With courses to fit nearly every taste, opportunities to hit the links abound for Hall County golfers.
Grand Island features four courses Fonner View Golf Course, Indianhead Golf Club, Jackrabbit Run Golf Course and Riverside Golf Club. Outside the city limits, golfers can find challenging rounds at Centura Hills in Cairo and at the Wood River Country Club.
Indianhead and Jackrabbit Run are Grand Island's two 18-hole public courses. Both have reasonable green fees and appealing layouts for players of all skill levels.
Jackrabbit Run, which earned a 3 1/2-star rating from Golf Digest, offers nearly everything that one could imagine to meet the needs of the golfing family. That includes a variety of leagues, as well as a practice tee and short-game practice area.
The course, formerly known as Municipal, features a par-72 layout that plays at 6,752 yards.
Jackrabbit Run's signature hole is the par-4, 392-yard 17th, with an out of bounds on the right and trees on the left. The elevated green is guarded on the left side by a sand bunker. There is another sand bunker in the fairway, located on the left side and short of the trees from the tee.
Indianhead Golf Club gives Grand Island area golfers another solid 18-hole option. The par-72 course plays at 6,607 yards, and its signature hole is the intimidating par-3 No. 14, which plays 165 yards to a small green surrounded by a lake. Miss the green anywhere but short, and your ball is almost sure to find the water.
Indianhead has added several extras in the past few years including new carts and a remodeled clubhouse. It recently added GPS systems to the golf carts.
Fonner View is Grand Island's lone nine-hole offering. The executive course offers a challenging layout with plenty of mature trees and interesting holes.
The par-32 course plays at 1,966 yards. Fonner View's feature hole is the par-4, 378-yard fifth, which features a dogleg left, with the Wood River running down the left side and an elevated green with a wooded area to the right.
Carts are available, as well as a driving range and putting green. The course also offers junior group lessons and hosts several open tournaments, including occasional night or glow-ball golf events.
For those interested in belonging to a private club, Grand Island Riverside Golf Club is the local option. Riverside is home to the annual Michelob Classic, regarded as one of the top amateur men's stroke-play tournaments in the Midwest.
Riverside's par-72 layout plays 6,751 yards from the tees. The signature hole is the par-3, 183-yard 14th, which includes sand traps on the left and right, plus trees guarding the opening.
For those willing to invest a short drive in their golfing outing, Hall County features a pair of well-kept, nine-hole courses in Centura Hills Golf Course near Cairo and the Wood River Country Club.
Both offer a full range of services, including carts, practice tees and putting greens.
Golf course profiles
Centura Hills Golf Course
* Address: 312 Centura Hills Drive, Cairo
* Phone: (308) 485-4650
* Course superintendent: Dan Knipping
* Clubhouse manager: Rhonda Myers
* Holes: 9
* Par: 36
* Yardage: 3,226
Fonner View Golf Course
* Address: 2224 South Stuhr Road
* Phone: (308) 382-0202
* Course manager: Wendy Willman
* Holes: 9
* Par: 32
* Yardage: 1,966
Indianhead Golf Club
* Address: 4100 West Husker Hwy.
* Phone: (308) 381-4653
* Head pro, PGA: Tom Jeffers
* Holes: 18
* Par: 72
* Yardage: 6,607
Jackrabbit Run Golf Course
* Address: 2800 North Shady Bend Road
* Phone: (308) 385-5340
* Head pro, PGA: Don Kruse
* Holes: 18
* Par: 72
* Yardage: 6,752
Riverside Golf Club
* Address: 2820 Riverside Drive
* Phone: (308) 382-2648
* Head pro, PGA: Dennis Fruchtl
* Assistant pro, PGA: Kyle Huse
* Holes: 18
* Par: 72
* Yardage: 5,612 (gold tees), 5,183 (red), 6,527 (white), 6,751 (blue)
Wood River Country Club
* Address: 11937 West Holling Road, Wood River
* Phone: (308) 583-2225
* Clubhouse manager: Dona Hawk
* Course superintendent: Travis Baier
* Holes: 9
* Par: 36
* Yardage: 3,167