At ‘magical' Dismal River, there's only one rule: Everyone must have fun

USA Today

20-05-2025

At 'magical' Dismal River, there's only one rule: Everyone must have fun
Jim Sullivan, a Southern Californian, was visiting his daughter in Omaha, Neb., eight years ago when a friend tipped him off to Dismal River Club in Mullen, a five-hour drive from Omaha.
'I looked at it online and thought, 'Man, this place is incredible,'' Sullivan said.
Sullivan called the club and was invited to visit, but when he learned how affordable the membership was, he sent a membership check to the club, sight unseen, the next day. That spur-of-the-moment decision was vindicated when he visited a few weeks later.
'I went out the first time and thought, 'Man, this is a blast,'' Sullivan recalled.
It's been 30 years since Sand Hills Golf Club opened and set off a golf construction boom across the state, turning Nebraska into a must-visit destination for golf adventurers. Dismal River capitalized on that momentum, opening its Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in 2006, followed by a Tom Doak design that opened six years later.
Through it all, Dismal River, which is managed by KemperSports, has created a distinct culture that sets it apart from Sand Hills, located only eight miles away as the crow flies, but a 30-mile drive, thanks largely to the 17-mile single-lane entry road off Highway 97. That underscores the remoteness and sense of adventure that comes with a visit to the club. As Sullivan said, 'Dismal River is about a mile and a half past nowhere.'
In this case, that's a good thing. Consider Sullivan, who visits the club three times each summer with his family and grandchildren.
'The kids just love going out there because it's just so much fun, and there's so much to do,' said Sullivan, who's building a 4,200-square-foot cabin near the clubhouse.
That's a common theme at Dismal River. The club was formed as a golf club and is still best known for its Doak and Nicklaus courses, which are now known, respectively, as the Red and White courses. But the club has a rich menu of amenities to appeal to every family member. If you can think of an activity, there's a good chance you can do it at Dismal River, which sits on 3,200 acres but has access to up to 80,000 acres for various activities.
The amenity menu includes a pool, spa, biking, fishing, shooting sports, upland bird hunting, UTV tours, kayaking, and canoeing. Every July 4th, there's live music and fireworks. Given its remoteness – the long entryway is sometimes known as golf's second most famous 17-mile drive – club officials have gone the extra mile to make it easy for members to visit. Dismal River has a PC12 airplane that meets guests in Omaha and lands on a grass airstrip 10 minutes from the clubhouse. There's also a luxury motorcoach that could serve as the tour bus for any top rock band.
The golf season only lasts about five months in Mullen, but Dismal River has so many activities that members often visit during the offseason.
'There's so much else to do that you almost forget that there are two great golf courses,' said Rich Standing, a member from New Jersey, who visited the club with one of his sons last winter for a coyote hunt. Darrel Smith, who lives 75 miles away in North Platte, Neb., was there in April for a pheasant hunt. (Dismal River's golf season opened on May 15.)
Smith said when he first became a member, he thought of it as more of a buddy trip or a chance to entertain clients. But that's changed.
'Over the years, because of some of the amenities and activities, they've certainly gone the direction of a more family atmosphere,' Smith said. 'You see a lot more women and a lot more families.'
It's not just the breadth of activities but the relaxed, family-friendly environment the club has created. The only firm rule at Dismal River is that you're supposed to have fun. Standing attended last year's member-guest tournament, and his only regret was not bringing his wife because the club had so many activities lined up for spouses and family members.
'I have an 11-, 13-, 15- and 17-year-old, and I don't know that we've ever locked the doors of the cottage,' Standing said. 'My kids have met other kids there. They let kids be kids, which is pretty unique. They cater not just to the golfer but to families. It just seems like they've got everything figured out there. There's something for everyone to do. I knew as soon as I stepped on the property that my family would absolutely love this place, and they truly do.'
As much as the amenities entertain members and guests, they wouldn't be there if not for the Nicklaus and Doak courses.
The Nicklaus course, now known as the White Course, opened in 2006 and immediately developed a reputation as one of the most difficult tracks in the country. The club has softened the course over the years, including bringing in former Nicklaus staff architect Chris Cochran in recent years to open up the course. John O'Connor, Dismal River's general manager, said that has included paring back some of the native grasses that inevitably begin to intrude on the hole corridors over time and tightening the collar cuts to create more spin on the greens.
'We've started cross-cutting and rolling greens more often, not to make them fast, but to make them true,' O'Connor said. 'We're making it challenging but fun. We want people to come back.'
Doak's Red Course perfectly fits the club's ethos, which is to have fun. There are no formal tee boxes, just teeing areas. There's plenty of width on hole corridors, creating more approach angles. And the finishing holes play through a valley, with one of the region's largest sandhills as a backdrop. It's everything you would want out of a Sandhills golf experience.
'With KemperSports, I've traveled all over and worked at wonderful clubs in great cities, and this is definitely the most unique experience I've ever been a part of,' O'Connor said. 'At this place, Mother Nature is the star, and she wins. We just have to be good stewards of this land to provide a great golf experience. I tell my team every day, 'Guys, look out the window. All we have to do is match that with our service and our amenities.' It's a special place, it's magical.'