ArborLinks Golf Club is an Arnold Palmer Signature course located just outside of Nebraska City on the wooded hills and old cornfields of Arbor Day Farm. The course makes use of the natural character of the landscape, which includes hills, natural forest and meandering streams, as the basis for its design.
The course, which opened in 2002, features a links-style layout with wide-open, rolling fairways, fast, undulating greens, and holes defined and bordered by native grasses. The course also has an "old-world'' look and feel, with bunkers and other hazards sculpted toward that end.
The 18-hole, par-72 course plays to 7,080 yards from the tips, with four sets of tees on each hole to accommodate various handicaps. The course takes an environmentally-friendly approach in both its design and maintenance, and even the holes sport names designed to remind golfers of the importance of the environment.
Some of the most noteworthy holes include Hole No. 3, a classic example of a links-style design. "Plum Thicket,'' as it's named, is a short hole, playing to only 145 yards, but the challenge comes in hitting a long, narrow green that's slightly elevated and features sloping sides guarded by large, plunging, oddly-shaped bunkers.
"Baldeypress Bay'' is the No. 7 hole, a par-4 that plays up to 413 yards. The challenge on this hole is hitting a narrow, sloping fairway that's guarded by a long water hazard that runs along the left. Approach shots must then find a narrow, angled green guarded by more bunkers.
"Planetree Place'' is the No. 12 hole, a curving dogleg right par-4 that plays up to 414 yards and plays along the largest waste bunker on the course. Approach shots must contend with another green guarded by an expansive bunker.
"Cottonwood Creek'' is the finishing hole on the course, a par-4 that plays up to 426 yards from the back tees. From the tee, golfers shouldn't have too much trouble finding the fairway landing area, but the approach shot to the green calls for a carry over the creek gully, which is filled with trees and tall grasses. The green is similar to others on the course - long and narrow, with hills and bunkers on the left and a down slope and bunkers on the right.
Since its opening in 2002, ArborLinks has received a number of honors and awards. Golf Digest named the course a Top 10 Facility in the State of Nebraska in 2008, and one of the Top 10 Best New Affordable Public Courses in America in 2002.
Practice facilities at ArborLinks include a driving range with grass teeing area and a short-game practice area. The club also features a clubhouse with dining and lodging available.
