Opening Day at Sand Hills

[Gene Greco]

Gene, do you have any pictures looking from the back of the 2nd green to the great expanse beyond (i.e. away from the course)?  That I think was my favorite view on the course.

+1

[Gene Greco]

Geno!  Last time I was at SH, someone ask me to pick up a couple bottles of Tom's seasoning. It was early in the am and Tom walked through the pro shop as I was buying the jars.

I asked him to sign the jars with a sharpie. His look was priceless. It was right out of the movie City Slickers where old grizzled Curly looks at Billy Crystal with a "how did you live this long" look.

Cheers

Mike:

    I've been a recipient of that look as well.

During my third or fourth visit about ten or eleven years ago I was walking up to the porch after putting out on 9.

Tom was leaning on the wooden railing and was preparing his lunch orders and he asked if I wanted a burger or a brat.

I thought to myself that I had had bacon or homemade sausage for breakfast three mornings, three of his all world burgers for lunch and either a filet or dry aged  porterhouse at each dinner dinner during the time I was there.

No matter how delicious and pure the meat is I wasn't sure if my compromised digestive system would be able to push through another helping of beef.

So I asked Tom if he had any chicken.

Tom looked at me then looked out yonder, pushed his cowboy hat up with his index finger to get a better look with those grizzled eyes at the endless expanse of land in those Nebraska Sand Hills and asked me, in a pseudo Clint Eastwood intonation......

"Gene, you see any chicken 'roun' here??"   

[Mike Cirba]

Lord,

For a moment I thought that was me in RJ's bunker pic.

In any case, I had a nightmarish flashback of being in there and thinking I'd never return to the civilized world.   

What a place...

[JC Jones]

Geno!  Last time I was at SH, someone ask me to pick up a couple bottles of Tom's seasoning. It was early in the am and Tom walked through the pro shop as I was buying the jars.

I asked him to sign the jars with a sharpie. His look was priceless. It was right out of the movie City Slickers where old grizzled Curly looks at Billy Crystal with a "how did you live this long" look.

Cheers

Mike:

    I've been a recipient of that look as well.

During my third or fourth visit about ten or eleven years ago I was walking up to the porch after putting out on 9.

Tom was leaning on the wooden railing and was preparing his lunch orders and he asked if I wanted a burger or a brat.

I thought to myself that I had had bacon or homemade sausage for breakfast three mornings, three of his all world burgers for lunch and either a filet or dry aged  porterhouse at each dinner dinner during the time I was there.

No matter how delicious and pure the meat is I wasn't sure if my compromised digestive system would be able to push through another helping of beef.

So I asked Tom if he had any chicken.

Tom looked at me then looked out yonder, pushed his cowboy hat up with his index finger to get a better look with those grizzled eyes at the endless expanse of land in those Nebraska Sand Hills and asked me, in a pseudo Clint Eastwood intonation......

"Gene, you see any chicken 'roun' here??"   

Great story, Gene.  I've bet you've got a million of those from your trips to Sand Hills.  Feel free to share any and all of them, I can't get enough.

[Scott_Burroughs]

I don't remember any rakes there....not that that would be anywhere near the top of my memories.

Here's my favorite shot of a figurine placed in a bunker (obviously unraked) at SH (also seen in Forrest/Mark's Hazards book):

[Gene Greco]

I don't remember any rakes there....not that that would be anywhere near the top of my memories.

Here's my favorite shot of a figurine placed in a bunker (obviously unraked) at SH (also seen in Forrest/Mark's Hazards book):

There is one rake.

Originally there were no rakes anyplace on the course for the wind usually smooths the sand out quickly.

But not everyone is as hardy as this group...

There are also wooden stairs now so one doesn't break their neck climbing in and out of that crater. Again, not everyone who comes to play at The Sand Hills is 25 years old.

In this picture, Scott is playing off a packed down surface, not quite hardpan, probably due to water from thunderstorm the night before.

One can NOT see the green from this greenside bunker so a directional is needed.


One time a member of our threesome found himself in the same predictament as Scott, GI Joe, Bob Huntley, Tom Huckaby and all the other unfortunate souls who have had their photos taken and posted on GCA while trying to extricate themselves from this monster.

Obviously, as stated, one needs to point out a line to the suffering individual from up at the level of the green.

Well, into a virtual dirt devil, my friend Dick hits a jaw dropping  shot which seared the green with spin ( you could hear the zzzzzzzzzzz) takes two hops and goes into the cup and sizzles some more.

Our other partner and I start yelling in excitement at his good fortune.

After he climbs back out of the bunker and arrives  at the green some twenty minutes later    we allow him to take the ball out of the cup to complete the circle of this most unlikely birdie.

To which he says, " You guys are so full of shit."

To this day he still believes we stuck the ball in the hole.

[Matt Bosela]

Gene,

Awesome stories!  Keep them coming!

[Harris Nepon]

HAHAHA. Gene, thats awesome.

[Jerry Kluger]

Most people look at that bunker on #4 but how about the rest of it! The closely mowed area around the rest of the green funnels most balls down to the bottom and makes for an incredibly difficult recovery shot which in some ways is at least as difficult as the bunker shot.  BTW: I recently said to Ran - what if they reversed the bunkers and the closely mowed area on the 14th at Bandon Trails and his response was that people would never be able to finish the hole and it would back things up for hours - sometimes bigger is better.

[Jimmy Muratt]

Jerry,

You make an excellent point about the closely mown area to the right of #4 green.  That's the true genius of the greensite.  From the fairway you see this crater to the left side and your natural inclination is to err to the right.  Well, you soon then find out that it's no picnic down there either as balls feed well off the green down the hill.  Recoveries are indeed possible from either side, but they must be extremely well played.  #4 greensite is one of the best examples of how bunkering to one side of a green is all that is necessary.  The hole becomes far more interesting by incorporating different challenges around the green.

[Chuck Brown]

Forgive my ignorance, but I had no idea that Sand Hills had a "season opener."  Is Sand Hills closed for some extended period?  I'd have thought it would be playable year-round but for the dead of winter.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Yes, this greensite is very similar (sans the bunker) to the 15th at Kapalua (Plantation), also by C&C, which pre-dates SH by a few years.  I believe that this green is the only one at SH that was 'built up' from the ground (out to the right of the dune)....the rest of the greens being essentially cleared and seeded w/minor smoothing.

Chuck,

Sand Hills is only open about 4-4 1/2 months a year.  Gene can better explain the reasons.

[Jerry Kluger]

I understand that the winter in Mullen is really tough with a lot of snow and some really strong winds so golf is not on the agenda.

[Michael Taylor]

Would they still have to maintain the course during the closed months?

And how many staff would the course have? Surely there are some cabins on site or something for the staff to stay in?

[Chip Gaskins]

they cover the greens in the winter as far as i understand.

many of the staff are local and have other jobs or make it work with what they make during the season.  mr youngscape knows what he is doing after all.

yes, it is waaaaay to cold and brutal over the winter to run golf operations.


jan 15th in mulllen....brrrrrrrrrr

[Gene Greco]

     The course is open June through September.

Usually only 12 fourballs are allowed off the first tee each day in order to preserve the peaceful nature of a golfing retreat at The Sand Hills Golf Club.

There is some crossover at midday with some groups just arriving and other groups getting one last Tom's burger after their morning and final round prior to their departure.

The season also includes Memorial Day weekend and sometimes a few days in Oct to include a final weekend. On days when The Huskers play football the University of Nebraska flag flies on Ben's Porch and little  football shaped rocks painted red with a white N in the center are left throughout the property on fence posts.

All is understated at the club, no pomp and circumstance, all has been simplified.

It is a comfortable and VERY welcoming club.  

I have been there the first day of the season and the last. When you return to your room after playing on the last day of the year your room is stripped bare.

The cabins are not available for employee housing.

When the course closes for the season it is closed. Sometimes the curious from as far away as down under will stumble into the place off season and are allowed a walkabout.

The greens are covered over the winter and some bunkers are as well to minimize "drifting".

Winter is extreme. The tiny economy centers around ranching - winters are truly tough on livestock and their preservation is paramount.

Most employees are also employed elsewhere. These are hearty proud people who are there for you during your visit every step of the way. I'm not sure I have ever been to a club which has staff who are  more accomodating. They are all like old friends even after having only known them for five minutes.

 Hospitality just can't be displayed in a more sincere manner.

And then there's THE GOLF COURSE!

Many believe it is the greatest golf course in the world.

I've played everything worth playing and that might very well be true.

What I am sure of is The Sand Hills Golf Club is my favorite place in this world.

    

  

[Michael Taylor]

Gene, how often do you get out to the club? And how many games do you play/how long do you stay there for?

Are the cabins 'luxurious'? Got any pics of the cabins/clubhouse?

They accepting junior members? 

[Thomas Patterson]

Gene - Thanks for the very informative post!  I've never known any of those facts...seems like an amazing place, with a pretty neat golf course to go along with it!    

[Matt OBrien]

Gene is 100% correct. Sand Hills is very simple in that they do not try and go overboard with everything and they understand that people come there to play golf and get away from civilization. They do not go overboard with multiple restaurants and various activities on site, their mail goal is the course. Sand Hills opened this year on Friday May 28th and they will close on October 1st. What I have been told is that they are not like most places where they will tell you when the golf season is over and you can venture out there at your own risk after that date. When they say the place is closed they mean it and the gates are closed. I was not expecting the conditions to be poor but I was shocked to see how good the greens were after such a tough winter. It was neat to see the grounds crew out there grooming the enormous bunkers by hand. I wish I had some pictures of that but I didn't want them to feel like Zoo animals and some tourist taking pictures of them. Again I have been to many of the top places in the world and still to this day I think Sand Hills is the best place on earth. I cant wait to get back and play there when it is as hard as my driveway.

[Jim Tang]

Michael -

Here are two pictures of the cabins at Sand Hills.  You park your car in the lot and leave it there.  They give you a golf cart and you drive it down a path to the cabins, not very far from the clubhouse.  All of the cabins are grouped together, as the first picture shows.



The second picture is the front door to our cabin.  Very simple.

[Gene Greco]

       ( From Wyatt )


Gene,

My wife enjoys cooking like I enjoy world class golf courses. The Sand Hills recipe book was the perfect gift. I received a substantial amount of brownie points and an extra fifteen pounds for the effort.
[/quote]

Did you know the chef who wrote the book also has his own organic garden from which most of the spices/vegetables one is served at Sand Hills is grown?

[Keith OHalloran]

Gene, I have heard of this amazing garden but wonder when will there be time to go see it? Before the first tee or after the 54th hole?

[Michael Taylor]

Last year, I brought some bottles of the spices home with me. When we opened the cabinet this year for our first BBQ, my wife looked at the almost empty bottle and said "Thanks god your going back to Sand Hills, we are almost out of the spices!"  All I could think was
"Yes, thank God (and the good doctor) that I am going back"

Keith,

You can buy the spices from the Sand Hills pro shop website, so there is really no need for you to go back to Sand Hills.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Sand Hills is closed for the winter not because of snow as much as the cold.  The ground is frozen for much of the winter.  I was having a beer with Youngscap a few years ago and he told me something quite surprising.  He said that the most arid time of the year was winter.  The SH grounds crew monitor temperature and ground conditions throughout the winter.  On the occasional periods the ground thaws and there is a sustained period above freezing the ground crew waters the tees and greens.  Otherwise, Youngscap said, they'd start the season with dead tees and greens!

JC

[Keith OHalloran]

Thanks Michael, yet another reason to keep my wife off the internet!