Golf Course Architecture - Issue 64, April 2021

31 TEE BOX COURSE BLUEPR INT Construction resumes on new Lost Rail golf course Landscapes Unlimited has resumed construction on the new Lost Rail golf course designed by Scott Hoffman in Omaha, Nebraska. The project is the first new private course in the city for 25 years and was kickstarted by architect Hoffman, who wanted to create a golf-only club with a small membership. “The property is special with its variety,” said Hoffman. “From the ridge where the clubhouse sits, you can see 20 miles to the west. Almost half the site is rolling pasture dotted with mature trees. A quarter is open farmland with long views, and the remainder is dense trees and deep ravines with a unique feature – an abandoned century-old railbed.” “The layout resembles the classic clubs of Long Island or Chicago,” said Bill Kubly, owner of Landscape Unlimited. “Our connections will be some of the tightest in American golf – Scott is a stickler for walkability. The routing has tremendous f lexibility, with several little loops around the clubhouse. “Most notable is the arrangement of 15 to 18. It’s hard to find a course anywhere with three of the final four greens within 100 yards of the clubhouse.” According to Hoffman, the par three holes will be memorable. The fifth plays over a 40-foot canyon, through the gap where a 10-foot railbed collapsed; the eighth green sits on the exact spot that the railbed disappeared into the ground in 1926; and the sixteenth plays from just off the clubhouse deck out to a “little knob” overlooking the rivers. The course is expected to open in June 2022. Hoffman has also designed a short layout, with holes between 50 and 120 yards Three of the final four greens are located within 100 yards of the clubhouse The par-three fifth plays over a 40-foot canyon through a gap where a 10-foot railbed collapsed, and the eighth green sits in the exact spot where the railbed disappeared into the ground in 1926 Hoffman’s routing has been designed to be walkable, with short connections between greens and tees Image: Lost Rail Golf Club