I got an early start on Saturday for my day of golf and stopped in Vermillion, on my way into Nebraska. I had an afternoon round booked at Tatanka Golf Club, a course that I’ve been hoping to play for a while now. More on that round two posts from now though.

One the routes to Tatanka went through Vermillion, where The Bluffs Golf Course is located, and that is the one I took. I had an early tee time – about 8 AM – and was one of the first golfers out on a pretty, but windy morning. I paid my $35 to walk and in hindsight, probably got a couple crazy looks from the locals. The front nine was fine for walking; the back nine though, not so much!

The front nine at The Bluffs (a Patrick Wyss design) is what I’d call pretty traditional Midwest golf. It is parkland style with natural wetlands in play and very flat. At times, the front nine reminded me of Prairie Green in Sioux Falls. Angles are important off the tee and on the approach shots, even though most holes are fairly straight from tee to green. If someone can avoid the water – which I didn’t – then there is a chance to score.

The Bluffs is a tale of two nines and you get a taste of this early in the round. The 3rd hole plays along the edge of a bluff and tees for the 3rd hole are right next to the tees for the 13th hole. If you are playing in the morning and have the time try to take a couple pictures of the 13th while playing the 3rd. The long shadows on the hillside with the farmland lit up in the distance made things quite scenic.

That 13th, a 435 yard par-4, is the signature hole at The Bluffs. The teeing ground is at the top of the bluff while the green is tucked into the hillside down at the bottom. I’m no expert, but I’d guess the hole drops about 100 feet to the fairway. Interesting stuff for golf in this region. The 14th, 15th and 16th holes also play in this low area and continue with the theme of demanding angles. The 17th and 18th are back up on the higher ground.

I played the gold tees which are 72.5/128/6684 and would say that The Bluffs is tougher than the numbers reflect. However, that might be difficult to gauge because I had a couple blow-up holes on the front nine, losing multiple golf balls. Overall, I found the course to be visually intimidating with many tricky angles. It was difficult picking lines my first time playing here and I think a couple rounds would certainly help build local knowledge.

The maintenance was great and considering the price, the course turned out to be an excellent value. The fairways and tees had good coverage. The greens were smooth and fast. The rough was playable. There was some nice aesthetic touches throughout the course, including brickwork and landscaping.

I’m sure I’m going to sound like a broken record on this trip, but I think The Bluffs is a borderline hidden gem. Sure, some holes are a little plain and I wish there was a short par-3 or driveable par-4. But, the course does a lot of things well and is as unique as you’ll find in this part of the country. If you live in Sioux City, Sioux Falls or are traveling on I-29 then I’d encourage you to check out The Bluffs.

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