Golf Courses Near Valentine, NE

Valentine, nicknamed “The Heart City,” is a small town in Nebraska’s Sandhills region that has risen to national prominence as a golf destination. You can thank The Prairie Club resort for that. Although superb private golf courses dot the Sandhills region, it wasn’t until The Prairie Club’s trio of layouts appeared on the hemisphere’s largest tract of stabilized dunes that the public had access to tee times on multiple world-class courses. Heaving terrain dominates the links-style Dunes Course, which features huge fairways, naturalistic bunkers, and over-sized greens. The somewhat flatter Pines Course moves back and forth between wide open grasslands and tree-lined stretches. Both are very challenging. The Prairie Club’s other layout is the unique 10-hole par-3 Horse Course, where you’re invited to select your own starting point as you play each hole. On top of this, Valentine added Frederick Peak Golf Course, a newer (2017) 10-hole full-length muni featuring beautiful scenery and plenty of elevation changes. It earned best-in-state course honors in 2021 from Golf Advisor.

Valentine has long been a popular spot for fly-fishing, kayaking, canoeing, tubing and tanking (floating on large plastic tanks) on the Niobrara River, a scenic waterway with some 90 waterfalls tumbling down bluffs. For an enjoyable river experience and more, visit Fort Niobrara River National Wildlife Refuge—it is home to a herd of bison. Smith Falls State Park boasts the tallest waterfall in Nebraska. You can also take in the area’s scenery from your car by driving the River Road. A little outside of town, Niobrara Valley Winery offers tastings amidst “an ocean of grass.” Quaint downtown Valentine features hearts on the sidewalks. One of the most popular things tourists tend to do is go to the post office and get a Valentine postmark. Valentine truly is the Heart City, and you’ll love the golf.