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Golf a state strength, attracts hackers near and far
MULLEN – Nebraska as a golf destination? Yes, golf is among recreational opportunities that have a significant economic impact on several Nebraska towns.
The village of Mullen, for example, a town of 491 people, benefits greatly from two highly rated golf courses located near the town.
Mullen, located 70 miles north of North Platte, is the only town in Hooker County, which makes the economic impact of the courses – Sandhills Golf Course and Dismal River Club – that much more significant.
Mandi Busch, membership director at Dismal River Club, said visitors to Hooker County’s courses greatly contribute to the county’s economy.
“Many of our employees are from Mullen, or nearby, and spend a lot of their paychecks in Mullen,” she said. “We also have some guests who stay in Mullen or go there to eat, so even though it is only seasonal business, both us and Sandhills Golf Course provide an economic boom to the county, especially with our lodging tax.”
Hooker County, which first implemented its lodging tax in 2001, has seen its revenues grow dramatically thanks to overnight guests playing the golf courses. Lodging tax revenues jumped from $2,617 in 2001 to $37,081 in 2007.
The economic impact of outdoor recreation reaches beyond Mullen.
Herb Angell, state boating law administrator for Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, said the state’s parks and recreation areas create seasonal jobs and provide attractions that encourage visitors. “And visitors spend money,” Angell said.
Visitors to Hooker County’s golf courses are doing that. Golf is putting Nebraska on the map and bringing fresh money into the state.
Christian Hornbaker, director of the division of travel and tourism, said the links courses in Nebraska’s Sandhills are gaining attention across the nation and bringing golf enthusiasts to the state.
Located just outside Mullen, Sandhills Golf Course is one of the most popular links-style golf courses in the world. The private course opened in 1995 and has an exclusive membership.
Richard Youngscap, a managing partner of Sandhills, said he doesn’t actively promote the course because it is private, although articles in golf publications such as Golf Digest and Golf Magazine do mention the course often, effectively promoting it.
Youngscap said the course has about 6,000 visitors a year, and visitors have come from 46 states, two provinces in Canada and four other countries, including Bermuda, Brazil, England and France.
Nonmembers can play the course once, and they must write a letter expressing their desire to play at least 30 days in advance for approval. Green fees run more than $100.
Youngscap said the sand, wind and topography of the course are similar to that of the courses where the game began in Scotland, which makes Sandhills a rare experience.
Dismal River Club, which opened in 2006 a few miles from Sandhills, is a more pocketbook-friendly and entertains far more locals despite being a private course. Busch said the course receives about 1,100 visitors a year.
Rocky Papachek, general manager of Dismal River Club, said the course is becoming nationally recognized. “There are golf enthusiasts who have this as a must-play on their list,” he said.
Papachek said visitors have come to the club from coast to coast, including Pennsylvania, California and Texas.
– By CYNTHIA MCCALL
