A Story of Will: Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary

February 17, 2020 —

Boldly representing our logo is the sandhill crane — a marvelous native bird who bravely faces headwinds each spring and fall on its famed thousand-mile migration across North America.

The trip is not an easy one for the 600,000 birds who make annual trek. 

Our own journey has embodied that of the sandhill crane. 

But The Prairie Club’s story is a story of will. 

From the beginning, our mission has been simply to create an unforgettable experience that touches the soul of all who journey here. 

Yet, as it turns out, simplicity in mission does not equate to simplicity in development. Facing economic troubles, a significant shift in the golf course industry, and our unproven model, the club faced its own set of headwinds.

Stresses aside, it took four years for the club to finally turn a profit. 

Four years to realize that pure golf had staying power along the rim of the Snake River canyon. 

It makes sense, though. The human soul naturally gravitates toward sacred places like the Nebraska Sandhills.

Golf is one of these sacred places, where the flight of a little white ball carries the human spirit with it. 

As fun as it is to gain recognition as one of the top golf destinations in the world, the true reward comes through touching lives and fulfilling our mission.

We know this through the story of the son who asked his father for a trip to The Prairie Club over the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cincinnati. 

We know this through the story of the ambitious golfer who completed the final round of his “Golf in 50 States” mission in Nebraska with a chip-in on Pines 18 while the sun set over the canyon. 

We know this through the story of the man who battled cancer, who while on his deathbed, saw a photograph of The Prairie Club in a magazine article and said to himself, “If I ever get out of here, I am going to visit this place.” 

He did and had dinner overlooking the canyon. 

Though difficult, the past ten years have been incredibly rewarding. 

With the Club healthier than ever, we look forward to decades more of unforgettable experiences for all who journey here — a testament that The Prairie Club is truly a story of will.

It’s the kind of will you find on a Nebraska family ranch, where the sun dawns early and the sun sets late.

The kind of will you witness as you look above and hear the desperate calls of sandhill cranes in the migrating in the spring.

We look forward to celebrating this milestone as a team in 2020.

See you on the prairie.