young trees and very large elevated greens. When I pulled up to the clubhouse I saw a flat course that should be an easy walk. My bad..when I got to the second tee, I was staring up a big hill into a stiff south wind. The first and ninth holes are par 5's with water coming into play. The course is very well groomed.

Headed back to Norfolk to my home away from home!

Score Card: 122 courses played

9/2/2015 Day 3

Another early day in Mom's kitchen for breakfast with about an hour drive ahead of me. Crofton is located just 5 miles west of US 81 near the South Dakota border. The Lakeview Golf Course is another 8 miles north on NE 121 on the bluffs overlooking Lewis and Clark Lake. The course was opened in 1989 with fantastic views of Lewis and Clark Lake. The changes in elevation and green side bunkers demand good placement on shots. The medium to large flat greens are very quick and demand a lite touch on the putter. Another must re-visit course!

Thirty miles west on Hwy 12 is Niobrara, located in the beautiful Niobrara River Valley. The course is located in the city park and wraps around the north and east side of the high school. It is a completely flat course with small greens and some are crowned making it difficult to get close to the pin. The maintenance staff are all volunteers.  Most of the fairways are tree lined but not thick.

Headed south and east to Creighton Country Club in Creighton. The course is a public access course on privately owned property opened in 1991.  The course is short but a creek winds through the course and comes into play on 5 holes and surrounds two of the greens. Several of the shorter holes have crowned greens and holes 4 and 6 that are surrounded by the creek, have shallow greens forcing you to land on the front edge to stay out of the hazards. This course will test your short iron game.

 The last stop for Day 3 is just a few miles east in Wausa at the Rolling Hills Country Club.  It is a well condition course with wide tree lined fairways and very large fast  greens. The irrigated thick rough makes it critical to find the fairway with the tee ball. The sand trap near the 2nd green has a tree in the middle of it. This course is well worth a visit when you are in northeast Nebraska!

Back to Norfolk to get ready for Day 4

Score Card: 126 courses played

9/3/2015 Day 4

Today I will be playing my way back to Lincoln.  My first stop will be in Albion about one hour south west of Norfolk. Another well manicured course with wide tree lined level fairways and small, fast greens. The fourth hole is a difficult par three at 195 yards and 30' of rise to an elevated green with mature trees behind the green.

Further south on Hwy 14 is Fullerton and the Pawnee Hills Golf Club located north of town.  The course is built on a hillside with the clubhouse in the middle of the course. Wide fairways with very young trees in the rough and large flat greens make for good scoring opportunities. The fourth hole is a 230 yard par 3 to an elevated green and the seventh is a short par 5 that requires a layup with a water hazard in front of the green.

Further south again on Hwy 14 is Central City.  Riverside Golf Club and Valley View Country Club are both in the area. Riverside is a sand green course east of town along side of the Platte River.

South of Central City and south of  the Platte River is Valley View Country Club.  A fairly wide open course with few trees and level fairways with small greens make for scoring opportunities. The 6th is a challenging par 4 that is a layup or a blind shot over trees.  Most of the greens are trapped and require a good short game.

And finally, back onto Hwy 14 to Aurora and the Poco Creek Golf Course. What a way to start my last last round of the week, a par 3 220 yards over a dry creek bed to an elevated green with OB right and trees behind and to the left of the green. The rest of the course had mostly treed lined fairways to large fast greens.

After a long week, I jumped onto I80 and headed for Lincoln for a well deserved rest. By the time I arrived home I had put on 812 miles and marked 17 courses off of the map.

Score Card: 132 courses played

Miles Driven: 760

Total Miles since 7/21/2014: 3608