A Three-pronged Mission

The course is being developed with a three-pronged mission of quality construction, environmental sensitivity and affordable golf for players, said Brad Schmidt, Landscapes Unlimited's general manager. Landscapes Unlimited will operate Arbor Links Golf Course, which lies in rolling terrain on a 300-acre stretch of unused farmland, not far from the Missouri River . The Arbor Day Foundation is leasing the property.

The new course was built with minimal disturbance to the existing environment, yet changes were made where necessary to fit the overall environmentally based design. Dead or drying trees were replaced, in some cases with nearly mature trees. Table Creek, which was named by Lewis and Clark nearly 200 years ago, was restored where it runs through the course.

Original oak and hickory stands have been restored, along with flowering meadows and native stands of birch and aspen. Native grass buffer zones will help protect the creek and its tributaries. The area is in a climatic transition zone, which allowed planners more leeway in selecting vegetation materials. Turfgrass specialists from the University of Nebraska helped choose native and selected turfgrass varieties and will continue to monitor soil and water quality when the course is opened.