The Origin Story of ArborLinks Golf Club
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ArborLinks Golf Club in Nebraska City
Regional Roots and Environmental Legacy: The significance of ArborLinks Golf Club’s origin and history
Lauded as one of Nebraska's best private courses, ArborLinks Golf Club was built in the open plains of Nebraska with a classic, links-style design that blends seamlessly into the rural landscape. The course is surrounded by bright open sky and more than 300 acres of rolling hills nestled between corn fields.
ArborLinks has amassed quite the list of accolades from leading golf publications for its unique layout, breathtaking surroundings, and state-of-the-art facilities. It has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of Arnold Palmer’s best courses and routinely falls in the list of Best Courses in Nebraska by the same publication.
However, the true heart of ArborLinks’ success rests in its commitment to environmental sustainability, which can be traced back to its origins in 2002.
Early Days
To have a full picture of ArborLinks, it’s important to understand the layout of the 300 acres of Nebraska prairie where the course sits. Following early pioneer settlement in 1846, modern-day Nebraska City served as a conduit to the west after the establishment of a ferry house.
The Missouri River made Nebraska a vital force in bringing commerce, people, and goods to the west, and today, Nebraska City is honored as the oldest city in the state and a crucial piece of history. This is the city where it all started–the place where roots became foundation, not just for the Midwest, but for Dormie Network and for golf’s new era.
“From the very beginning,” says Dormie Network President Zach Peed, “we saw the vision for something much bolder than any one golf course.”
Partnering for Preservation
John Rosenow (left), president of the National Arbor Day Foundation, surveys the land of the future site of the ArborLinks Home Course. Dave Truttman (center), project manager of Landscapes Unlimited, and Erik Larsen, senior architect for Palmer Course Design Co., are with Rosenow. Picture from: Golfdom 2002 article
ArborLinks was designed by one of golf’s most iconic figures and celebrated golf course designers, Arnold Palmer. Through a collaboration between the National Arbor Day Foundation, Landscapes Unlimited, a leading golf management company, and the Palmer Course Design Company, the 18-hole course was developed as a model for the future of golf and environmental stewardship.
Landscapes Unlimited Owner and CEO Bill Kubly first proposed the relationship with Arbor Day Foundation to show that golf and the environment can not only co-exist, but also complement each other. Arnold Palmer Design Company was selected for the project for two specific reasons: to create a championship, links-style course and to promote environmental stewardship. In fact, Palmer Course Design Company waived its fee for the project, instead opting to become an ownership partner to advance the cause.
“Each of us must be aware of the role we play in the future of golf and environmental stewardship,” Arnold Palmer said.
Erik Larsen, architect of record for ArborLinks and then-vice president and senior golf course architect for Palmer Course Design Company, worked hand in hand with Kubly from design and conception all the way through construction. The goal was to showcase practical construction methods that both complement and add to the environmental qualities of the land where the course was built and to model environmentally friendly golf course management techniques.
“ArborLinks is a great example of how a golf course can operate in harmony with the natural environment,” said Rachel Hrabik, marketing manager at Arbor Day Farm. “By partnering with Arbor Day Farm, the course has emphasized sustainability, native vegetation, and natural water systems, setting a benchmark for environmentally responsible course design within the golf community.”
Picture from: Golfdom 2002 article
The Palmer Influence
As an Arnold Palmer Signature course, ArborLinks hosts pure, unadulterated, no-frills golf. Its steadfast and challenging Old World strategy rewards a strategic approach of disciplined, intentional play by allotting careful access to greens encased in an atlas of gouged-out bunkers and seemingly impossible native rough.
Larsen explained that the site is a contrast of the natural roll of Eastern Nebraska farm fields and trees on the more severe slopes, lending itself to an undulating course with slopes for interest and strategy. More features include ravines for aesthetic and strategic purposes, and lakes for drainage and water retention.
“Golf holes have great variety in direction, doglegs, elevation change, and prairie-like versus forested characteristics,” Larsen said. “This variety creates visual interest and playing excitement: two vital components to a fun golf course. ArborLinks checks the boxes for skill and beauty.”
Grand Opening: June 2002
After ArborLinks’ designers worked with Terry Riordan of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Grassland Studies to select the best native and turf grasses, the private golf course in Nebraska City opened in June of 2002. A memorializing round between Arnold Palmer and Christine Todd Whitman, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was the first official play.
Years of planning and construction from Larsen, Kubley and their partners came to life for one of the highest ranked in the Palmer portfolio of nearly 250 golf courses worldwide.
“A great benefit to the golf experience is that the golf course is a 'core', meaning there is no housing around it, which gives a sense of privacy in a large open space,” Larsen said. “Yet, the golf course spreads out nicely and feels big – a gracious use of space under open Nebraska sky.”
Picture from: Golfdom 2002 article
Picture from: Golfdom 2002 article
Commitment to Environmental Stewardship
Developed to promote awareness of environmental stewardship in the golf industry, ArborLinks implements conservation demonstration projects and environmental stewardship, complies with all applicable environmental regulations, and adheres to the USGA’s “Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the United States.”
Each hole on the course has been uniquely designed with a specific conservation theme in mind. On Hole 1, “Black Cherry Row,” a remnant fence row of black cherry, mulberry and other trees live to the left of the tees. The tree fencerow functions much like the windbreaks around fields, with conservationists referring to them as “corridor” habitats for wildlife due to their connection of different habitats, such as the woodland adjacent to the green.
Hole 15, named “White Pine Wall,” pays homage to the founder of Arbor Day and his introduction of white pines to the Nebraska City area. A windbreak of white pines lines the right side of the fairway, functioning as both a natural screen and a nod to the tree’s history as a lumber staple and popular Christmas variety.
“Conservation is more than a theme at ArborLinks—it’s embedded in the design philosophy,” Hrabik said. “For example, several holes are routed around restored prairie land and riparian zones, not only providing scenic views but also serving as functional habitats for local wildlife and pollinators.”
After ArborLinks opened, the commitment to natural preservation seen during design and construction continued. Action items that the ArborLinks team has accomplished over the decades include:
Planting native grasses in areas not in play
Using grasses that are best for the local environmental conditions
Designing golf hole layouts to minimize the removal of native vegetation and earth movement during construction
Creating buffer zones to protect high-quality water resources or environmentally sensitive areas
Maintaining the course through sustainably covering plant protection and nutrition, water usage, waste management, and wildlife management.
Dormie Network’s Impact
ArborLinks today pulls the site’s gently rolling hills into a links-style design from golf’s 15th-century Scottish origins, magnifying the Great Plains with the course’s quiet splendor. After igniting something in Arnold Palmer himself, it sparked another vision nearly two decades later: Dormie Network.
“It’s a fun course—wildly underrated and treacherous in some spots,” says Peed, who invested in the club in late 2015. As the first of what would quickly become a portfolio of many high-end golf clubs acquired by Dormie Network, ArborLinks also opened the door for a membership model unlike anything in golf. Dormie Network is now an immersive experience for the golf purist, offering full member access to seven unique clubs all under a single dues structure.
“Following the acquisition of ArborLinks, Dormie Network has focused first and foremost on providing exceptional playing conditions, through significant investments in the course, agronomic equipment and practice facilities,” Dormie Network’s PGA Chief Operating Officer Mark Ruhga said. “The agronomy team at ArborLinks has instituted improved horticultural practices and elevated presentation standards.”
Since acquiring ArborLinks in 2015, Dormie Network has deepened and expanded both the course and its culture—advancing the member experience while preserving the club’s original traditions and values. By 2019, a series of enhancements had been completed, including a clubhouse renovation and expansion that transformed it into a welcoming and proper farmhouse-esque facility with covered porches, simple transitions and spacious entryways. Additional upgrades included new onsite cottages, an on-course comfort station, a renewed driving range, a new maintenance equipment fleet and a new golf cart fleet.
Additionally, in September 2019, the Conservation Trail opened, creating a 2.4-mile loop to accommodate walkers, bikers and golf carts between Arbor Links and the Arbor Day Farm. Conservation Trail now invites visitors to appreciate a piece of Arbor Day Farm’s land not previously accessible to the public and encourages an immersion into the natural world of Arbor Links.
“Significant investments were made to the clubhouse and additional cottages were added to ensure our members enjoy the level of luxury amenities Dormie Network is known for,” Ruhga said. “Last, but certainly not least, the staff at ArborLinks is dedicated to providing professional, attentive and personalized hospitality for our members and guests.”
The luxury cottages at ArborLinks showcase a variety of well-appointed lodging options designed to offer a true, pure golf sanctuary. Whether it's the golf simulator in the Owner’s Cottage or the fireplace commons in the 8-Plex and 12-Plex options, all of ArborLinks’ cottages showcase the combination of elevated luxury, inviting ambiance and elegant coziness. A dedicated onsite concierge team is also there to assist with any needs and to ensure the most comfortable and hospitable experience for Dormie Network’s members and guests.
ArborLinks Northwoods Complex of onsite lodging
ArborLinks Owner's Cottage
ArborLinks Owner's Cottage
For the culinary scene, the club showcases its unique Midwest roots and Executive Chef John Dougherty has implemented small regional menus that allow for freedom to adjust its food programs to meet members’ needs and wants. Focusing on curated experiences for members combined with Dormie Network’s hospitality-first mindset, the world-class dining experience at ArborLinks spans from the clubhouse dining room to the bar through fully catered cottage meals and individual selections including the Carbonara Deviled Eggs and Certified Piedmontese beef agnolotti.
Dormie Network’s commitment to environmental sustainability at ArborLinks continues to this day. In 2022, it supported Arbor Day Foundation with the Plant a Tree Campaign, matching members' donations throughout the year and planting a total of 100,000 trees in North Carolina forests.
Dormie Network Foundation Chief Philanthropy Officer Brian Schenk says, “Dormie Network is proud to partner with Arbor Day Foundation in helping to replant our nation’s forests. Sustainability and environmental conservation is one of our four giving pillars, and we recognize the environmental impact our golf course operations have on the communities that we serve. With diligent focus on environmental and sustainable activities today, we can not only benefit our communities now, but also for future generations of golfers and outdoor enthusiasts.”
Delivering exceptional results at the nationally recognized facilities continues in all aspects of Dormie Network’s partnership with Arbor Day. Today, Dormie Network parallels its efforts to environmental stewardship with its genuine dedication to guests through refined hospitality, reliable service, and welcoming authenticity.
