Dismal River Golf Club, Mullen, NE Review

Miles Away From The Ordinary Is A Truly Extraordinary Golf Experience

1. Dismal River Golf Club, Mullen, NE

Named after the river that runs through the property, Dismal River Golf Club is smack dab in the middle of Nebraska.

Golfers don’t always think of NE as a golf destination, but the sand hills region is becoming a hot spot for golf. Dismal River is one of the OGs of the region, being built right next door to the famous Sand Hills.

The club attracts members from all over the world who enjoy 36 holes of inland links style golf in the rolling dunes of Mullen, NE.

2. Red Course

Even though the Red Course was the 2nd course built on the property, it was certainly our favorite.

Designed by Tom Doak almost 10 years ago, it won our hearts with beauty, challenge, and fun.

The back 9 might be one of the most enjoyable, scenic and interesting 9 holes you can play.

The river valley with a huge cliff like backdrop serves as a stunning setting.

What Doak did with holes 14-18 is truly magnificent.

The weaving of these holes together along the river, playing conjoining fairways, and the visual beauty of these holes is stunning.

The front 9 plays through more dunes like terrain.

It has big vistas, a balance of length and accuracy are required.

The stretch of 5-9 is really memorable with a very long par 3, 2 drivable par 4s and a down hill par 5 that might just yield your longest drive ever also making it reachable in 2.

Even though the fairway are wide, there still seemed to be plenty of placed that balls could be lost if they go wide of the fairways.

One of the most unique aspects of the Red Course was that it has no official tee boxes.

This creates a really fun and relaxed round where you simply throw down you tee somewhere in a flat area that points toward the next hole. (there are suggested teeing areas for yardage)

The variety of short and long holes, drivable par 4s, infinity greens, and big wide fairways makes for both a challenging and fun 18 holes.

Big greens with lots of undulation greeted the golfers on every approach shot.

3. White Course

This Jack Nicklaus Course is the first one on property.

It is big, bold, and hard. It is exactly what you’d expect from a “sand hills” golf course woven through huge dunes and majestic views.

It is like a mile drive from the lodge to the Jack Shack, but once you get there it is pure golf for the next 4 hours.

You feel about as remote as it gets.

There are few places where holes intersect with others so you do see some of the other golfers out there, but the sense of remoteness tends to show itself on the back 9.

The one knock or challenge of the White course is the blind approach shots.

On the front 9 alone, there are at least 6 blind or semi-blind approach shots.

However if you learn the course, and hit good shots more often than not you will be rewarded.

Another nice feature of the white course is that they allow carts so you don’t have to walk 18 holes.

This saves a lot of energy so you can easily play 36 holes every day.

The White Course has a couple iconic windmills that are remains of the old ranch land the course was built on.

They add to the feel and vibe of the course while playing through the sweeping dunes.

The closing hole returns to the Jack Shack which also includes a short little 19th hole for settling bets.

It takes your A game to defeat the white course.

The 10th hole is one of the coolest par 3s with a bunker in the middle of the green.

4. Beyond The Golf Courses

The Dismal River Golf Club is set along the Dismal River which offers fly fishing and kayaking.

They offer hunting, clay shooting, and target practice.

If you prefer a more sophisticated experience they have bourbon tasting and even their own special Knob Creek Bottle.

One of the great benefits of being in the middle of nowhere is the night sky with incredible star gazing.

5. Dining Options

The Dismal River Golf Club Lodge has their main dining option.

There are multiple locations for eating within the lodge: conference rooms, bar, dining room or the patio; but the food all comes out of the same kitchen.

If you like steak, we highly recommend the steaks that are sourced from a local beef farm.

We also really enjoyed their personal pizzas, you might even be able to share one depending on your appetite.

If you save some room after your meal, they have a waffle bacon ice cream desert that is out of this world.

You can also grab a bite at the Jack Shack on the White Course before or after your round.

6. Lodging Options

Dismal River Golf Club has some of the best lodging options I’ve ever seen for a remote golf club.

They have single rooms at the lodge, 2 and 4 bedroom cabins dotting the hillside around the lodge.

We stayed in one of their newest 4 bedroom houses.

This is definately the way to go if you are spending a few days at Dismal River.

This large 2 story house is set up with everything you need, dining, living, kitchen, laundry, patio, and 4 king suites.

You can hang out as a group, entertain, and really relax as a group.

We packed some grocieries for when the lodge wasn’t open and really enjoyed the flexibility and comfort it offered.

7. Accessible Private

The Dismal River Golf Club is private with hundreds of members scattered around the country, but they are not one of those snooty, better than you, kind of places. They offer access to outside play.

I’m not suggesting just driving up and expecting a tee-time, but if you work your local pro or if you are a large group looking for a retreat or buddies trip, they are pretty willing to work with you.

I appreciate their approach to private that keeps the course accessible without tee-times for their members, but lets the rest of the golfing world experience what they offer if you talk to the right people and ask nicely.

If you are willing to make the commitment to get there for a once in a lifetime experience, they will work with you to let you experience their wonderful property.

8. Location, Location, Location

The central location in NE makes it about as remote as any course your can find.

We gathered for our trip in MN and drove 9 hours to get there and it was worth it.

The other options either Denver, or Lincoln still leave you with over a 4 hour drive.

This is part of the challenge but also part of the beauty.

You can get away from it all for a few days.

There is some service here and there on the course and a decent signal at the lodge, but if you to connect with friend and golf, this place is good for the soul.

9. Buddies Trip.

The expression “golf memories are made by who you play with” is every so true as your journey to the Dismal River Golf Club. As mentioned above we hopped in an SUV drove 9 hours, got pulled over for speeding and had hours and hours of bonding over common interests, intellectual conversations, and golf. It was a buddies trip that we will remember for a lifetime. We counted eagles, birdies and “good shots” along with all the laughs that came with a shanked shot here or the joke that landed there. They are set up for your 4-some or your 24 “Ryder Cup style” group.

Summary

The Dismal River Golf Club is miles away from everyone and everything ordinary.

It offers an extraordinary getaway on some of the finest golf courses.

We fell in love with the Red Course and held on for the roller coaster ride on the White Course.

The courses were in amazing shape thanks to the new GM and crew leading the club in a new and exciting direction.

If you’ve got a group of golf buddies looking for a golf destination that has great golf, outdoor adventures and all the amenities you could ever want; then get in touch with Dismal River Golf Club and set up for fall 2025 trip or get on the 2026 calendar.

For more information: Dismal River Golf Club Website

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