The fifth stop of the 2019 Early Break Golf Tour is my hometown course, the Beatrice Country Club. I grew up playing this course from elementary through high school, and go back often to play it every spring and summer since I graduated high school. Many refer to it as the hidden gem in southeast Nebraska—I’d argue it’s a hidden gem of the entire state.
BCC has really improved its image from an optics viewpoint over the past few years. When you arrive, you’ll see a nice plaque on the way to the clubhouse, and you’ll see a beautiful new covered patio, which is a huge upgrade over the previous deck that got fried in the sun and in need of constant staining with no cover for it. They also revamped the pool this winter and it looks fantastic, as it sits behind the tee shots of hole 1 and 10, and by the green of 9 and 18.
That’s not the only new thing at BCC–the driving range was completely redone this past offseason and it’s full of visual targets to aim at, compared to what it was in the past. Pair that up with a massive putting green, and you have great warm-up facilities for your round.
The golf course is the real treat, obviously. The grass is luscious, and the fairways and greens couldn’t be in better condition. The greens are rolling so true with few bumps and nice speed. You’ll be able to make plenty of putts if your flatstick gets the speed of the greens figured out early.
Hole 1 is an intimidating tee shot, as it’s tree-lined on both sides of the fairway, and there is a pond near the left side of the green. Holes 2 and 3 are also tree-lined but not overly long, so if the driver isn’t accurate, many opt to hit a shorter club to keep the ball in play. Hole 4 is a brutally long par 5 that plays 607 yards from the tips and often times is into the wind, with out of bounds right and hazard left. Hole 5 is a recently renovated short par 3 that is more intimidating than in the past, as the course tore out tall fescue/hazard and instead put in a large pond.
Hole 6 is the signature hole of the course, as a pond lines the entire right side of the teeing area. It can be a driveable par 4 if the wind is helping, but you’re risking putting your tee-shot in the water if you do so. Hole 7 is a challenging hole with trouble again–out of bounds right and hazard left, with another pond by the left side of the green. Hole 8 is a monster par 3 uphill, where par feels like birdie. However, you can bounce right back with a slight dogleg right that is a short par 5 where a birdie is very attainable.
The back 9 starts with a par 4 with OB left and a pond in front of the right side of the green. After the downhill par 3 11th, you’ll need to be accurate with a hybrid or iron on the dogleg left par 4 12th, with a well-protected green awaiting your approach shot. Hole 13 has a huge two-tiered green that sits just beyond a creek. After the long par 5 14th, the course starts opening up again for holes 15 through 17, and then hole 18 finishes with a dogleg right that has OB left and tons of trees on the right.
Beatrice Country Club is a must play for any avid golfer. Just 45 minutes south of Lincoln, it’s a place you’ll want to play often after playing it your first time.
Contact Info:
1301 Oak Street
Beatrice, NE 68310
Phone: (402) 223-2710
Head Pro: Seth Ray
