Here are some new photos from Dismal River off of the Nicklaus Design website.  From what I've seen, it looks quite promising.  What will really be the wild card here are the greensites.  I read in a recent article with Jack where he said one thing he really learned a lot about while working with Tom Doak at Sebonack was how to shape greens and their contours and how they meld into their surrounds.  There will be no better place to put this to the test than at his property in the sand hills of Nebraska.

It will really be interesting to see if Jack's present and future work is at all influenced by working with Tom Doak, and vice versa for that matter.....  

It would be neat if that windmill in gallery8 was used as an aiming line on a blind shot somewhere.  Nothing says "middle of nowhere in the midwest" better than a worn out old farm windmill!

I sort of think it's a cool name -- at least I'll remember it, as opposed so many of the generic names out there.  

Or Royal Old Nebraska Links

I love it too, it is vaguely reminiscent of something you might have read in Larry McMurtry's Lonsome Dove: "Gus and the boys finally crossed the Dismal River as he ruefully observed that the place was now even more dismal with their passing."

I think the name is perfect.   Too many names are homogenized or try to reflect something completely out of character with the local environs, such as "Scottish Glen GC" in the middle of northeastern PA.  

Dismal River sounds like something that El Guapo might have crossed on his way to a showdown in the badlands.  Isn't golf supposed to be part adventure?

Dismal River sounds like something that El Guapo might have crossed on his way to a showdown in the badlands.  Isn't golf supposed to be part adventure?

Didn't he have a plethora of pinatas?  

I have to admit I like the name too but there are only a few people who could get away with it -- Nicklaus being one of them.  

If anyone cares, this should give you a good idea of where Dismal River Club is located. The entrance road is 17 miles long!! Long live the Sand Hills.

What's the plan for DRC? Is it going to compete with Sand Hills? It does seem that the land is so good that every architect will want the opportunity to do a course in the area.  But will one objectively be better than the other?

Jeff - I believe it's about 7 miles due west "as the crow flys" like we say here in Nebraska.

Let me say firstly that I do love these pictures of what is obviously 'Country which God had in his e'e for Gowf'.

But is it just me or is anyone else a bit disappointed in the range of the 'palette' which architects have chosen to employ on and in this landscape.

It seems to be a bit like maybe it's all a bit copyist, or kind of like when they say 'Portrait of a Lady' (after van Eyck) or a bit like loads of cover bands jumping on a style bandwagon when a 'new' sound appears on the scene. (If I hear another bleedin' Coldplay soundalike, I'm gonna hurl!)

I bet someone somewhere around there has said, at least once: "Yeah, let's have a Cooreshaw blowout bunker right there, oh and another one over there".

FBD.

Does anyone know who were or who are the shapers, who are shaping the golf course??  It would be interesting to know....

Chris Munoz

While it may be true that pictures of the three courses look similar in many respects, Ballyneal is built on significantly "choppier" terrain, where the dune peaks are much closer together.  Actually the Ballyneal photos look quite different than these.  Two architects with differing philosophies.

Dismal River is a private golf club.  There are many membership categories, and some are quite reasonable.

I have seen all three courses.  Sand Hills is terrific, as previously discussed here.  Dismal River is a very large course laid out across a large area.  That blowout bunker shown in the second photo is enormous, and extremely penal.  Surprisingly, Dismal River will have more "quirky" features than either Ballyneal or Sand Hills.  For instance, that windmill in the picture can come into play on the second shot of a short par 5.  Not a bad idea, in my opinion.  Also, from the back tees it will be exceptionally difficult.  It's a very impressive project, and I expect it will succeed financially.  However, it is a major pain in the ass to get there.

The gentleman who took us on the Dismal River tour mentioned the lead shaper, a well known guy who had worked for Tom Fazio and maybe Rees Jones in the past, but I can't recall his name.

Not only are shaping details and hole strategies important, walkability is a key feature.  Sand Hills is a tough walk, and most everybody rides a cart there.  Dismal River will be similarly or even more difficult to walk.  It's not hillier than Sand Hills; the green to tee walks are a bit longer though.

Another difference:  Dismal plans to use A4 bent grass on their greens.  Ballyneal will use a proprietary mix of fescues, bents, and bluegrasses, and will probably keep its green speeds a little slower than the other courses.  I believe Sand Hills uses A4 bent.  When I played there, the greens were all world.

Ballyneal and Dismal River are considerably different.  Both have their merits.  If you are considering a trip out to see Dismal River, make sure to stop in Holyoke and see the great Ballyneal first.