recently I had the all-world thrill of my first trip to Sand Hills

as my trip approached, i wondered if it was as good as the pictures I had seen, since I never saw a bad picture of the place!...

what a jolt to the senses as one gets closer to it, in contrast to the mind-numbing flatness one ussually associates with Nebraska

got to play several rounds of two days there, including the  back 9 by myself as the sun began setting the first day...and I do mean by myself, because there was NO ONE else around..how phenomenal that was...talk  about QUIET...there only sounds were the birds and the wind ...

then there's Ben's Porch, which has to be one of the greatest vistas in all of golf...to sit up there and enjoy one of their cheesburgers and/or one's favorite beverage...well, things truly don't get much better than that...I think my other favorite spot on the course was back of #2 green, the endless valley below.....that one took my breath away....

and then there's the golf course!  God what fun, which is what golf is supposed to be..the wild greens, the absolutely beautiful bunkers, the up- and downhill shots....esp those greens....2 green with that great false front and huge knob in it...after one sees it, one thinks that surely must be the best green out there...but then the very next hole might be ever better!

so many great holes out there, so I shall just cite a few:
1, which tumbles down then back up...2 and 3 as stated already, 8 with the unbelievable green setting, 13, the uphill par 3 with the huge falloff if one is short and right, 17, which ate my lunch most of the time..

and I mustn't forget the staff there, all of which were great

SH made me think of Herb Wind's account of Hogan's 53 Open win at Carnoustie:

 "SInce he had never entered a British Open before and since it was probable that he would never do so again, what had happened - his arrival in a strange land, the  perfect completion of the task he had set himself, his succinct departure - seemed to be sealed off from all other events, suspended as it were, in a separate and somehow unreal land of its own, so that if it were not known for a fact that there had been a 1953 British Open on that remote stretch of duneland in Angus, you might have thought tha the whole story was the concotion of a garret-bound author of inspiration books for children who had dreamed up a golfing hero and a golfing tale that he hoped might catch on as had the exploits of Frank Merriwell in the days before golf was considered the proper vehicle  for the dreams of the red-blooded American boy."

Sand Hills is like that for me.  It seems like it is sealed off from the rest of the world, "suspended as it were, in a separate and somehow unreal land of its own."

...and you should have seen the guy with a putter from OFF the green!!!  Never seen anything like it...  

Great descriptions, Paul...the place does simply take your breath away in more ways than one.

Walking up that first fairway, I was struck by a sense of awe and a feeling of being "small" compared to my surroundings...an eerily similar feeling I had playing the first few holes at Bethpage Black where you simply seemed "dwarfed" by your surroundings.

There are so many interesting holes/shots/features at Sand Hills you could play there over and over and over trying to figure them out, study, attempt shots, whatever.

Certainly the remoteness of the place ads to the ambiance, and the topography is unlike probably anything else I'd seen here in the states.  I'll be interested to see how it stacks up to places like Sutton Bay, Dismal River, and Ballyneal for it's unique features, incredibly friendly staff and atmosphere, and playability day in and day out during a stay.

Paul, I felt the same way when the Gods smiled upon me last year. Of course that is how I got in trouble with the Ballyneal guys. One can be next in line to heaven and still be really good.

Sand Hills is like that for me.  It seems like it is sealed off from the rest of the world, "suspended as it were, in a separate and somehow unreal land of its own."

That about sums it up.

Paul T,

I too was intriqued by the view behind the 2nd green, and I thought the second hole was spectacular as well, that's some green, especially with a pin on the upper right plateau.

I think the ride from flat North Platte into the Sand Hills creates some of the excitement, it's certainly land unlike what we're used to.   Having seen pictues prior to arriving in Nebraska, one can visualize an unlimited number of holes on the ride to the club.

I happened to enjoy the many skyline greens, I thought they were fabulous, and # 13 into the wind is a very special hole.

It's certainly a unique golf course and setting

The only bad part of the trip was a tiny pebble on the 17th green.

Pat,

The excitement on the drive up from North Platte is palpable...especially those last 5 or so miles as you cross the Dismal River.  The land up in that area just cries out for more golf holes, and your mind starts to race as you see the various forms in those hills before making that fatefull left turn off the highway.

Sorry about the pebble on #17...what a way to ruin the experience, eh?  

That green complex is a killer...what a neat hole!

My golf travels are basically over. I would still drop everything to experience Sand Hills once more.  

 

pictures are worth a miilion words sometimes , grandwazo..thanks for posting