With springtime fast approaching, the Midwest is poised—golf clubs in hand—to get back out on the greens. In Lincoln, Omaha and Council Bluffs, there is a wide variety of public courses for planners to choose from to arrange golf tournaments and private events before or after the meeting.
Lincoln
Recognized several years ago as one of the best new facilities in the U.S. in Golf Inc. magazine’s Clubhouse Competition, Wilderness Ridge Golf Club (402.434.5101; www.wildernessridgegolf.com) caters to group gatherings and tournaments. It sports both an 18-hole course and a 9-hole executive course, with fairway features including ponds, streams and more than 6,000 trees. Its 37,000-square-foot log and stone lodge clubhouse is a handsomely rugged event space, and Nebraska Golf Academy, a year-round practice facility, is also housed here.
Designer Pete Dye has said of the Firethorn Golf Club (402.488.6467; www.firethorngolfclub.com): “I think there are few better [golf courses] in the country. Holes 11 through 14 may well be the best consecutive four holes I’ve ever designed.” In addition to the original 18-hole course, the club features a links-style, 9-hole course that was introduced in 2001; a pool and practice facility; and a clubhouse that includes a restaurant and bar, a pro shop and a conference room that is equipped with high-speed Internet and audiovisual capabilities and can accommodate up to 28 people.
Council Bluffs
With rolling terrain and elevation shifts inherent in its design, Bent Tree Golf Club (712.566.9441; www.benttreegolf.com) is considered one of the most challenging golf courses in the area. Situated just outside of town, the venue, with bentgrass fairways and five sets of tees that accommodate golfers of all skill levels, gladly hosts corporate golf outings.
The 18-hole Dodge Riverside Golf Club (712.328.4660; www.cbparksandrec.org/golf.asp), established in 1927, is one of the area’s oldest courses. The course underwent a restoration project in 1996 and still challenges golfers of any skill level. To complement play is the Dodge Riverside Clubhouse, which features a pro shop and the Riverside Grille, a full-service restaurant and bar with views of the Missouri River and a private dining room.
Omaha
Located in Elkhorn, Neb., the 27-hole Indian Creek Golf Course (402.289.4421; www.golfatindiancreek.com) boasts more than 7,000 square feet of function space, including four party/meeting rooms that can be used together or independently in order to accommodate any size of function. The facility also features a fully equipped kitchen run by one of Omaha’s top caterers, Hap Abraham Catering Company.
Eagle Run Golf Course (402.498.9900; www.eaglerungolf.com) touts itself as “the perfect venue to have a 9-hole golf outing.” Featuring landscaped fairways and scenic views, the course caters to both the novice and advanced golfer in the group.
