Just a country mile north of Omaha is Blair, Nebraska, and just a country mile north of Blair is River Wilds. Long-time Omaha residents will get that humor and lingo, but for those who are not familiar, that means the course is about 30 minutes away.
Formerly a 9-hole course, River Wilds expaned to an 18-hole track only a handful of years ago when the Blair Airport moved south of town. Two distinct nines (one compact, one spread about near the course's boundaries) are housed in the Missouri River Valley amongst highways and cornfields. River Wilds is the sister course of southwest Omaha's Tiburon Golf Club. Blair is the former home of Dana College and a mostly Protestant, Danish rural Nebraska town. Woodhouse is a auto dealership in Blair (and the origin of the "country mile" language mentioned before) and really should be a national monument as they have a gazillion cars for sale.
Now that you've got a feel for the environment, let us learn a bit about the course.
With three sets of tees (Ladies=5114 yards, White=6166, Blue=6547), River Wilds is relatively short. The course manager and PGA staff is experienced and pretty good at what they do. For being in a rural setting, the course is fairly lush, tight in some spots and open in others. The different nines provide a change-up during the round and the style of the course is a little hard to define. Some holes are "linksy," some traditionally tree-lined. Click here to go to River Wilds' webpage.
The clubhouse: A nice little snackbar serves food, the pro shop is lightly stocked with equipment and apparel. A nice outdoor seating area adjacent to the clubhouse looks to be big enough to house large outings and social functions. The building is relatively modest, but the surrounding amenities seem to be geared towards outings and other gatherings. River Wilds looks to be a great place for your non-profit's scramble or company outing.
The staff: The PGA teaching pro there, Scott Allacher, is quite the player as he holds a couple of course records in the area. The young assistant in the pro shop was very friendly and accomodating. The snack bar/restaurant/beverage cart girls are also very nice. The maintenence staff looks to be very competent as the course in is nice shape.
The course: To be fair, I will preface my next comment with the fact that our Spring and Summer has been very wet and recently very HOT. As I hit balls on the range before the round, I noticed the teeing areas there were very dense, lush, and beautiful. The fairways on the course were then a little disappointing as they were not quite as nice. This could be a matter of the weather, but I felt the short grasses need a little overseeding to "thicken" them up. As the course is in a rural area surrounded by farmland, the rough and outer edges of holes got a little gnarly. The greens, however, were fairly true. Most greens are fairly small (some VERY small), had a nice edge of fringe and were well manicured. The putting surfaces are by far the best part of the course. Sand traps are present on 17 of 18 holes. Water hazards or out of bounds areas line 13 of the 18 holes. Even as the course is relatively short, there is much trouble to find. Driver isn't necessary on many Par 4s. Many greens are elevated, so your wedge game better be right. The layout is straightforward with the exception of two places: The second shot on No.1 and the tee shot on No. 2 go are located in a hole. Hitting into, then out of it seems a little misplaced, even unfair. Secondly, Nos. 12 and 13 are back-to-back Par 5s. The tee shots here are from chutes which make them difficult and a little silly. The following Par 3 (No. 14) is very short, requires a big draw, and has a green infected with some sort of fungus year-round. This northeast corner (Nos. 13,14,15) is sort of an experience killer, especially since it is located around the time a final score is made or broken.
The value: River Wilds is a course that offers tee times from Golfnow.com, so discounts are always available. For example, 18 holes with a cart on the weekend can cost as little as $18 if you prepay, $24 if you pay at the course. Otherwise, prices are on par with the rest of the 18 hole courses in the area, if not a little lower. The carts are fairly new, range balls are cheap, and food/beverage prices are fair. Overall, the money for gas to get you there probably makes the value about the same as playing in town, but for Blair residents, it's the best value for sure.
For your company outing, this seems like a great place to go. If you are tired of 5 hour rounds in Omaha, this is also a great track as it is never very busy. River Wilds is a nice course to throw into your rotation as it is a little different from the in-town Omaha courses. I would recommend trying it out to anyone in the area as the value is good, the course and staff are good enough, and the change of pace is always welcome. Check out the links below for info on Golfnow and other course reviews.
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