The Dismal River Golf Club: The Best of Both Worlds in the Great Plains

Around the time the Red Course was completed in 2013 at the Dismal River Golf Club in Mullen, Nebraska, GolfTrips.com’s Brian Weis and I were finishing off a visit to the unforgettable Sand Hills region.

We’d spent several days at The Prairie Club in “nearby” Valentine (an ~ 1-1/2 hour drive – “near” is relative in the Sand Hills) and were scheduled to play Jack Nicklaus’s White Course at Dismal River before heading home to Wisconsin.

Upon arriving we spoke with the Head Pro who told us about the new Red Course and said we better check it out. It was a Tom Doak design, and I’ll be honest I didn’t know much about high-end golf course architecture at the time.

I was too busy bouncing around the state playing everything I could to stop and study what defined the works of great architects like Doak, Coore and Crenshaw, Seth Raynor, CB Macdonald, Pete Dye, Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Donald Ross or Jack Nicklaus.

While I noticed a difference in the feel and aesthetics of the two courses at Dismal, I couldn’t tell you why. Eleven years later I think I’m better equipped to understand it.

This is a subject that’s always interested me: why do certain golf courses appeal to some people, and why do many folks think one designer’s work is better than others’?

You see it all over golf Twitter and social media. Golf course architecture snobs hammer Nicklaus, Dye, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and others who design(ed) visually appealing but highly challenging – and, at times, penal – layouts.

Here in Wisconsin, one of the best examples of a tough but visually stunning course is The Bull at Pinehurst Farms.

A Nicklaus design and perennial top 100 public track nationally, I used to think it was the hardest course in the world. It wasn’t until a few years back when I played lead content creator for The Bull for the WSGA’s Wisconsin Captured project that I started understanding it better… It’s not challenging for the sake of being challenging; it creates a championship experience by requiring players to commit to shots and miss in the right places while taking full advantage of its physical/aesthetically blessed property.

With a slope/rating up to 146/75.6 (at 7,398 yards from the tips; 139/71.6 from the 6,540-yard middle tees, which is still quite high), the White Course at Dismal River is a lot like that.

Meanwhile, sharing the same property at Dismal River is Tom Doak’s Red Course. This design is polar opposite to Nicklaus’s in so many ways, yet together the two provide as fun and unique a golf experience as any destination I’ve visited in the country.

The Sand Hills of Nebraska: Golf’s Final Frontier

Although in the same town of 469 residents as the country’s number one ranked modern course, the Sand Hills Golf Club, the two properties are a 52-minute drive apart. This area of Nebraska is remote to say the least, and don’t take that as a negative other than the white-knuckled, 20-mile-long one-lane backroad that approaches Dismal River. That part scares the hell out of me.

The hours spent driving through the Sand Hills region are otherwise serene and filled with passengers yelling “whoa, that would make an incredible golf course!”

Planning Your Visit to Nebraska

The Sand Hills was destined for golf. With the vast Ogallala Aquifer underlying 174,000 square miles of the region, hundreds of feet of rich sand provides an ideal environment for growing and maintaining turf that is both suitable for golf and sustainable for the environment, and its natural sand blowouts, rich vegetation and windswept terrain all create an idyllic setting meant to be played on.

Although nearer the Rocky Mountains than the Great Lakes, the Sand Hills’ golf season is not much different than the rest of the Midwest’s. Top golf properties like Dismal River and The Prairie Club are typically open from early May until mid-Fall with the ideal time to visit between June and September.

Essential when planning any golf trip is including friends who will get along well, especially when significant travel is involved. I’ve always found it’s best to start with people who are good-natured and responsible (aka “good people”) – the kind you don’t have to worry about stiffing caddies or ducking out on bills and who get along with other good people, in general.

It was in this vein that I put together the perfect foursome, including a great friend of mine since we were little kids growing up in Hartland, Dan, my old buddy from North Hills Country Club, Will, and my friend, Dario.

The three of them had never met before, but they all knew me and were assured I wouldn’t put together a group of jerks.

There wasn’t a single awkward moment during our trip – not even with over 30 total hours of driving and limited sleep. We are all huge sports nuts and talked Brewers, Bucks, Packers, sports media (of which Dario is a part) and, of course, golf and life.

Not wanting to get crushed by Will (a former NHCC club champion before he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona), we stayed away from competition and instead played “gallery rules.”

If you’d find your ball within a couple minutes if a PGA Tour gallery was there then drop a new one and move on. We also allowed mulligans, though very few were needed.

I don’t care how much time we spent on the road, this was a fantastic trip and, as Dario wrote earlier, the golf was EPIC!

The Dismal River Golf Club

My first visit to Dismal River over a decade ago was brief, to say the least. Brian and I left The Prairie Club early on the last day of our Sand Hills trip and got to Dismal well ahead of our tee time, hoping to get in as much golf as we could before driving back 15 hours to the Milwaukee area. I was short on PTO and had to work at 8 am the following day.

The 2024 WiscoGolfAddict Nebraska Outing was CENTERED around this property, though, and I could not have been more excited to spend real quality time at this world-class location.

Arriving at the club too late to play Wednesday evening we checked into our cabin and got our initial bearings. We grabbed the personal golf carts assigned to us for our visit, loaded our luggage onto flatbeds and checked into our 4-bedroom signature cabin.

Pangs of guilt pervaded as I FaceTimed my wife and kids to let them know we made it safely and show them our accommodations – this is one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed.

We each had our own suite with king-sized beds, massively oversized walk-in showers, walk-in closets and incredible views of the Dismal River surrounds.

Dario showed it off well in his Instagram story, which I’ve linked here via YouTube:

Following initial photography of the clubhouse and lodging we headed out for our first non-golf experience: dinner at Wild Bill’s in the Dismal River clubhouse.

Nebraska has some of the best cattle ranches in the country for beef, and steaks served at Dismal are basically farm-to-table so there was no way any of us were going to miss out on the night’s surf and turf special.

It was so good we all got it each night – the cuts and seafood add-ons varied each time and the quality was always superb.

After dinner we spent time at the massive fire pit out back, enjoying Wisconsin supper club-level old fashioneds and chatting with members about their golf club and the treat we were in for the following morning.

I ran into Keith Robel from Pine Hills Country Club, who has a second membership at Dismal River, and we were quick to make new friends with folks from around the club.

The club has a host of activities and amenities available to its membership, and there are so many I wish we had time for. If I had to pick one (outside of spending time at the pool and hot tub, of course), it would probably be “tanking” on the river.

I’d love to try out long-range rifles, as well, or clay shooting, hunting, horseback riding, kayaking or a host of other club-led activities. This is a place you will want to take your time at; a day and a half was simply not enough!

It was a long day, though, and the next would start early for me with sunrise photography and include at least 36 holes of golf – it was time for bed.

The Dismal River Golf Experience

Of the two world-class courses at Dismal River, Tom Doak’s Red Course is my personal favorite.

I love Red’s refined look and feel, expansive communal fairways and tees and, of course, its creative putting surfaces.

All of these play into a laidback vibe that rules Dismal River, and all of them allow their national membership to know and fall more in love with their property the more often they visit.

Like the White Course, Doak’s Red has its own lovable quirks: Suggested teeing zones (vs. tee markers), mostly uneven lies, confusing routes to get to next holes (always excusable at a private club), blind tee shots and a lengthy cart ride to and from the first tee.

There are no tee times – just check in at the pro shop when you want to play.

Guests are issued golf carts for use during their stay so they can roam the vast property as they’d like – their carts are quick, too, holding around 20 mph and with lights for nighttime expeditions like visiting the first hole on the White Course for stargazing, leaving before the sun rises each morning for golden hour photography or for going to and from the clubhouse for dinner, drinks, fire pit chats, pool, shuffleboard, movie nights and more.

More than most destinations I’ve visited, a trip to Dismal River is a vacation: an escape from the rat race (with terrible phone reception outside of the clubhouse and lodging, by the way, which none of us minded!) and a plunge into an affable, serene world where tee times and dinner reservations are relaxed and, for the most part, on your own schedule with no rush to be anywhere but where you want to be.

Our group enjoyed this great escape from the “real world” for a full day and a half, and we all wished it could have been longer.

It’s hard to compare Doak’s golf course architecture to Nicklaus’s. Their styles are very different and having them neighbor one another at Dismal allows those differences to shine.

While Nicklaus’s White Course mirrors its surroundings as a brutish, sprawling layout, the Doak course is intimate and refined. The Red Course is neat with clean lines, and the White is a bit rough around the edges.

Both courses will shock you with their scale and shot values, and it would be tough to say either is “better” than the other.

As with anything in golf course design and architecture, “better” is personal. While my slight preference may be for the Red Course, for example, the three others in my group (Dan, Dario and Will) all preferred the White.

The Red Course: Doak’s Refined Sand Hills Gem

Doak’s Red Course is every bit as quirky as Nicklaus’s White but in many ways could not be more different.

Teeing off near the resort’s front entranceway, the Red is somewhat traditional Doak design (very far from being a negative!) in that everything was laid out starting with the property’s best greens sites.

The course has no tee markers or signs showing the hole you’re playing – just stakes near suggested starting areas – and many of the teeing zones are passed while playing the current hole.

While this can be a little confusing for unaccompanied guests, it’s I’m sure one of the many things that endears members to the course the more often they visit. Besides, a somewhat confusing routing (especially around the 2nd green/3rd tee area and 12th/13th) is always excusable at a private club and allowed Doak to utilize the property’s most elite settings for greens and tees.

“The best designs of all are organic, evolving from the subtleties of the ground they inhabit.” – Tom Doak

Significantly shorter than the White Course on the scorecard (6,994 yards vs. 7,400), Doak’s design plays longer than you’d expect in the way that most shots are hit below or above the feet, and from many side-hill lies.

The land moves naturally, in concert with the great Sand Hills that surround the playing surfaces, and while much is subtle it can border on the extreme at times.

There are a number of blind shots on the Red Course, but more is in front of you than on the White.

These comparisons are similar to the designs at Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green, Florida (another KemperSports-operated property, like Dismal River and the previously mentioned Sand Valley), in that the Nicklaus-designed White Course is significantly more intimidating off the tee (like Coore/Crenshaw’s Red Course at Streamsong), but the Red Course at Dismal River (like Doak’s Blue Course and Gil Hanse’s Black Course at Streamsong) is more forgiving with driver but much more challenging around the greens.

This is a trademark of Doak golf designs: he lulls players into a false sense of confidence, allowing them to hit fairways and approach the greens, but then presents much of the challenge in the short game.

One of my favorite sequences on the Red Course, the par three/four fifth and sixth are an enthralling set of holes with a 240-yard par three followed by a drivable, 261-yard par four.

Basically, you’ll be hitting two long shots and hopefully hit one of them well – if you do, you should get out of there feeling pretty good about your game and score.

The 18th is the course’s “signature hole” with a partially blind tee shot to a fairway that meanders through a valley adjacent to the Dismal River, and leads to a gorgeous greens site nestled against the tall dunes with the club’s resort area off on the horizon.

Be sure to find your target on this hole. With so many distractions, and so much going on in the fairway area, it would be easy to take a spray-and-pray approach that can end in disaster.

Always pay attention when on the Red Course to where the next hole’s teeing areas will be. Like on the third, many will be passed before getting to your current green (and will then have a path to the hole’s plated teeing area (remember, there are no actual tee boxes) nearby).

I love the abundance of native grasses and wildflowers on both courses at Dismal, by the way, and especially throughout the back nine of the Red Course. They provide wonderful contrast and allow the wild areas to pop on camera.

As WiscoGolfAddict contributor Dario Melendez mentioned in his recent destination review (also linked above), there are few even lies on Doak’s layout. While the scorecard looks relatively manageable, all the shots from stances with balls above or below your feet make accurate shot-making a challenge. Scoring on the Red is more challenging than you’d expect.

Dismal River Red Course Photo Gallery

Want to see shots from the Red Course? Check out my photo gallery, linked below. Also stay tuned for a full review of the Red Course, still in the works.

The White Course: Nicklaus’s Beautiful Brute

Jack Nicklaus has designed around 270 courses in the United States and I can’t imagine he’s laid one out better than he did the White Course at Dismal River.

It helps having land that feels like it’s on an entirely differently planet, of course, but the way the White Course allows players to feel like they are completely on their own every step of the journey is transcendent.

The club was packed following their member/guest invitational over the weekend we visited, but at no time during our round did we ever feel pressured by other groups and almost never even saw others on the course.

In one of the most remote locations I’ve ever played golf we were literally just four guys enjoying world-class golf at our leisure.

The experience could not have been more unhurried and easygoing.

It’s an enjoyable 10-minute ride from the clubhouse to the first tee of the White Course and when you get there you’ll be immediately met by one of the low-key stars of the Dismal River property: Jack’s Shack.

With delicious BBQ, sandwiches and drinks, Jack’s Shack is a great spot whether pre- or post-round and features one of the most incredible views I’ve seen of the dramatic par five 18th hole.

Picture needing birdie on 18 to cap off your first round under 80 on a par five.

This is the scenario we found Dario in. He was even par through 10, nearly acing the par three fifth and then again the 10th. Both were kick-in birdies that were nearly ones.

It was mentioned to him following the 10th that he was even par; he laughed and said “c‘mon you never say anything to a pitcher during a no-hitter!”

As the former host of Milwaukee Brewers pre- and post-games for Bally’s Sports he knows… and maybe he should have not thought about it when he doubled the next couple.

Both courses at Dismal River are rife with quirks, and the White Course’s hit you early and often. The second hole, for example, features an uphill tee shot to a left-to-right fairway along a cliff – completely blind.

The fifth, perhaps the resort’s signature hole, has an archaic windmill inside the flight path of the approach zone.

The tenth, an uphill par three, is a mostly blind tee shot with a massive blowout bunker right in the middle of the green. Like a donut, or a fidget spinner.

The tees on 18, which are spectacular, are a few-minute cart ride up and around a massive dune. The downhill tee shot from this vantage point is well worth making the drive!

All of these quirks help make the White Course at Dismal both incredibly challenging and charming. In fact, three of the four in our group had the Nicklaus course as their favorite at Dismal.

Dismal River White Course Photo Gallery

Need more of the Jack Nicklaus-designed White Course at the Dismal River Golf Club? Check out my full course review and photo gallery from our summer 2024 visit, both linked below:

Dismal River rewards the Long Drive

The Dismal River Golf Club is one of the greatest golf destinations I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting, and it’s just one part of the greater Nebraska golf scene in the Sand Hills.

It’s almost impossible to put into words what visiting this region for golf is like. It’s a step back in time – a portal to a world where everything is more laidback, and where the golf is thrilling and timeless.

Massive foothills and unblemished views for miles in every direction, a dining experience that rivals any culinary exploit around and the golf… the golf is out-of-this-world good.

Travel is travel, and ultimately lost time. While I would not say we wasted our time on the road (we had plenty of great conversations), sometimes you just have to accept sacrificing time in order to experience something truly unique.

There is certainly nothing like Dismal River within a more justifiable drive from the Milwaukee or Chicago area, and nothing like the Sand Hills region of Nebraska anywhere I’ve visited in the United States.

For an experience like that, and for that invigorating feeling of existing in a truly vast wilderness while immersed in distinguished elegance, Dismal River is really tough to beat.

Dismal River Golf Club website