Despite the original “tee time” device on the first tee at Valley View County Club just south of Central City in Hamilton County, the golf shop worker wished that Ella and I had a real tee time on Memorial Day.

His tee sheet was full just shy of 9:00 AM. (Always good news)

That said, he was quick to give us a "just sneak in after these guys” and you’ll be fine look when we departed for the first tee that took me back 35+ years or so. All good memories of being an ornery kid with a younger brother tagging along and a father trying to teach us life through the game of golf.

It was the summer of 1986. Jack had just won the Masters. Dad’s other favorite player, Raymond Floyd, would win the US Open later that summer.

I was going on 10; my brother Tyler going on 7. We shared a set of Austad’s junior clubs (3-wood, 5, 7 and 9-iron and a putter). We learned the game one of two ways with dad — a scramble from the women’s tees, or by getting to play our own ball and starting the hole from dad’s drive.

There were only a few fights — we had to trade off holes carrying the clubs. And one, distinct story that we both can tell where we had to “sit in the truck” for the final three holes after a few too many tussles through the first six. You did it once with dad, it never happened again.

This is not a good news, bad news return or review of Valley View in 2024. In fact, it’s way better than I ever remember it. In recent years, it’s been fun to return for a few cross country meets, but I never got the full feel of the golf course then.

Of all the nine-hole tracts I have played in Nebraska, I have to now think that Valley View surely is in the top-5. Maybe over the summer, we’ll work on figuring out a list and then another to-do list.

The Golf Course

Climbing up to the course from Highway 14, the golfer is greeted with an open course and some trees that have matured. Thankfully, the members at Valley View have not “over-treed” the golf course to make it “tougher.” It’s a joy when there is room to hit the golf ball AND recover.

The golf course loops in a counterclockwise direction for the first six holes that all play with the course boundary to the players right; yet there is plenty of room to get your ball safely away from the dreaded stroke-and-distance penalty.

Opened for play in 1969, Valley View was designed by Nebraska Golf Hall-of-Fame member Harold Glissman. Glissman also designed Omaha’s Miracle Hill and Lincoln’s Holmes Park and Jim Ager Junior Course. 10-year-old me distinctly remembers a routing of an original 18-hole golf course at Valley View with the back nine to the north of the current nine and looping in a clockwise direction.

The course has a wonderful ebb-and-flow. You never play two of the same par hole in a row. Ever. And, at 3,208 yards it’s a perfect length for most to enjoy and the women’s tees at 2,595 yards are also very manageable for the beginning player. Valley View has abandoned a “white” set of tees for a set of senior tees (gold) that are just a hair longer than the red tees.

The standout holes — as they were when 10-year-old me was playing — are the par-4 3rd (394 yards) and the par-5 4th (519 yards).

The third doglegs right around a mature stand of trees, that Glissman surely found when he was routing the course and worked the hole around them and to the right. At the fourth, another stand of trees seemingly protects your ball from going out of bounds to the south. The player then has to manage a pond on his second shot.

Valley View crescendos at the 6th where Glissman found “the canyon” and routed the 353-yard, par-4 around it. Surely, my father was a hero every time he risked the blind carry that went straight for the green. (It’s 304 yards on a direct line.) We’d usually run down and then up the giant hill to see where his ball might end up.

Our cool north wind on Memorial Day, made the hero shot a silly one so the hole was played left and, later, at the 207-yard 8th it took more club than the writer would like to admit.

You’d do yourself well to make a trip to Valley View if you have a chance. Green keeper Doug Ritta has the golf course in fabulous condition with the greens running fast and firm. The golf is presented wonderfully.

And if you are lucky, maybe you won’t need a tee time and you can use this instead.

Quickly

OPEN BOUND: Omaha’s Carson Schaake is bound for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst next week after he shot a 36-hole, 8-under par 132 at Springfield Country Club on Monday. He tied for second with tour veteran Beau Hossler and was one ahead of playoff that saw Aussie Cam Davis edge Adam Scott for the final spot.

Schaake won the Springfield section in 2021 and advanced to Torrey Pines, while his brother Alex qualified for last year’s Open at Los Angeles Country Club there as well. Wonder if they will buy a house in Springfield or something.

JUNIOR AMS: Omaha Westside’s Trevor Gutschewski and Lincoln Christian’s Olivia Lovegrove were two of six player who qualified for the US Junior Amateur and the US Girls Junior last week at Omaha’s Champions Run. Full recap here

NEBRASKA WOMEN’S AM: Former Millard North standout and Kansas golfer Katie Ruge has a 6-shot lead after the opening round of the Nebraska Women’s Amateur at Oak Hills Country Club. Ruge fired a 3-under par, 68 to lead three players that finished day one at 74. The tournament concludes on Thursday. Leaderboard // Photos

We hope Nebraska Nines (we won’t limit our reviews to just 9-hole courses) will be a weekly occurrence during the summer months and if you aren’t a fan of golf that you’ll still stick with us as we also have some other Nebraska sports items lined up for our summer. Thanks for subscribing to the Harvest Sports newsletter.