Please pardon my grammatical errors. I wrote this in the morning before taking the kids to school. I just added pics a few minutes ago. Thanks again for @none and @Putterho for setting up part 1 of an amazing trip
Nebraska. When someone asks me about Nebraska what do I think of? One thing that doesn’t come to mind isn’t golf unless you are talking about Sand Hills. When Josh and I were invited to go play Caprock I had to look it up. I think I am pretty educated on most of the golf courses in the US but this was a mystery to me. So I looked up pics to get a better view of what I was getting into. There weren’t that many pics so I was going in blind. So off I went. We flew into South Dakota at night and would leave bright and early in the morning to Caprock in Nebraska. Flying a few hours, getting 3 hours of sleep and then getting in a car for another couple of hours doesn’t sound like a great start but the things we do for golf right? We jumped into our rental and we were off. I love driving so I said I would take the wheel. Normally when I hear of a 3 hour drive I think the boring drive up 95 towards NJ. This was nothing like that. The views were breathtaking. I have never driven on roads that were so straight for such a long time. To see what Mother Nature did with this area got me extremely excited for the golf ahead. I literally almost missed the turn into the course because I was looking at the sand hills. There really isn’t a big sign to the course and it could easily be missed as it’s a gravel road. As we drove on this gravel road for a few minutes I asked myself if there was a golf course out here. Then sudden glimpses of the course could be seen from the road. The plane ride in, the 3 hours of sleep, the drive through a state all started to fade away as I was ready for some golf. We were all staying on property so once we arrived they packed all of our stuff on a cart and we were on our way to our room. As drove up to the clubhouse I had a sense that I was at Bandon. The massive putting green and clubhouse were calling our names. Josh and I were already in awe but then our host, Jake, said you need to some see this. We followed him on the cart to look at the 18th green. The view was surreal. I would almost say it’s like the first time you see the Grand Canyon. You could see the 16th, 17th and 18th greens over looking the canyon while the sounds of the Snake River are going through your head. The pics just don’t show the elevation. As we walked into the clubhouse we were greeted by Don, the GM. He welcomed us and treated us like we had been friends for a long time. He said since this is your first time here then you definitely need to grab a yardage book. This would prove to be an important tip for later. We got to the range and yes I was on fumes but the adrenaline was starting to kick in. We had 36 holes today and tomorrow so I was ready for some golf. Let’s go! To be honest, once we started the round I was totally immersed with the course that I totally forgot to take pictures. The first few holes sets you up in the Sand Hills and then the canyon starts to come into play and you start to ask yourself if you are still in Nebraska. The topography is absolutely amazing.
Everywhere you looked you could see other holes over looking the canyon. This course would be the perfect place to create your own holes. The finishing stretch is some the best in golf. 16 is a short par 3 that leaves you very little area for error. We had the left back pin the first day and it sits right in between a deep bunker and a huge drop into the Snake River. 17 is a driveable par 4 that par is a great score. The green slopes severely right to left with a drop off at the front left side of the green. I played this hole 4 times and my average score was over par. Just when you think your round is done you walk off of the 17th green and onto the 18th tee box and a 215 yard uphill par 3 over a canyon awaits you. The view doesn’t even look real. It’s like you are playing in a painting.
After 36 holes we headed into the club house for some dinner and drinks. This was just day 1 of an amazing trip with a great bunch of guys. The rest of this is just a photo dump of the rest of the pics from the Caprock rounds
Don’s Course Notes Hole 1 Hit it at the center. The ball will end up in the left side of the fairway Hole 2 Aim over the bunker. The fairway goes left to right. Right edge of the bunker with a driver will be a lost ball. The green has severe front to back undulation on the left side of the green. Hole 3 Dont go after the left pin of the greens are hard. It’s slopes away hard from the bunker Hole 4 Their is more room on the right off the tee than you think. Green is extremely firm. Hole 5 More room on the right off the tee than you think. Hybrid at the two tall trees or three wood 20 yards right of it. Right side of the green slopes away into the rough Hole 6 Front middle of the green is the play here to any pin Hole 7 Aim over the shoe or left of it. Right side of the green slopes away Hole 8 Long par 4. Right of the fairway bunker is a speed slot. Left of the bunker is safer. Green is a punch bowl Hole 9 Any miss left will be on the green Hole 10 At the shoe or left of it. There is more room over the bunker near the green. Greens slopes left to right Hole 11 Left side of the fairway is the play here. Green is pretty flat Hole 12 Approach shot 20 yards short will get you on the green. Green slopes hard left to right. R to L putt uphill is faster than downhill Hole 13 Driver over the bunker. False left side in the green Hole 14 3 wood or hybrid off the tee. Left side with a driver is dead. Green slopes severely left to right Hole 15 Left side of the fairway slopes into the hazard. The front of the green slopes right to left Hole 16 Green slopes right to left Hole 17 Three wood at the three trees. Green slopes hard right to left Hole 18 Miss is right. Putt breaks harder right to left than you think
Thank you don! Now I’ve played “most” of the “top 100” and this is likely the best course I’ve ever played. It’s beyond daunting, visually, and it’s an extremely visceral course.
Great write up! Kenyon messaged me last night telling me how unreal the trip was. Hoping to head out there on 2022!!
Looks awesome. When I saw you were in Caprock I had to look it up as well. Looking for meats to part 2!!
amazing write-up and pictures!
looks absolutely treacherous, but beautiful, hopefully you guys didn't lose too many balls 🤣
maxbianchi funny you mentioned this. @Putterho was playing a game with himself to see if he could lose a ball and find more to fill up his box
dphatt Always a good game!! Sometimes, the way I play, my score is actually +/- balls so a higher positive number is better 😂
TFixer5 I got close to a full dozen which were 85% premium balls but after 27 and the swing breaking down I had to start actually using them!
Looks awesome!
Am I on the wrong site? There isn't a picture from the pro shop haul?
MarkF the course is so new that they don’t have much in there. I was able to get a polo and pullover but that’s it
Amazing write up Teflon!
dphatt
