AXTELL — The Nebraska Dunes Golf Course held a ribbon cutting with the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce celebrating new ownership and a revitalization of the grounds on Friday, May 22.
“Formerly known as Awarii Dunes, Nebraska Dunes Golf Course is now under new ownership and entering an exciting new chapter. Located just south of Kearney, our course offers golfers a one-of-a-kind experience built around the natural beauty of Nebraska’s sand dunes,” per the Nebraska Dunes Golf Course website.
The location is being billed as a “Sandhills style golf course in Axtell, Nebraska.”
Derek Rusher, with the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the audience to Nebraska Dunes and said many may have golfed out here in the past. Rusher had to note that his only hole-in-one came on Hole 11 at the course.
“I think there are a lot of people who are excited, to get this course back to where it should be,” Rusher said, Kearney needs another 18-hole golf course, our courses are overplayed, we have a great golfing community.”
He said all 18 holes differ from each other and golfers love the scenery of the course.
“Originally designed by architect Jim Engh, the 18-hole championship course stretches approximately 7,000 yards and was constructed using the natural terrain rather than reshaping it. The layout winds through rolling dunes, native prairie grasses, and natural blowout bunkers, creating a links-style golf experience rarely found in the Midwest,” per the Nebraska Dunes website.
Rusher said the new ownership group has made a significant investment to revitalizing the course, “the potential is amazing.”
Daniel Markley, the general manager of Nebraska Dunes Golf Course, said Awarii Dunes closed in October 2025 and was purchased by the new ownership ground in December 2025, with everything being finalized in January.
Markley said in February, Christian Richter, Director of Agronomy, began working to revitalize the course.
Richter said this past winter was hard on area golf courses with the drought and high winds. He said the area entered the winter nutritionally starved. He said the priority this spring was to reintroduce nutritional elements back to the grounds.
The grounds have been reseeded with a resilient and hardy Super Bents, an advanced class of creeping bent grass. He said this will create a whole new putting surface that will be more enjoyable for golfers.
When asked about how a golf course combats harsh drought conditions, Richter said getting water out is paramount. He said they watered heavily through February amid the dry conditions to help prevent wind kill of the vegetation.
Richter said they have been operating at an accelerated rate to help get the course ready for opening. “It’s a whole course renovation that is going on in four months,” he said.
Richter said the new ownership group has been committed to getting the proper resources to revitalize the course.
Markley said the fairways, tees and the greens have all been reseeded with the bent grass. He said they wanted to get everything back to optimal playing conditions.
The tentative opening date for the location is June 5, Markley said.
Reopening the golf course will be a benefit for golfers and the other courses in the area that saw an influx after the location closed, said Markley.
“Nebraska Dunes is committed to restoring and improving the course while creating a welcoming destination for golfers, events, and the surrounding community,” the Nebraska Dunes website stated.