The hardest golf courses in Nebraska
The hardest 18-hole golf courses in Nebraska, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 37 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Firethorn Golf Club
Lincoln, NE, USASlope rating 152, 75.1 course rating, Throns tees, 7,025 yds
PrivatePete Dye
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Fast greens
Champions Run Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 143, 75.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,188 yds
PrivateJeff Brauer
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Grass range
White
Dismal River Golf Club
Mullen, NE, USASlope rating 143, 74.9 course rating, Back tees, 7,353 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.4Layout
- 4.8Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
some of the wildest I’ve ever played with holes both on and around massive rugged sand dunes. My common complaint with many of Jacks courses are lack of variety or options and the White course provides both of these in spades.
Written by
@Tom Doakito
- Views
- Challenging
- Driving range
Arbor Links Golf Club
Nebraska City, NE, USASlope rating 142, 75.4 course rating, Oak tees, 7,031 yds
PrivateArnold Palmer
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.4Scenery
- 4.4Facilities
- Driving range
- Hidden gem
- Restaurant
Shadow Ridge Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 142, 74.8 course rating, Championship tees, 7,013 yds
PrivateTom Sieckmann
- 4.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Quarry Oaks Golf Club
Ashland, NE, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,010 yds
(Black Bird/Gray Hawk) Indian Creek Golf Club
Elkhorn, NE, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,581 yds
Happy Hollow Club
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.8 course rating, Gold tees, 6,802 yds
The Country Club of Lincoln
Lincoln, NE, USA
Slope rating 136, 72.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,507 yds
(Dunes) The Prairie Club
Valentine, NE, USA
Slope rating 135, 75.0 course rating, Black tees, 7,583 yds
Landmand Golf Club
Homer, NE, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.7 course rating, Red tees, 7,200 yds
Omaha Country Club
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,801 yds
Tatanka Golf Club
Niobrara, NE, USA
Slope rating 134, 75.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,450 yds
Beatrice Country Club
Beatrice, NE, USA
Slope rating 134, 75.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,169 yds
Wild Horse Golf Course
Gothenburg, NE, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,955 yds
Bayside Golf Course
Brule, NE, USA
Slope rating 134, 71.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,597 yds
(Pines) The Prairie Club
Valentine, NE, USA
Slope rating 133, 75.1 course rating, Black tees, 7,403 yds
Woodland Hills Golf Course
Eagle, NE, USA
Slope rating 132, 73.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,670 yds
Tregaron Golf Course
Bellevue, NE, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,508 yds
Fremont Golf Club
Fremont, NE, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,532 yds
Eagle Hills Golf Course
Papillion, NE, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,515 yds
The Highlands Golf Club of Lincoln
Lincoln, NE, USA
Slope rating 128, 74.1 course rating, Champion tees, 7,021 yds
Iron Horse Golf Club
Ashland, NE, USA
Slope rating 128, 71.4 course rating, Stallion tees, 6,500 yds
Tara Hills Golf Course
Papillion, NE, USA
Slope rating 127, 70.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,160 yds
Awarii Dunes Golf Club
Axtell, NE, USA
Slope rating 126, 72.2 course rating, Back tees, 6,914 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Nebraska. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Firethorn Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in Nebraska at Slope 152 (75.1 course rating · Throns tees · 7,025 yds). 37 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. State pages include courses across Nebraska. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:47 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
