2016 gets an early start

03/07/2016

Another great early spring day ( despite the wind) in Nebraska. It was 81 degrees and an opportunity to get an early start on Golfing Nebraska 2016. This is probably my last day trip out west. Off to Hastings to play Southern Hills and Elks CC as well as Valley View at Gibbon. I still need to play Lochland CC in Hastings with a family member of the course.

I learned a valuable lesson last fall that you need to make contact with golf courses during the off season to verify that they will be open and playable!  So I contacted all three courses for today's schedule. As I approached the Platte River on the Tom Osborne Expressway north of Hastings, the fog thickened. While driving through Hastings, the fog lifted and cleared up when I arrived at Southern Hills southwest of town.  The front nine was built in 1927 with small flat greens and large old trees and somewhat hilly.  A ditch comes into play from the tee on the 7th and the 9th.  The back nine was finished in 1991 and is very open with young trees and two ponds. Southern Hills is well worth the visit.

Back onto to Hwy 6 and east a few miles to the Elks CC in the southeast part of Hastings.

The Elks CC was opened in 1999 on a tract of old trees which gives it the appearance of a mature course. The greens are medium to large in size and somewhat flat. Today the back nine had not been opened yet and the front had temporary greens which is not much fun. Hit it near the flag and take two chips and move on.

My last stop was  at Valley View Golf Club in Gibbon. I decided to take a cross country route instead of driving back to I 80. While traveling on several farm to market roads, I observed a large flock of Sandhill Cranes feeding in a corn stubble field.

 I was in Gibbon last September 22nd waiting for the fog to lift so I could find the course. After I finally found the sign on Hwy 30, I drove the 4 miles north into the countryside to find the clubhouse on the highest hill in the area only to find a high school girls event just starting. This year was much better as no one was there. After waiting a while a maintenance worker drove up the the clubhouse and I was off to the first tee. The entire course is below the clubhouse level with two large hills and the valley between them. I had hoped to get a cart for this last round of the days since my legs were getting weary, but no carts were ready so I headed out with my trusty cart. No hurry so I took my time up and down the hills. Medium sized flat greens and very few hazards made for a relaxing round.

Scorecard: 152 courses played

Miles Driven: 293

Total Miles since 7/21/2014: 6263