I was headed up to Sioux Falls, SD this weekend and had plans for some golf along the way. A friend of a friend agreed to host us at Omaha Country Club and he was kind enough to schedule our round in the afternoon, allowing me plenty of time to get from Dallas to Omaha.

Thanks to a bit of luck with the weather the afternoon actually turned out to be the best time for golf. A line of storms blew through in the morning but the clouds broke and it turned out to be about 80 degrees and sunny most of the round.

Needless to say, I was excited for a chance to play Omaha Country Club. The course gets quite a bit of press (one of the best in Nebraska), although I’ve seen comments that it is underrated. I’m normally a public course golfer so I won’t be the best person to make the comparison of one private course to another, but I’ll say I enjoyed golfing here a lot.

One of the things that stands out about OCC is its rich history, dating back to 1899. Renown architect Perry Maxwell gets credit for the design, although from what my host was saying Maxwell just redid the greens. Keith Foster renovated the course (2007/2008 timeframe) against old blueprints to create today’s course. Also, from what I gathered, many trees have been removed over the years.

Another bit of more recent history is that OCC has hosted the 2013 and 2021 U.S. Senior Opens. I watched some of the 2021 tournament on TV and always love playing a place where the pros play. Thankfully the rough had been cut down from earlier this month or I might still be out there looking for my golf ball.

I played the gold tees which are 72.7/129/6498 (par-71) and just by looking at the scorecard, OCC shouldn’t be all that “difficult”. However, many holes turned out to be quite the challenge with the hilly terrain – think uneven lies and adding or subtracting yardage on the approach shots. The topography here reminded me a lot of the Mid-Atlantic. The rough was gnarly and the greens are guarded by deep bunkers.

The front nine at OCC starts out at a high point on the property before the par-3 3rd drops down to a small valley. The 3rd is 234 yards and one of the toughest holes here, at least if you ask my golf game. Then a couple holes later you get to the pretty par-5 6th, which is another downhill hole. The landing area is blind for the tee shot but if you find the fairway then you’ll have the potential for a par or birdie.

The back nine continues the downhill hole theme with the 150 yard par-3 11th. It looks easy from the tee, but I missed the green in a little collection area and couldn’t get it up and down. The back nine also has the driveable par-4 13th which can tempt the longer hitters. I don’t hit it very far so I tried my luck with a layup and a wedge. 

As you’d expect at one of the top courses in a state, the conditions were very nice. The tees and fairways were like carpet and the greens were pure. I’d say the greens were fast, but my host said putts weren’t rolling out like normal. I found the contouring on the greens to have a lot of nuance, so make sure to give yourself some grace trying to navigate them.

I’m very happy to have had the chance to play OCC and if you get an invite I’d suggest taking advantage of it. It is easy to see why OCC is one of the best courses in Nebraska. The course has an interesting history, a great look and the land adds plenty of character to the holes.

Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):