Nebraska Road Trip

[Tony_Chapman]

Ooooooh, baby. Dannebrog is a hoot. Brandon if you are coming up on Thursday, they have world-famous pizza there as well at The Danish Baker.

[Jason Thurman]

Tony stole it right from my mouth. If you like 9 holers, go to Dannebrog Country Club. Let me know if you're going so I can give you accurate directions. It's $5 in an honor box, last I heard. And go on a Thursday. The Danish Baker pizza is really something unique and worth having.

Also, I agree with Mark Saltzman. Prairie Club Dunes is amazing. The Pines course is also nice, and the Dunes is a real shape-shifter that deserves far more attention than it gets on this forum. It's the most endlessly complex golf course I've played. I can see how that might be too much for some people's taste, but I really love it. It's right up there with Pebble and Pinehurst No. 2 on my list of favorites I've played, and some days I feel like it's #1.

[Mark Saltzman]

Jason's second paragraph = bingo!

[Brandon Urban]

Ooooooh, baby. Dannebrog is a hoot. Brandon if you are coming up on Thursday, they have world-famous pizza there as well at The Danish Baker.

Awesome! We are definitely stopping at Dannebrog, but it will be on the way home on Tuesday. Does that mean no pizza???

Jason- I'll take you up on those directions.

[Tony_Chapman]

Ooooooh, baby. Dannebrog is a hoot. Brandon if you are coming up on Thursday, they have world-famous pizza there as well at The Danish Baker.

Awesome! We are definitely stopping at Dannebrog, but it will be on the way home on Tuesday. Does that mean no pizza???

Jason- I'll take you up on those directions.

Pizza is a Thursday only endeavor, unfortunately.

[Jason Hines]

So has anyone played Pelican Beach?  Wasn’t Dan Proctor involved with that project or am I mistaken?  Wondering if it would be worth the extra miles to head up that way...

[Pete Balzer]

So has anyone played Pelican Beach?  Wasn’t Dan Proctor involved with that project or am I mistaken?  Wondering if it would be worth the extra miles to head up that way...

Pelican Beach's first 3 holes were designed by Dan Proctor and he laid out the next 6.

I have stopped twice for emergency nines on way to Prairie Club. Fun to play, but not worth going out of the way for.

         1    2     3    4     5     6    7     8    9
  Blk 369 139 335 447 327 282 228 141 492
  Par  4      3     4    5    4     4    4      3   5                     
                     
 
                     
    Yardage Par Rating Slope
  Mens 5520 72 67.2 120
  Womens 4276 72 66.4 111

[RJ_Daley]

Here are the two co-superintendents of Dannebrog CC.  They cohabitate on a small ranchette next door.  I reckon they must have each gotten a raise of double their yearly salary if they have raised the honor box fee to $5 from $2, last time I was there!  They must be utilizing some high fallutin turf management practices to augment the cow pies, and some very fine extra virgen olive oil instead of the old low grade veggie oil used to smooth the sand greens.

Dannebrog maintenance staff and greens grooming equipment.  Note the signature par 3 and Dannebrog style Swilcan Burn bridge in background.  The shot into the water trough with the sand green within is played about 145yds, from the one tee.... or put the peg in the ground where you like and have a go.

[RJ_Daley]

As far as missing the Danish Pizza on Thurs Morns, you probably can get it served fresh every day at the Danish Bakery show on the street view of Dannebrog.  Also, if you like a hearty breakfast, this is your place for a sodbuster breakfast special.  And.... there is often live guitar and folk singin entertainment each morning.  Just proceed into the downtown of Dannebrog, on Roger Walsh avenue (Dan Kelly's favorite local feature documentarian) and hang a left onto Oak Street.  Go to the Danish looking Euro style storefront.  And,R.R. pinstriped bib overalls w/matching hat are the mufti d'jour.

http://goo.gl/maps/a4jKH

[Jason Thurman]

Ooooooh, baby. Dannebrog is a hoot. Brandon if you are coming up on Thursday, they have world-famous pizza there as well at The Danish Baker.

Awesome! We are definitely stopping at Dannebrog, but it will be on the way home on Tuesday. Does that mean no pizza???

Jason- I'll take you up on those directions.

Google Maps shows Dannebrog Golf Course on highway 11 just north of the intersection with highway 58 east. In fact, though, you'll actually want to turn on highway 58 east. Proceed through town. The course is a few miles down, just east of the intersection with Kimball Rd, on your right.

[Daryn_Soldan]

Brandon,

Hope you guys have a great trip! Wish I was headed up there again this year. I'll second the recommendations for Bayside. I played an evening round there several years back after 27 in the morning at Wild Horse. Well worth the effort and not one to miss in my book. It's an easy place to see untapped potential and a few rough spots... but its fun golf on a really interesting piece of property.

- Daryn

[Daryn_Soldan]

I'm a little late to this conversation, but for those headed up from Prairie Dunes and looking for post-round food in the Salina area... a few suggestions from a former resident:

If it was me... I'd forgo food in Salina and jump off I-135 just south of Salina at Lindsborg. Don't be scared by the desolate looking highway exit, it's only 5 minutes into Lindsborg's quaint little Swedish downtown and the Ol Stuga. Mark will be behind the bar, he's the one that looks like a cross between Santa Claus and a norseman. Order the Brent Nelson sandwich (Google it for a description and story), wash it down with a cold one and carry on with your journey.

Cozy Inn makes great little sliders served in a paper bag. However, no matter how tempting it is, DO NOT bring the bag in the car! Every square inch of your clothing, your belongings and the vehicle's upholstery will reek of the onions cooked into the burgers, maybe for weeks. It's OK at first, not OK when you still have a 6 hour drive ahead. I had an office in the building across the street and when the wind was right, the smell would waft up to the 4th floor and infiltrate everything.

Brandon's right on Hickory Hut - best BBQ in the area. I was never a fan of Jim's Chicken, but why eat chicken when there are so many red meat options available out here on the plains? There's the fat kid talking again...

Hope the weather holds and everyone has a great time golfing their way to Dismal!

- Daryn

[ed_getka]

If you are  were hoping to play Friday 28th at Wild Horse that event has been cancelled and we are open for play.  Thursday is still booked though. 

Bayside is pretty good- a few holes that don't quite work but I always have fun there.  Great shape might be stretching it, but it is usually in  good shape.  Maybe this year they have stepped it up a notch.

Prairie Club is definitely worth a look.  Both good courses, not great but you would enjoy.

Is this Josh, the WH super? Front side of Bayside is awesome, but the back has some weird holes. WH is THE course to play if you are anywhere in the area. Years ago driving cross-country on vacation with my family we spent the night about an hour away from WH. I was up at 4:30, arrived at the course in the dark, welcomed Josh to work, and waited for the pro to arrive to see if I could play since they had an outing scheduled. Pro turned me loose at 6:00 and said I could play until 8:00 when the event started. Finished my round with 15 minutes to spare and was back in the hotel before my family finished breakfast. That is how good WH is! Don't miss it.

[Daryl "Turboe" Boe]

I have been out of pocket for a few days with good reason.  I had to make an unofficial GCA pre-tournament course check, and am happy to report that Dismal is ready to host the assembled and motley crew that will descend upon her this weekend.  As you can imagine cell phone access is not high on the list of why you come to the sand hills of NE, and I wouldnt have it any other way.

I was out in NE for a combination business trip/family reunion and finally was able to hit a couple of the ones I had never seen before.  Chris was an unbelievable host, and the entire experience did not disappoint, and I can tell you that the Doak course will take things to another level again when it officially opens.   All of the other places I had the chance to see were spectacular, and I hope to get some time maybe next week with the holiday to post some pictures and thoughts.  

All I can say is WOW!!!

My only disappointment from the whole week is that I was not able to stay and see and be part of the 5th Major.  I probably could have stayed for the weekend, but then I would have just had to stay there for good, because I wouldn't be allowed home. 

Cant wait to hear the reports...

[Jason Hines]

Brandon, how was Bayside today?  I will be there at the end of July and have not been there since July, 2006.

[Adam Clayman]

Jason, Bayside is very good shape. Today was special for me, I started the day in Lincoln, went to Hasting to see Lochland. Then after a quick nap, met old time poster Mike Trenham and his friend, Mannis, at Bayside. League started at 5 so I only bothered them for a few holes. Boy could those boys play. Hopefully he'll see this and be able to confirm how Bayside is.

[Brandon Urban]

Bayside was everything you guys said it would be. We had a blast. Thank you all for the advice. I will give a more detailed response when I get back from the trip, but it was in fantastic condition and a hoot to play.
We did get some strange looks when we asked to walk (along with a warning about the back 9), as well as stares and questionable glances when a couple of other groups saw us billy-goating up and down the cliffs on the back.
I did have one tiny complaint that had to do with the walkability on the front nine... any guesses?
Adam- must have missed you by minutes. We left the parking lot right around 5:00.

[Adam Clayman]

I'll guess... Having to walk the cart path to, and on 4. and, 9?

[Brandon Urban]

I'll guess... Having to walk the cart path to, and on 4. and, 9?

Adam is correct. I was really surprised at the lack of mow paths for walkers. After teeing off you have to walk all the way out to the cart path and around. You could walk through the native, but only if you wanted to pull tiny prickly vegetation off of yourself for the rest of the day. We probably walked an extra 600 yards (guessing) when in most cases the solution was as easy as pushing a mower in a straight line from the tee to the fairway. Again, small detail that did not diminish the course in any way. I just thought it would be an easy fix, but I could be completely wrong.

[Adam Clayman]

Brandon, Think of the smallest budget you can imagine for B'side, then cut it in half. Thats probably Elton's budget.

I sat down with Cliff Brown(one of the owners) before last year's season and told him that a bunch of gca geeks would be stopping by in the next couple of years, on their way to see the course "you're not allowed to talk about". Encouraging him to ask Elton to present the course more in the way it was intended, more links like. i.e. bunker rough, collar of kick plate height, etc. But alas, he obviously gives ya'll credit for being able to see the bones through the current presentation.

[RJ_Daley]

Brandon, I thought you were going to say the walkability was somewhat impared by rattlers.  I've heard and seen more rattlers on that course than any other I've walked.  (not that many, but I've heard and seen them on multiple occasions).  I have to chuckle at one time when Adam and I were playing with the part-time cowboy and maintenance crew from up in the SHs during one of their year end outings, and a few guys hit slices into the wooga between 3 and 1.  There were a few of us looking in the native, and we heard the entire rough-native area light up with rattles.  Guys were hopping around out there like they all had been given hotfeet.  The sandstone ledges and native around the ravines on the backside are prime critter with no shoulders territory as well.  With my phobia about rattlers, and walking around some of the prairie courses, the high anxiety is probably worth a couple of strokes. 

[Adam Clayman]

Dick, The year the lake was up, was the last time rattlers were seen. Mostly bull snakes, now. I personally have not seen a ratter for 4 years. It's a shame you give them that stigma because it's really just old news, not germane to the course today. It's similar to the way Matt Ward would site poor conditioning at a place many years after they were improved.

[RJ_Daley]

Now Adam, I'm not knocking any course due to the critters past or present.  A great course is a great course even if velociraptors once roamed.  No Matt Ward am I.  I'm just making a statement about how their presence puts me ill at ease.  In my mind, once I've seen one, I'm looking all the time no matter what the lake level or temperature.  Even if the constant tramping of golfers over the years and encroachment into their habitat in reality forces the critters to more secluded ground. 

So, I bravely tromp where I dread to go, in search of great golf and endure the searches for my sliced ball in the wooga.  Jumpy, anxious, and giddy to get back into play and face the challenges of rolling and heaving FWs and greens.   

[Jerry Kluger]

Just got back from my Nebraska trip and it was better than ever.  Sand Hills is still oh so special and the greens were the fastest I have ever seen which made it especially challenging.  The Doak Course at DR is certainly a very special course with an absolutely fantastic finish. (As a proud father I must say that my son flew it on the 15th from the white tees at 271 yards with a three wood and held the green.) I had not seen the Nicklaus course since shortly after it had opened and it is a far better course with exceptionally well conditioned greens.  

I had never been to the Prairie Club and it was really good.  The Pines Course is solid and the Horse course is a blast but it was the Dunes course that blew me away.  It is really really good with a great variety of holes and is certainly worth the trip.  The facility is top notch with a great staff and really good food which is well priced.  I was told that they are planning a fourth course which is to be a Hanse design.