Wild Horse Golf Club

The verdict

Wild Horse Golf Club is proof that a great course does not need a great budget. Built in Gothenburg, in central Nebraska just off the interstate, it was the work of Dave Axland and Dan Proctor, two architects who had worked with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and understood exactly what to do with a naturally sandy, gently rolling piece of ground. Reportedly built for around 1.6 million dollars, it opened in 1998 and was almost immediately named one of the best new affordable courses in America.

For the traveling golfer it is a revelation. This is honest, firm, fast links golf, the ball running along the ground, native grasses framing the fairways and the prairie wind shaping every shot. At par 72 and about 6,805 yards it is modest on the card, but the firmness and the wind make it play far bigger and far smarter than the number suggests. Best of all it is fully public and famously cheap, which has earned it a devoted following and the affectionate nickname of the people's Sand Hills.

The holes worth the trip

The pleasure of Wild Horse is its naturalness. Axland and Proctor barely touched the land, letting the existing contours of the sandy prairie dictate the holes, so fairways tumble and roll and greens sit into the ground as though they grew there. There is nothing flashy, no forced carries or manufactured drama, just eighteen well shaped holes that ask honest questions of every golfer.

The firmness is the key. On dry summer turf the ball runs forever off the tee and chases hard into and around the greens, so the smart play is often a low runner rather than a high pitch, the ground game rewarded at every turn. The bunkering is rugged and natural, and the native grasses lining the holes punish a wild swing without ever feeling unfair, leaving room to recover for the player who keeps the ball in play.

Add the prairie wind, which can swing from a gentle breeze to a serious gale, and Wild Horse becomes a course you can play a hundred times and never the same way twice. For the value, the conditioning and the sheer fun of links golf in the heart of the country, it is one of the great public bargains in American golf.

Where to stay nearby

Wild Horse sits right off Interstate 80 in Gothenburg, so it is one of the most convenient great courses in the country to reach. There is straightforward lodging in Gothenburg and nearby North Platte, making it an easy overnight stop or a base for exploring more of Nebraska's golf.

The smartest move for a golf trip is to pair Wild Horse with the wider Nebraska Sand Hills, stringing together the region's accessible courses on a road trip through this underrated golf country. Its location on the interstate makes it the perfect first or last round on a longer prairie golf tour.

Looking for a base? See our recommended stays around Gothenburg and the Nebraska Sand Hills.