Lincoln City Golf is proud to announce another year of outstanding success, wrapping up the 2024–25 fiscal year with record numbers, exciting growth, and continued community engagement. For the seventh year in a row, golfers across Lincoln turned out in force, creating one of the strongest years in the history of city golf.
A Record Year on the Course
Golfers played an impressive 242,020 rounds this year — the highest total since 1997 and the second-most in the past 45 years. This remarkable milestone showcases the strength and passion of Lincoln’s golfing community.
Every 18-hole course surpassed 52,000 rounds played, led by Pioneers Golf Course with 53,827 rounds, closely followed by Holmes, Mahoney, and Highlands. The nine-hole Jim Ager course added another 31,047 rounds, proving popular with golfers of all ages.
Lincoln golfers also rented 167,679 carts, a 4.37% increase from last year
Golfers traveled more than 674,000 miles while playing the five courses this year, which is the equivalent of circling the globe 27 times!
Building the Future of Golf
Youth and beginners are fueling the game’s future in Lincoln:
- 21,315 rounds were played by junior golfers this year.
- 1,203 juniors participated in programs at Jim Ager, a 6.3% increase from last year.
- 117 adults joined Get Golf Ready, a 41% increase.
- 29 high school and college teams made Lincoln courses their home, including the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska Wesleyan, Doane, Concordia, and schools across the city.
Exceptional Course Conditions
Thanks to steady spring and summer rains, Lincoln courses enjoyed what superintendents call a “perfect summer” for turfgrass. With 781 acres under expert care, courses were in excellent condition all season long.
Nature also made a special appearance once again at Holmes Golf Course, where nesting bald eagles took up residence near hole #13, with 2 baby eagles born in the spring. Working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the course temporarily adjusted play to protect the eaglets until mid-summer, when the hole returned to its normal route.
Workforce Overview
Lincoln City Golf’s operations are powered by a dedicated team of roughly 225 employees who keep the city’s five courses running smoothly throughout the year. Staffing reaches its peak between April and September, when the golf season is in full swing, and demand is at its highest.
During these busy months, employees’ days begin before sunrise — with crews arriving as early as 5 a.m. — and often extend late into the evening, with the last staff members leaving around 10 p.m. It’s a near year-round effort: each 18-hole course is open 362 days a year, providing nearly 4,100 hours of public access annually.
By comparison, a traditional business operating 40 hours a week over 52 weeks totals 2,080 hours a year — less than half the time Lincoln City Golf courses remain open to serve the community.
To put that in perspective, the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon lasted just over 195 hours. In the time a Lincoln City Golf course stays open each year, that’s enough hours to send a crew to the Moon and back more than 20 times.
Investing in the Game
Lincoln City Golf also made major strides in capital improvements Projects, including the launch of the $1.998 million Holmes Irrigation Project in August. Other key investments included lawn irrigation work at Mahoney and continued payments on the Pioneers Irrigation bond, with six payments left on the bond.
Financially, Lincoln City Golf remains strong. Profits totaled $1.515 million this year, with more than $2.59 million of operational profits contributed to the golf capital improvement project fund over the past four years.
Holmes Golf Course’s new irrigation being placed.
Looking Ahead
With momentum building, course improvements underway, and a thriving golf community, Lincoln City Golf is well-positioned for another successful year in 2025–26.
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