Wild Horse Golf Course

I talk often about sense of place. Wild Horse fills that boot. It is quintessential Nebraska. Modest infrastructure. One interesting hole after another, linked like the Union Pacific railroad cars that clatter through here non-stop. Fairways and greens as firm as an Omaha handshake, lending to crispy conditions.

This is a community-spearheaded golf course that has garnered national accolades. The previous course in Gothenburg resided in a flood plain. It if rained, residents had to wait four days to play golf. So they decided to set out on higher ground and build another course. They hired an architect. Then something happened that would change Wild Horse’s path forever. The man behind Sand Hills came down to visit the site. Upon seeing it he convinced the principals involved that they needed to hire Axland & Proctor.

The result is a course that asks players to solve a puzzle. There isn’t anything tricked up. A faction of critics will point to the repetitive center-line bunkering as a negative. While it’s true that roughly a third of the 68 bunkers on the course are center line, or pots in the fairway, they serve more as guides to where to play. You must know where the pin is located at the outset of every hole. The fairways are so wide here that higher handicaps can keep balls in play easily, but better players find out quickly that playing left or right of these bunkers unlock preferred angles.

Axland and Proctor also did a skillful job of mitigating the challenges the wind provides here. A steady 20-25 mph breeze blows on most days. Therefore, all four par 3s play in different directions, and three of the four par 5s do as well.

The hard-packed sand greens get very firm in that wind. Combine that with A& P’s obvious affinity for Maxwell’s internal rolls, and that can wreak havoc on approaches, where wind and firmness cause balls to roll out. The billiard-like putting conditions are among the best I’ve ever played. Simply stated, the greens are the star of the show.

I can see why it's both a Top 100 public course and Top 100 value. Conditions were excellent, especially the greens. Course difficulty is largely determined by wind as the native grasses and bunkers are the main obstacles off the tee. Play in the morning for easier conditions.
Staff is extremely helpful and friendly. Facilities are pretty basic. But that's not why you stop her off I80.
Considering the excellent layout, presentation, conditions and the fact that it's less expensive than my local course, I'll try and stop her every time I go through the area.

Superior course conditions. No need to ever touch your ball, the fairways are perfect. Smooth & fast greens with reasonable undulations. Well-bunkered with natural looking blowouts. Nice vistas, being in the edge of the Sandhills. Price has crept up, but for this place, layout, and conditions? A bargain! Polite staff. Only complaint is that we were behind two slow groups who wouldn’t let us play through…hackers, but playing back tees…an irritant. BUT, as the sun was descending, we saw the course at its’ prettiest with the shadows revealing the mounds & moguls. If I lived within 60 miles of this place, I’d join in a heartbeat! Those who don’t seem impressed must be real golf snobs. This is a terrific place. Can’t wait to play it again!

What can I say, absolutely amazing course for the price. Everything was good, fairways greens and bunkers. Luckily I avoided too many of them. Loved that range balls where included in the green fee. It really felt like country club quality at a muni price. This course is going to ruin me for municipal golf back home😰

Simply put, Wild Horse is the best value in golf. Everything about the golf experience is perfect, and it's at a price that you would expect to potentially see lesser playing conditions and service.

I love everything about Wild Horse. First and foremost, it plays like a Links Course. Even after overnight rains, the golf course was very firm. I always find golf courses more interesting when the ball rolls and bounces rather than hitting and stopping.

The routing is nearly perfect. The course has a feel of Prairie Dunes. The holes flow nicely together, with food variability in terms of direction. We had a really calm day, so we didn't get to experience the full wind effect. But it was a blast to play nonetheless.

The green conditions were fantastic. They roll true and fast. There is significant slope to the greens but it's still very fair.

I can't recommend Wild Horse enough. It's a course everyone should play!

This is an excellent course. This course has more bunkers and other challenges for golfers than any other course I've played. The greens were lighting fast. If you go there, practice on concrete.
I found a lot of variation, in the type of layouts and challenges. I used 13 of the 14 clubs in my bag.

If your can't consistently drive the ball 230 or longer, play from the green tees. You will enjoy the course much more.

Play this course.

Love this course. Every time I've played fairways are great; plenty of 'slope'; greens are some of the most challenging I play. Love the natural character of the course. Rough was reasonable this time of year. Maybe consider a local course rule as rough gets tougher lateral drop and one stroke; will keep pace of play where it should be.

The course is in excellent condition from tee to green, but beyond that, lacks anything that would make it a special or worth a trip out to play. Holes were somewhat on the bland side and not really challenging for the most part. Pace of play was poor and had lengthy waits on most shots, especially on the back 9. If this were my local course, would play more often, but not really worth a trip out. At $79, not a bad price, but have played better tracks for less money.

I used to say this was the best course, $ for $, that I've played. Honestly it's just simply one of the best. Worth seeking out. Try to play at least 36 because surely you'll play better the second time around. The price has crept up, but it's still very worth it.

The rough is thicker than I can recall it being ever out there. Greens were running as fast as ever. The greens and the run up to the greens are very firm as well making for a real challenge around the green complexes.

This course can seem fairly tame at times, but you really need to be on your guard. The fairways are wide and generous but the lack of an intermediate rough can make moderate golfers a bit leery visually. Often you won't find your ball in the "wooga" or you'll just want to take an unplayable lie even if you find it. The fast and hard greens can make it a bit tough to commit to lines and pace and makes comfort and confidence tough to find. This can carry over to full shots as well.

Often you hear, don't be above the hole, but it is especially true here. Especially with a windy day on tap. There's just something special about this course. This small town has a lot of pride in it and for good reason. It's a must play.

The greens were lightning fast and very challenging with many breaks and some tough pin placements. The fairways were big and bunkered, but managed to miss them and get into the wooga way too often. Beautiful course and the staff was extremely pleasant and helpful.

Course was in great shape and I enjoyed overall experience. However, I was not wowed by the overall experience as I was hoping to be. It is still a very good course, but not top tier good. What holds it back IMO is the flatter terrain and greens that lack some of the character the architects produced at Batside.

The course was just outside of Gothenburg Ne just off I-80 and easily accessible.
Clubhouse personnel friendly and helpful.
Free range was a nice plus.
Few golfers that day and had no problem teeing off arriving about noon.
Carts were clean but needed new brakes.
The teeboxes are well maintained marked with cattle skulls. Played the middle tees (4 options)
Fairways were generous/ Grass was uniform/weed free
Very few trees and no water hazards but still challenging.
Greens had just had fall treatment and sand dressing.
The greens still ran fast with challenging elevation changes and undulation. Some quick steep-breaking putts on most holes with tricky pin positions.
The windy conditions and the greens were the real challenge for this gem of a course out in the midwest prairie.
Will definitely play again

One of my favorite courses ever. Natural golf using the terrain of the land in Central Nebraska, definitely a "hidden gem" and MUST PLAY! Always in perfect condition. Add to your bucket list!!!

Maybe it's hard to call a course that is ranked in the top 100 in the US a hidden gem, but after playing here I feel like I've been let in on a secret. I played here as part of a 2 day Play the West mini trip when I was in Lincoln visiting family. I wasn't sure what to expect in the middle of Nebraska, even as someone who spent the first 20 or so years of my life there I was skeptical.
Driving up to the course it is pretty unassuming, the clubhouse follows along, not spectacular but very well kept. Checking in everyone was very friendly and helpful. The range was well kept with nice balls laid out for us to use. The practice green I thought was interesting, donut shaped with a nice slope and lots of flags so you could easily practice any putt you'd like. The greens were quick and the practice green was consistent with those on the course.
The course was in fantastic condition. I would put it up with any of the myrtle beach, Pinehurst, or Scottsdale courses I have played. The fairways were in great condition, I think I had one shot during the whole day that was on a slightly bare lie. The greens were quick but rolled very true, just needed to be aware of the wind affecting the speed more than I'm used to. The most memorable thing to me was the fringe and fairways leading up the greens, absolutely flawless and perfect for putting, chipping or whatever you need to do .
I loved the course design, there were a few holes that it wasn't obvious where the hole was going, and some shots you can't see land and with the wind wreaking havoc on the ball it did create some confusion on where your ball might be. There is a good mix of short and long holes so with the wind you'll have some easy holes and some holes where you're coming in with pretty long clubs.
Pace of play was good. It's a course with generous fairways but if you are in the rough you will have a hard time finding your ball. So if you or the group in front of you are struggling the pace could get slow. That said even with a few extended searches in our twosome we played in about 4:10.
Back in clubhouse after the round every person there was friendly and ready to chat about the course and other courses in the area.

This was a fantastic experience and there is no doubt I'll be back next time I'm in Nebraska, and probably every time after that as well.

I made a point of driving through Gothenburg specifically to play this track, and it didn't disappoint.
I teed off as a single at 7:30, and was finished by 10:15. There's nothing finer than walking a great course, and WH is designed to be walked. No long walks from green to tee ... in most cases, it was a few steps to the next tee box.
The greens were as pure and true as I've seen anywhere. The variety of holes was excellent.
I think the SSE wind was coming in the opposite direction of the prevailing wind ... all of the short par 4's were downwind, and all of the long par 4's were upwind. Still, a great track.
This course is for golf purists. If you're looking for cart paths, go elsewhere.

As part of a golf and sightseeing trip that spanned from Kansas City to Rapid City, Wild Horse was my second golf stop on the trip. Having read about Wild Horse being one of the best value golf courses in the country, my expectations were sky high. After you turn of the enter the property, you know you are at a unique place. For as far as the eye can see, prairie lands with with absolutely stunning sand blowouts that are quite common in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Although the clubhouse isn't anything large or flamboyant or anything like a clubhouse you would see in the pretentious northeast, it is what you expect and want from a public course in Gothenburg, Nebraska. In sum, the vibes this place gives off are incredible. Finally, after warming up on the all grass practice facilities, we headed for the first tee. Our twosome virtually had the course to ourselves. We took our time weaving through the dunes, playing a wide variety of low and high shots that had to avoid deep, penal, linksy bunkers while taking into account the harsh winds and fast and firm soil. Although Wild Horse is appealing to the eye and, what makes this course a gem is the playability combined with the amount of fun shots at your disposal. As a 9 handicap who was playing more like a 15 at the time, I carded a 77 while hitting many mediocre shots that ended up being excellent due to the contours of the course. Modern golf course architecture is moving in the direction of being more fun and playable, and Wild Horse is a great example of this, and should be played on any trip to the Sand Hills.

Superb course! prairie-links, in a gorgeous setting, and a steal at the price! awesome design- looks hard but plays easy; and short holes have interesting features. this course rocks! absolutely worth the trip!

Nicest fairways I've played in all year, which was impressive considering it was the end of August. Greens are hard and fast, so bring your spin game and slow putter. The fairways are nice and wide, but good luck if you do find the rough. A must play.

I have played this course 10-12 times over the last 7 year, the last time being last summer with a good friend that lives in Western Nebraska. Unfortunately, no more. I see now what some notoriety and success can do. They have raised their rates from the mid-$40 range to $78.00 with a cart. What bothers me the most though is that although they have absolutely NO SPECIALS FOR SENIORS they have no problem giving juniors a special rate of $37.00 for anyone up to 22 years old. Since when is a 22 year old a junior. In addition to that, who do you suppose is going to treat the course better when it comes to fixing ball marks and divots? Me at 73 years old or a 21 year old. Sorry but I am on a fixed income and although the course is absolutely wonderful to play and the facilities are excellent, I can't see going back here to play it again.

Wild Horse is a must play for every golfer in a 500 mile radius. I would challenge you to find greens that roll better than Wild Horse. Fairways are wide because if you miss them then you have a lost ball in the tall grass. Love the layout of this course.

There is literally nothing else to do in Gothenburg so you might as well stay on the course and play as much golf as you possibly can. We are heading back as a 16 man group to play in April 18 because you can't beat this golf experience.