August 2025 – I have now played a lot of the public-accessible remote golf resorts built in the middle of nowhere that are attracting travelling golfer’s like a dog attracts fleas: The Cabot resorts in Nova Scotia and Florida, Streamsong, Big Cedar Lodge, Arcadia, Gamble Sands, Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley. In fact, I ponder in my Gamble Sands review whether the golf market can support all of these remote resorts once the travelling golfer has played them all once or at most twice. The sand hills is even more remote than the courses listed above and GrayBull, like Sand Hills and the Dismal River courses somewhat nearby, are private affairs hoping to attract the “national” member who would join the club and fly out to play these remote private enclaves with his (and to a lesser degree her) guests. That is simply a business model I wouldn’t bet on. For instance the only town within a 20-minute drive of GrayBull is Maxwell (pop. 246 oops make that 245 someone just moved out). So if they got 7% of the population of Maxwell to join (and that’s the percentage of the US population that golfs not just golfs at private clubs) you only have 17 truly local members. Of course that is why all these remote private clubs offer cottages for their members and I have to tell you the experience is AWESOME.
A few years back I had tried to set up our annual guys’ golf trip to the Nebraska sand hills region to play Sand Hills and the Dismal River courses before Graybull was open. My pro had a connection at Sand Hills so tried to work it for me. Well, he couldn’t get our unaccompanied eight-some out there so had to abandon that concept. But I remained very curious about the region so when the opportunity presented itself to jump on this trip with my buddy Brian and a Dormie host and group, I jumped at it. Two things to discuss here then:
- Nebraska. As I have set a goal of playing 1,00 courses before hanging up my golf shoes at 70 and documenting it on this blog (GrayBull is my 711th course played), a separate goal came into focus, play at least one golf course in every state. I had never been to Nebraska, let alone played golf there so that was another reason I was happy to jump on this trip. So now having visited and played the state, I have played golf in all but six states (have never been to the Dakotas and Alaska and have been but never played in Oklahoma, Wyoming and Iowa).
- Remoteness. You see from my buddy Brian’s drone shot above how desolate this area is. When we visited New Zealand in 2017, we went to the Hobbiton site where they filmed Lord of the Rings. The reason they said Peter Jackson picked the location was that as far as they eye could see, there were no man-made structures (electric lines, roads, et al). See below and before the clubhouse and cottages, he could’ve filmed from here without seeing a fucking hint of modern humanity.
I’ll go into the whole Dormie Club experience a little more on my Arborlinks review but we stayed in the Owner’s Cottage here which featured 4 king bedroom suites with steam showers, large common area with oversized fireplace, kitchen and extended wet bar. Meeting space for up to 8 people. Game room and private deck with superior views of the course (from the site). The game room had a full golf simulator, Golden Tee and pool table. The stocked and continually replenished bar featured top shelf liquor, wines and beers. It was great to be able to come back and hang in the game room but I heard the Executive Cottages didn’t really offer much to do except go to the clubhouse. We ate one night in our cottage and another in the barn (which was great for a private dinner). Videos of the Owners Cottage below.
Finally, before I go into my hole-by-hole review, please note that the course is so new that my iPhone doesn’t have the holes in my map window so will have to try and go by memory. I will struggle with this – that said, my one nitpick on GrayBull is a lot of the holes kind of look the same. David McLay Kidd designed the course and I place it at the bottom of my top 100 courses and by the time you read this more likely at the top of my second 100 courses. Again I liked it a lot but because of the sameness of the views I put it between St. Andrew’s Castle Course of his and Gamble Sands. Greens here were much more interesting like Castle IMO hence closer to it in my rankings.
Super surprised GrayBull was laid out on Google Maps being so new so I have a pretty good routing map above for you. The entire course sweeps clockwise across a huge swath with a halfway shack on the third and ninth holes.
As promised in my Lost Rail review, I am trying to include more clubhouse photos and reviews on my blog as the right clubhouse for me is definitely part of the overall course experience ranking. Here it fits the concept well and has a laid back almost hunting cabin type feel without fussy rules like caps off or no cell phones. Or if they have those rules, we didn’t listen and weren’t reprimanded. Staff was attentive and really midwestern nice. No pretentiousness at all here.
This is the first hole a 413-yard par four from the Stallion tees which measure almost 6,700 yards. Yes I was tee shamed into playing these tees where the Owls would’ve been just fine at almost 6,100 yards. The first is the #7 handicap that starts pretty straight but ends with a dogleg left. Good drive but no way was I getting my approach home but hit a nice lay up. Then I topped my third into a fairway bunker and had to hit a great shot to get on the green for a bogey chance that I would miss for a double.
From my drive on one – you see how the green is blind and uphill.
Two is a 533-yard par five. Aim for the bunker and fade the ball back into the middle of the fairway. Then for me (and regardless of the higher elevation where Nebraska sits) this is a hit it with all you got second shot and still have a nine or eight in. Green is narrow so laid off and put my third into the bunker and bogeyed.
Three is a mid-length par four measuring 360 yards to a narrow green with nasty bunker front and back. Was in the back bunker and crappy shot that at least got out but a three putt double. Ugh.
The approach on three. See the snack shack to the right?
Once you pass the snack shack you get to the par three 180-yard fourth. It’s almost like a par four as in there is fairway leading up to the green so that is funky. I put it on the green and fired my first par. Short is the play as there is pin high trouble on either side of the green. The trap to the left is the back bunker of the third.
What was pretty cool about GrayBull is that you could take carts and drive them wherever – like on the tee boxes above. You see the marker ahead was the Ladies (er uh forward) tees on five and we just drove right over them. Short hole measuring just 341 yards from the Stallions. Intimidating drive featuring a waste area along the entire doglegging right-side of the hole. Safe line is to the left but went too far left. Found the ball in the rough and got out, then on in three but two putt five.
Six is the number one handicap hole. Almost 420 yards and as you see, any ball left or right is in a nasty waste hazard. Not sure what I did wrong but a double.
A repeat of five? No this is seven and is actually a short par three at 140 yards. What’s unique about GrayBull is that there is a constant ribbon of fairway the entire way around the course so even the threes have fairway from tee to green, though often interrupted left and right by bunkers. The bunker by the green here though should be easy to clear but nobody in the group did. I aimed it left and left it out there. Two chip, two putt five.
Eight is a shortish par five – kind of a zig zag in. Left, right, left but in the bunker on two. Short three. On in four and two putt bogey.
Nine is a 424-yard par four, tough hole. In the traps to the left off my drive and would stay there for a while until I put the ball in my pocket for a seven and to cap a front nine 50.
Once I successfully threw my ball out of the bunker, here is my approach that I would pick up and give myself the triple for a horrible 50 on the front.
Here’s what most of you probably think of when you think Nebraska golf! Ten is a long four measuring 424 yards and is the #2 handicap. I revived myself on the back and would start off with a satisfying bogey here. Tight corridor and in most places, you’re unlikely to be able to find your ball if you’re in the fescue.
Eleven is a three-shot par five at 552 yards from the Stallions. If you can get home in two, then go ahead and join the tour as you have to blast one over three hundred off the tee and another 250 from the fairway. All while navigating tight corridors. Parred here myself but forget how I did it.
I think this is twelve and if so, it’s a long par three at 187 yards. I would bogey.
Thirteen is a shortish par four at just 350+ yards. There is sand to the right that you can’t really see from the tee box beyond the fescue.
The vintage yellow pick-up truck on the 14th tee is not just a relic for visual sake the bed also is a Yeti cooler to indulge in a final few beers, seltzers or other drinks before making the final turn.
The fourteenth itself is a short par five at just 517 yards but is the #18 handicap. The course got a good amount of rain the night before we played and while the fairways all recovered (love the sand base), a lot of the bunkers were pretty much water hazards. This one in particular I remember being in the sandy mud and gave myself nice relief and was just short in two with a hybrid so that definitely is a way to cut the distance. Would par.
I believe this is 14 from the approach area. The cottages in the distance are along the 18th.
Again I am kind of guessing on these as the iPhone map no longer shows anything, even in satellite view, so think this is 15 and if so a 415-yard par four that I would par.
Umm, 15 approach?
This is definitely 16. It’s a short hard dogleg to the right. For shorter hitters like me the play is to the left of the pot bunker you see in the distance which then leaves you with a nine iron in which I promptly topped but chipped on and two-putt bogey.
I’m guessing this is 17 from the bunker. A really tough 160-yard par three to a green fronted by a huge bunker.
This little guy was on the way from the 17th tee to the green.
From the green on 17.
And here is 18 – a long par four at almost 440 yards. I would end up sinking a long putt for bogey after skulling my third out of the sand. A satisfying 41 on the back after a disastrous 50 on the front leaving me with a decent 91 from the 6,700-yard tees.
All in all, the course and overall experience are indeed awesome and if you want a golf trip with the guys that is all about remote golf in a unique and growing golf haven, the sand hills makes for a nice trip. You should be able to work GrayBull in even without a Dormie member but I wouldn’t plan a whole trip around it as you may get bumped or rejected outright without a member. We are heading with my usual group to Indiana in a few weeks and was trying to get on Victoria National, another Dormie club. I had to wait until about 60 days out to see if a member was going to book but our host Michael made a quick call and hooked us up. Can’t wait to share the experience with the guys in my group.
Golf Scrapbook 