Picturesque, rugged Bayside Golf Club closes trip to Nebraska

By Gregg Dewalt, Alabama Golf News Editor

A tough test, but definitely worth the trip

BRULE, Neb. – The final stop on my solo trek across southern Nebraska came at Bayside Golf Club, an 18-hole family-owned course that overlooks Lake McConaughy.

It was also the most interesting course I played and one that is not for the faint of heart. Designers Dan Axland and Dave Proctor found a rugged piece of property and somehow turned it into a challenging, and at times frustrating, golf course that winds across the hilly countryside.

Bayside Golf Club No. 1 — The pin tucked behind a pot bunker on No. 1 at Bayside. (Photo: Gregg Dewalt)

Throw in a constant breeze blowing consistently at 15 miler per hour and gusting to 25, and Bayside was not an easy test. In fact, Bayside is marketed as “the home of extreme golf.” You’ll get no argument from me.

With hole names like Cauldron, Tempest Tossed, Dreadia’s Dread, Rattlesnake, Mercy and O’Neill’s Risk and Hope, Bayside’s scorecard gives you a hint of what’s to come.

Although the start is fairly benign – the first three holes aren’t overly difficult – it becomes pretty apparent what’s to come simply by noticing the cavernous, mean-looking bunkers that dot each hole. The first thought that comes to mind is to avoid them at all cost. Right. Good luck with that.

Bayside Golf Club has an amusement park quality

From the fourth hole on, Bayside Golf Club is a tilt-a-whirl. While it has been described by some as a links-style course, I didn’t see it. I saw Bayside as more of a mountain-top course with dramatic elevation changes, deep valleys and drop-offs.

Bayside is a course that you have to pay attention to the yardage card they give you in the golf shop. At least, it provides a little bit of a roadmap. Better yet, Bayside is a course that needs to be played multiple times in order to learn its nuances and sight lines.

Bayside Golf Club No. 18 — The view from the tee box on No. 18 overlooks the Nebraska landscape. (Photo: Gregg Dewalt)

Axland and Proctor did you no favors on the greens, either. They are chock full of mounds and swales. It’s rare to have a straight putt. Miss the greens and the closely-mowed runoffs present difficult up-and-downs.

Bayside’s five par 3s are both challenging and picturesque. No. 8 plays 160 yards from the blue tees and requires a carry over a monstrous bunker. No. 13 plays over a deep ravine – to a small green. If your tee shot comes up short, your pitch shot to the green is straight up – an elevation change I’d say of approximately 20-25 feet.

No. 17 is just 120 yards long but its memorable feature is a small bunker in the middle of the green. I’m not sure how anyone could access a back-left pin.

A photogenic golf course

When playing Bayside, make sure you have your camera ready. Nearly every hole on the back nine is picture worthy. There are some incredible views.

Like Wild Horse, it’s less than $100 to play. But bring more than a sleeve of balls – I guarantee you’ll fire at least a couple into the native grasses that border the fairways and greens.

Bayside Golf Club No. 13 — The 13th hole is par 3 that is all carry over a deep ravine. (Photo: Gregg Dewalt)

The best part of this latest trip to Nebraska was by far the diversity of the courses I visited. Dannebrog CC, Augusta Wind CC and Friend CC aren’t going to make anyone’s Top 100 list, but they were a blast to play if you come in with no expectations.

It’s rare theses days to find courses with honesty boxes – unattended boxes into which you drop your greens fee – but it was a treat to play them. Like anything else, sometimes you have to wander off the beaten path to find something truly unique. Those courses were definitely that.

Wild Horse more than lived up to my expectations and had the best greens on the trip – if you like fast and firm. The renovations at Quarry Oaks turned out as advertised and is a must-play if you are in the Omaha or Lincoln area. Bent Tree in Council Bluffs, Iowa is a quality public course.

And Bayside – I’d certainly like another shot at it. It was the most interesting course and I’m sure most people have a love-hate relationship with it.