Nebraska
Kearney & Central Nebraska Golf Courses & Tee Times
Central Nebraska golf follows the Platte River valley and I-80, from Grand Island west through Kearney to Gothenburg, with McCook and Cambridge to the south. Kearney's city course, Meadowlark Hills, opened in 1993 on the bluffs above the Platte. The best-known course in the area is Wild Horse in Gothenburg, a late-1990s design by Dave Axland and Dan Proctor, two of the shapers who built Sand Hills for Coore and Crenshaw. Sand Hills owner Dick Youngscap recommended them to the Gothenburg group.
Good weekend tee times in Kearney & Central Nebraska go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 14 public courses here, from Kearney, Cairo, Clay Center, Cambridge and Sutton, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Heritage Hills Golf Course at 6,715 yards; there are 3 nine-hole courses.
Who runs public golf in Kearney & Central Nebraska
The City of Kearney runs Meadowlark Hills, which calls itself the town's only 18-hole public course. It sells an Elite pass that covers unlimited play, carts and range, plus season passes in 7-day and 5-day versions. Buffalo Ridge, a nine-hole course on 69 acres north and east of town, takes public play and sells memberships. Kearney Country Club, open since 1915, is private. Wild Horse was paid for by local golfers: 500 shares sold at $1,000 each plus about 50 home lots, and NebGolf lists it as semi-private.
Public courses worth knowing in Kearney & Central Nebraska
- Wild Horse Golf Club: Axland and Proctor design on the edge of the Sandhills, recommended for the job by Sand Hills owner Dick Youngscap; built by a town that wanted better than its nine-holer.
- Meadowlark Hills Golf Course: City of Kearney course from 1993 on the Platte bluffs; has hosted the NSAA boys state tournament five times and gets the NCAA Division II women's regional in 2027. GolfPass put it 13th in its Golfers' Choice 2024 list of U.S. public courses.
- Jackrabbit Run Golf Course: Grand Island's public 18, a Frank Hummel design from 1976 per NebGolf.
- Heritage Hills Golf Course: McCook's public course, a Dick Phelps and Brad Benz design from 1981 per NebGolf.
- Buffalo Ridge Golf Course: Kearney nine-holer on 69 acres, open since 1966 per NebGolf.
Booking tee times in Kearney & Central Nebraska: the local rules
Meadowlark Hills posts city hours: 7 a.m. to sundown from April 1 to September 14, 8 a.m. to sundown through November 30, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from December through February. Tee times book online through the course site or by phone at (308) 233-3265. Big events take dates on the calendar, such as the NSAA Class A boys state tournament on May 27-28 in 2026.
Yoink
Know the rules. Let Yoink do the waiting.
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 14 courses in Kearney & Central Nebraska and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
14 courses in Kearney & Central Nebraska
Cambridge
Clay Center
Hastings
Kearney
Buffalo Ridge Golf Course
Kearney's first public course, built by the Fox family and opened in 1966: long par 3s, 15 sand traps and tree-lined holes on 69 acres.
Elks Country Golf Course
Kearney Country Club
Meadowlark Hills Golf Course
City course on the bluffs over the Platte River Valley. Five-time host of the boys state championship; 13th in GolfPass Golfers’ Choice 2024.
Saint Paul
Sutton
Why tee times in Kearney & Central Nebraska are hard to get
The season in Kearney & Central Nebraska runs roughly from spring to late fall. The first warm weekends in spring and the cool, dry weekends of fall are the hardest to book.
Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.
When tee time cancellations happen
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time in Kearney & Central Nebraska
Yoink
Watch all 14 courses in Kearney & Central Nebraska. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink checks all 14 courses in Kearney & Central Nebraska every few minutes, so every open time is in one place and you're the first to know when one that fits your day, window and group appears, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Buffalo Ridge Golf Course, Crooked Creek Country Club and Fox Hollow Country Club.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Kearney & Central Nebraska: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Kearney & Central Nebraska?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Kearney & Central Nebraska?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Kearney & Central Nebraska?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Kearney & Central Nebraska are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Buffalo Ridge Golf Course, Crooked Creek Country Club and Fox Hollow Country Club take less time and are usually easier to book.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Nebraska
- Omaha, Lincoln & Des Moines · 44 courses
- Norfolk & Northeast Nebraska · 12 courses
- North Platte & Western Nebraska · 8 courses
- Sioux Falls & Eastern South Dakota · 1 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- cityofkearney.org · official
- meadowlarkhillsgolf.com · official
- nebgolf.org · association
- buffaloridgegc.com · official
- nebgolf.org · association
- nebgolf.org · association
- linksmagazine.com · media
- nebgolf.org · association
- golfclubatlas.com · media
- nebgolf.org · association
- nebgolf.org · association
- nebgolf.org · association
- en.wikipedia.org · wikipedia
Tee times in Kearney & Central Nebraska, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.