Baby's First Golf Trip - Western/Central Nebraska

[GolfSpy AFG]

So I've never been on anything akin to a golf trip, until tomorrow!  For years we've had 2 car payments and plenty of financial reasons not to go, but with both cars paid off and a pretty affordable invitation coming my way, I head out tomorrow for 90 holes Tuesday through Thursday.  

The funny part is, I got invited by a bunch of retirees who play nearly every day at the base course here.  All really good guys, but they've all got 15 years or more on me...I may be the only guy playing from the regular tees!  But, it will be fun, and it's always good for the ego when someone is impressed by your 280 yard "bomb"!  

First course, Woodland Hills in Eagle:

Woodland Hills Golf Course - Eagle, NE

Second, Wild Horse in Gothenburg:

Wild Horse Golf Club | Gothenburg Golf Courses | Nebraska Public Golf (playwildhorse.com)

Then, Awarii Dunes in Axtel:

Wild Horse Golf Club | Gothenburg Golf Courses | Nebraska Public Golf (playwildhorse.com)

The premier resort to play is The Prairie Club in Valentine, but that will have until the spring...

[MGoBlue100]

I just read about Wild Horse, you're going to LOVE that course.  Enjoy your trip & play well!  I got it confused with Iron Horse in Ashland.

[GolfSpy AFG]

1 hour ago, MGoBlue100 said:

I just read about Wild Horse, you're going to LOVE that course.  Enjoy your trip & play well!  I got it confused with Iron Horse in Ashland.

No sweat.  I've played Iron Horse several times and enjoy it, but to me Quarry Oaks up the road is the best track in the area.  I keep reading/hearing rave reviews about Wild Horse though.

[GolfSpy AFG]

Day one in the books.  Forgot to take any pics of Woodland Hills, but really wasn’t inspired to.  Not a bad course, just nothing extraordinarily picturesque.  Did shoot a personal best 73, then followed it up with a not so good 82.

[GolfSpy AFG]

Never circled back and posted any thoughts or pics from this trip.

Woodland Hills, where I didn't take any pics, was fun and a nice track but nothing special.  The highlight for me:  I shot a PB 73 having never seen the course before!

Next up was Wild Horse, and this place was TOUGH.  It's the kind of course where if you lose it in the rough, it's gone...even if you somehow by some miracle found your ball, you won't have a playable lie.  Add in 30 mph winds and fast greens, and it was no picnic.  Of the courses we were going to this one was supposed to be the star, but my favorite was the last course on the trip...more on that in minute.

A few Wild Horse pics, first from the clubhouse overlooking the practice green.  Not a tree to be found: 

 

Here's the look from the first tee.  I played a 3 wood on a more aggressive line that I intended that cut off a lot of the dogleg, chipped on and two-putted for par.

And here's a look from the 14th fairway, which I took as an example of some aggressive bunkering throughout the course:

Overall, I liked it, but I'd like another shot at it with maybe one club of wind instead of three.  Hardest fought 82 I've ever played.

We then played Awarii Dunes.  I was warned by some of the guys on this trip that the greens were, as they put it, "Mickey Mouse"...in their minds some circus-level slopes and undulations on the greens.  Honestly, they weren't kidding in that I've never seen greens quite like it...if the Superintendent wanted to be cruel they could really make it impossible.  For example, here's number 7...we got a front right pin that was very playable, but as you can see, all this green needs is a windmill and a clown's mouth:

Here's another green with some dramatic slope, number 17.  That's my approach shot long and right.  As you can see, this is basically a bowl, and with a generous pin many shots will actually funnel back to this hole, except my poor playing partner whose ball somehow hung up in the fringe!  I made this putt for the birdie, but for fun after holing it, I put my ball down and put my back to hole, and it was possible to put up to the almost fringe and let it roll right back down to the cup!  

A few more of Awarri, first the view looking back down the par 5 18th, followed by a view from the par 4 10th tee box.

All in all, I have to say I really liked Awarii...large generous fairways but a lot of uneven lies, and some very demanding greens.  Shot an 80 here, with a triple and two bogies on each side that had me thinking about what might have been.

Next up, there's rumors of a possible trip to the RTJ Trail in Alabama in October!