The White Course at Dismal River: Nicklaus’s Beautiful, Bountiful Bedlam

The KemperSports-operated Dismal River Golf Club in Mullen, Nebraska is one of the most impressive resorts I’ve ever experienced, and its two courses – designed by seemingly opposite architects – are each filled with their own charm and intrigue.

Tom Doak’s Red Course is classically elegant in its design aesthetics. Its fairways meld together for a wilderness parkland sort of feel and its lines are smooth and refined. It’s got its share of quirks and is tremendously untraditional, overall.

Untraditional in its own right, Jack Nicklaus’s White Course takes players entirely out of that parkland vibe. It sets them in the boundless wilderness of the Sand Hills with hole layouts distinctly in their own environs and with all the quirks one could ask for – and I’m 100% here for it.

Jack’s Quirky, Challenging and Fun Design on the White Course

Have you ever seen an uphill par three with a bunker dead-center, like on the 10th of the White Course?

Or how about an almost 100% blind tee shot over a cliff to a fairway that runs along it, like on the second hole?

For a course that stretches to 7,400 yards from the tips (6,530 from the middle tees we played), there are not many shots on the White Course players can take off or lose focus on.

At the same time, long native grasses flow across the terrain and non-mowed areas and natural sand blowouts dominate the eye while gorgeous backdrops of the rolling Sand Hills of Nebraska make losing focus easy.

While Nicklaus’s White Course presents a multitude of intimidating shots and hazards, it also provides mostly wide playing corridors, large greens and stunning vistas to reward the challenges.

In these ways, Jack’s design on the White Course is somewhat reminiscent to me of many of Pete Dye’s, like at Whistling Straits or the Dye Course at French Lick.

Both architects created tremendous visual intimidation for players standing on the tee boxes. A lot of the target areas they’re aiming for look miniscule and all that exposed sand and their steroidal architectural elements add anxiety, but if players trust their lines and play freely there’s almost always more room for error than expected.

All of the “quirks” at Dismal River end up being “experiences” – nuances that make you laugh or gasp when you see them because they’re so nonconformist but turn out to be chapters in a thrilling, enjoyable story – unless you manage to hit into that bunker on the 10th, of course!

The White Course is challenging, rugged and fun golf on a tremendously vast scale.

The White Course Experience

Similarly to the Red Course, the cart ride to White takes about 10 minutes and winds through fields of tall, golden grasses, past a shooting range and other resort amenities.

I love that drive.

In fact, I loved driving everywhere on the natural frontier of the Dismal River Club.

That long path takes players to the top of the 18th hole at the White Course, placing them near the practice putting complex, first tee, 18th green and, of course, Jack’s Shack.

Jack’s Shack

If visiting Dismal River and you have kids, be sure to pick them up a Jack’s Shack t-shirt, and make sure you get yourself something good to eat. I would consider their food to be “halfway house, elevated” – far from “grabbing a dog at the turn.”

Everybody enjoyed their lunch and this is a great spot to pick up a beer or cocktail, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Being in a spectacularly remote destination with no driving on the docket or responsibilities outside of making the most of our time on-site, we were.

The White Course: Hole by Hole

Hole 1: Par 4 (hcp 7, 433/412/275)

The first hole on the White Course sets the tone for what to expect on Nicklaus’s layout.

From elevated tees, the course opens with a tight driving zone and mostly hidden green cut between the dunes. It’s beautiful, but not exactly the handshake you’ll experience on the Red.

Hole 2: Par 4 (hcp 1, 510/415/343)

As mentioned earlier, the second plays over a cliff to a fairway that runs left-to-right and downhill.

This is a completely blind tee shot, but know the right side (as long as you’re inside the hill) is better than the left as balls can be lost in the long grasses on that side of the fairway.

The second features a wonderful downhill approach shot that can be run on.

Hole 3: Par 3 (hcp 17, 187/145/88)

The first par three on the White Course, the third is a great introduction to a masterclass in par three design – all of them different and, from the middle tees, with varied yardages.

Hole 4: Par 5 (hcp 9, 578/498/416)

The fourth is maybe the signature hole of the entire property.

A long par five, the hole ends in compelling fashion with a vintage windmill guarding the left side of its approach zone.

Dan’s third shot was almost against it – he had to play a hooded wedge toward the kicker slope on the right side of the green and almost managed to carom it on.

Hole 5: Par 3 (hcp 11, 187/155/120)

The fifth got interesting for us as we honestly thought we had a hole in one!

Played significantly uphill, the hole was pinned front-left. Dario’s shot looked PERFECT, and when we drove our carts around the back of the green we still couldn’t see his ball. It wasn’t until we were within about 20 feet that we could see it an inch or two short of the hole.

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This par three plays well uphill with a bunker situated front-right. The left and right sides run balls on and funnel slightly toward the middle, allowing for some exciting opportunities like we had when the left- and right-side false fronts are carried.

Hole 6: Par 4 (hcp 13, 348/313/263)

The sixth is the first of the course’s potentially drivable par fours.

While Nicklaus provides players a short tee shot – right around 300 yards, played uphill – he also presents one of the most dangerous greens complexes if taking the risk.

Hole 7: Par 4 (hcp 3, 475/366/308)

A right-to-left downhill par four, the seventh continues the White Course’s risk/reward challenges with an opportunity for a short approach if the bunker complexes on the inside of the fairway elbow can be carried.

It’s certainly tempting, but come up short and you’ll be trouncing waist-deep through fescue.

Hole 8: Par 4 (hcp 15, 333/285/218)

The eighth is one of Dismal River Golf Club’s absolute best drivable par fours.

There’s plenty of fairway to the left, but with the green just 240 yards (and blind from the tee) over the hillside ahead it’s almost impossible not to go for it.

Know that if you carry the hillside that the turf leading up to the green that way is mowed to fairway height and does funnel slightly onward.

I say go for it! We all did and found two on the green, one short but in the fairway and one in rough shape in the traps between the intended fairway and green.

This is one of the many holes at Dismal River I remembered well from my first visit, and playing it for a second time I finally had my chance to go for it off the tee.

Jack Nicklaus has designed a lot of great drivable par fours in his time, and this might be my favorite of them that I’ve played.

Hole 9: Par 5 (hcp 5, 618/593/460)

A long, downhill par five, the front nine of the White Course finishes with a true three-shot hole.

Teeing off from over or around 600 yards, the drive looks restrictive but is to a very wide target area and will run out.

Hitting this green in two would be a monumental achievement, though, given the length and all the sand surrounding it (other than a narrow false front on the right side).

I typically do not have a lot of confidence in my three-wood, so getting a par five with this kind of length and width is always fun for me to have a chance to bring it out of the bag without too much worrying about straying 20-30 yards left or right. This is a great finish to an adventure-filled front nine.

Hole 10: Par 3 (hcp 14, 190/167/95)

The next of the course’s par threes, the aforementioned 10th, is one of the most compelling short holes I’ve seen in a while with an uphill tee shot to a large green with a massive blowout bunker right smack dab in the middle.

It’s bold and unapologetic, and… yes… a challenge – especially with a back pin like it was the first time I played it so many years ago.

The pin on 10 was front-right during this year’s round, though, and again Dario nearly jarred it.

He was even through 10 holes, which Will noted and let him know.

As Sports Director for Channel 12 WISN Milwaukee and a former anchor on ESPN SportsCenter (not to mention previously the host of Brewers and Bucks pre- and post-game shows for Bally’s Sports), Dario knows sports, streaks and all the silly superstitions that come along with them.

As you probably guessed, he played the next eight holes at eight over, finishing with a near-miss on a 20-foot putt on 18 to break 80. Oh well, I’m pretty sure he had no complaints!

Hole 11: Par 4 (hcp 8, 443/398/318)

11 is a thrilling tee shot, played uphill to the sliver of this hole’s fairway that’s visible from the tee.

There’s more room than you’d expect on this long par four, and the fairway actually bowls slightly inward over the crest, helping make driving more forgiving than expected.

Playing downhill from there, the on 11 green is relatively flat and wide in comparison to many on the White Course although fairway mounding can hide the right side.

Hole 12: Par 5 (hcp 4, 572/536/428)

A really good par five, the fairway on 12 weaves in and out of the prairie land before bending 90 degrees right around a massive bunker complex leading to the elevated green.

Hole 13: Par 4 (hcp 12, 433/397/267)

Modest in its approach from tee to wide fairway, the 13th gets complicated near the green as it drops off drastically to the left and is surrounded by deep blowouts.

Hole 14: Par 4 (hcp 2, 515/441/352)

14 is another great driving hole, with a wide fairway running sharply downhill and to the right.

The ideal play here is toward the left side of the fairway, though, as any [long, considering the hole plays from 400+ yards from the middle and back tees] approach shot from the right side will need to carry a brutal bunker complex that fronts its dramatically elevated putting surface.

Hole 15: Par 3 (hcp 18, 186/171/102)

Flanked by sand, the 15th is an intimidating par three with a little more room to work with than is visible from the tee box – as long as you’re not short or left.

With a green angled from right to left from the front, this is a beautiful par three and may be the best looking of the entire bunch. That’s saying a lot on a course as picturesque as Nicklaus’s White Course at Dismal River.

Hole 16: Par 4 (hcp 16, 430/382/330)

Coming off the beautiful 15th, the 16th begins with a gorgeous tee shot running parallel to the dunes lining the course’s northern perimeter.

Playing downhill the majority of the way, especially on its putting surface which slopes away from the fairway, the green has a steep drop-off toward the back-right where it was pinned during our round.

Hole 17: Par 4 (hcp 10, 460/428/324)

The back and middle tees on 17 are located uphill and to the left of the cart path from 16, which creates an awesome vantage point hitting toward the hills.

One of the smaller greens on the course, the 17th finishes at the base of the dunes following a slight dogleg to the left.

Hole 18: Par 5 (hcp 6, 500/428/351)

Many great golf courses build to a crescendo, and the 18th on Nicklaus’s White Course finishes with a bang.

If you’re playing the middle or forward tees, don’t cheat yourself and stick with them for the sake of a “legitimate round” – you won’t get many opportunities in life to take in and play a shot like this.

Built atop the bluff, drive past the middle tees (at the base of the hill, shown below) and take a right onto the semi-circular cart path that winds around the hillside. Trust me, it’s worth it!

The payoff for your efforts is well worth the time…

The view from back here is phenomenal, played down to a valley with sand and native grasses as far as the eye can see outside of its wide fairway that seems miniscule in comparison to the grand scale the vantage point offers.

Following the tee shot, the 18th plays tremendously uphill toward the base below Jack’s Shack.

This is one of the best finishing holes I’ve ever seen or played and one I think and talk about whenever the subject of Nebraska’s Sand Hills is broached.

Both the White and Red courses at Dismal River Golf Club leave a lasting impression with their wonderful architecture and incredible views.

There are very few places I’ve visited in my life with as picturesque of settings as the Sand Hills of Nebraska, and you’ll have to stay tuned to the site for more on it in the very near future (I will also be linking the destination overview to this spot).

Some Nicklaus-designed golf courses aren’t for everyone. Some are simply too tough for mid- to high-handicappers. The White Course at Dismal River, though, provides the perfect mix of challenge, aesthetics and forgiveness and I can’t imagine anyone would not have fun while playing it.

The Sand Hills provides an idyllic setting for golf, and the Nicklaus course provides dramatic, creative course architecture unlike many I’ve seen. This is a big-time golf experience in what I personally believe will be the country’s next major up-and-coming golf destination.

For more on Dismal River Golf Club, check out their website

Bonus Nebraska Golf Content

Need more Nebraska golf content?

Check out Dario’s earlier post about our Sand Hills trip, as well as my article on the experience at Landmand Golf Club in Homer, Nebraska – the perfect halfway stopping point en route to or from Dismal River and the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area.