The third stop on the 2020 Early Break Golf Tour is Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln. This long-standing public course gets a lot of traffic, and is generally considered the best course for a beginner to play on, as it’s the least punishing of Lincoln City Golf courses. You’ll arrive to see a large driving range to the east of the clubhouse, which also has a massive net on the south side to protect golf balls hit from the range to go on Adams Street or the surrounding neighborhoods. The practice putting green is also spacious enough to hold many golfers, as there are often high school tournaments played there.

Hole 1 is a massive dogleg right par 5 that has in-course out of bounds left, and also right (the driving range). If the wind is from the south, this hole is easy to reach in 2. If not, placement of your drive becomes that much more important to give you a chance at a birdie still. Hole 2 is a 190 yard par 3 (from tips) with a large bunker on the left side. This two-tiered green causes issues putting often. Hole 3 is a dogleg right par 4 that requires an accurate drive to have a chance to get to the green for birdie. Holes 4 and 5 are straightaway par 4s, followed by another 190 yard par 3 uphill on 6.

Hole 8 is undoubtedly the toughest hole on the course, and considered by many as one of the hardest holes in Lincoln, in general. With two ponds on the left side of this long par 4 (440 yards from tips), it becomes a mental grind. If you don’t hit in the first pond, the second pond is closer to the green, and any chunked shot will surely find the pond. If you get past the pond, you could still end up short in the bunker right before the green. Hole 8 is where many good rounds go to suffer. Hole 9 is a nice par 3 with a protective bunker on the front right, and again, is about 190 yards from tips.

Hole 10 is a straightaway par 4, and hole 11 is the same, but a par 5. Hole 12 is a pleasantly short par 3, playing 124 yards from the tips, but an uphill shot where you can’t really see what the ball does once it gets to the green. Hole 13 is a short par 4 that is a ‘birdie hole.’ Hole 14 is another 190 yard par 3 with a protective bunker on the front left. Hole 15 looks identical to hole 7, as they are both right next to each other and are both dogleg left par 5s. Reachable in 2 on most days. Hole 16 is a difficult 90 degree dogleg left that long hitters can carry the large gathering of trees on the left side, but short hitters must go right of them and it creates a very long second shot. Hole 17 is a good-looking downhill par 3 with a bunker in the front right, and hole 18 is a dogleg left par 4 that if you go right, you’re in trouble–if you’re left, you’ll likely have a punch shot but a chance at getting to the green, still.

Overall, Mahoney Golf Course isn’t considered the toughest course in Lincoln by any means, but it can provide a fun time for beginners and also for advanced players. The greens and fairways are in excellent shape. I enjoy walking when I play, and it’s a fairly easy course to walk. Book your teetime today at lincolncitygolf.org!

 

Head Pro: Jonathan Benson

Course address:  7900 Adams Street, Lincoln, NE  68507

Website:   www.lincolncitygolf.org/mahoney

Phone #:   (402) 441-8969