Quarry Oaks Golf Club

Overview: Quarry Oaks Golf Club is a public John LaFoy design near Ashland, set on the western walls of the Platte River Valley. The 18-hole, par-72 course reaches 7,215 yards and occupies a former limestone aggregate quarry, where valleys, ridges, mature bur oaks, cottonwoods and water create a landscape unlike the flat Nebraska stereotype. The routing asks players to manage elevation and changing lies, with the quarry itself forming the dramatic carry at the par-three 15th. Large greens and natural contours give the course a strong LaFoy signature without separating it from the land that made the project possible.

History: The Abel family began pursuing a course on the old quarry site in the early 1990s and hired John LaFoy to turn the severe ground into a public championship layout. Construction began in April 1995 and the course was ready for initial play in 1996. Quarry Oaks opened to the public in September 1996, while its formal grand-opening season continued into spring 1997. The course quickly drew regional attention, and later renovation work refreshed the playing surfaces, bunkers, irrigation and clubhouse while preserving the natural quarry setting.

Did You Know? A small abandoned cemetery beside the fourth-hole tee contains the graves of children from the 1860s. Quarry Oaks fenced the site and added a memorial plaque, preserving a piece of local history within the golf property rather than removing it during construction.