Lost Rail is Worth the Wait
Story by Terry Jensen // Photography by Bill Sitzmann
The men behind Lost Rail Golf Club are passionate about golf. As Omaha natives, they’re equally passionate about Nebraska. Scott Hoffman and his cousin, Dirk Chatelain, have partnered with Bill Kubly of Lincoln’s Landscapes Unlimited to build a destination designed purely for golf. On 155 acres of pastureland northwest of Gretna, they are creating the exclusive, members-only club that golf course architect Hoffman always imagined. Club memberships sold out months before the long-anticipated opening. Area golfers are eager to share their passion.
Hoffman’s career as a golf course designer spans more than 20 years, mostly in the western United States. In 2019, he and Chatelain decided the time was right to look for properties in the metro area. There was a need for a different type of golf course in Omaha.
“Omaha hasn’t had a new, private course in at least 20 years. And we really didn’t want to be a country club, we wanted to be an old-fashioned golf club. There’s a lot of old classic clubs on the East coast and in Chicago, places where golf is really the only thing.”
— DIRK CHATELAIN
There are a number of high level, elite golf courses in the Nebraska Sandhills, but Hoffman’s vision was to take destination golf and make it more easily accessible. “Move it to the edge of the city so it’s 15 minutes away instead of five hours away,” Chatelain said. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of available property in the Omaha area that would accommodate such a project.
Almost by accident, they found a unique piece of land near Gretna that presented real possibilities. “It’s got this incredible variety to it. There’s some high ridges where you can see about 20 miles to the west over the Elkhorn River, there’s this beautiful pastureland where there’s a bunch of dense trees, there’s this rugged canyon and ravine that kind of winds through the property,” Chatelain said. Unfortunately, that perfect property was not for sale.
The owner of the land was a woman named Marleen Muenster. She and her husband, John, lived there for many years. John passed in 2002. Several years later, Marleen’s health was failing, but she was reluctant to sell her beloved home to buyers who might turn it into housing developments and pave over the natural beauty. “We really did intend to preserve it and maintain the character of the property, and we didn’t want to change the land forms or take down a bunch of trees. We wanted it to still feel like that pastureland that meant so much to her,” Chatelain explained. After listening to their ideas, Muenster thought their golf club was a pretty good idea.
“We did this deal in December of 2019, when the contract finally got signed. Then it took us about a year to go through permitting and to get the county to sign off on it and to build up enough membership and partnership to really press go. A year after we shook hands and a month after we broke ground and actually started construction, Marleen passed away in December of 2020. So that was the bittersweet part of this, that she wasn’t around to see it,” Chatelain said. Hoffman and Chatelain are reassured that it gave Muenster some peace, knowing that her home was safe at last.
The way the course preserves the integrity of the land does make it unique. Chatelain and Hoffman learned that the property was home to an abandoned Burlington Northern rail line. The route was originally developed as a short cut but fell out of use. It was torn apart for steel during World War I and the rail bed was all that remained.
“At one point, it crosses this rugged ravine, this canyon in a very dramatic way and at some point over the last 50-75 years, the rail bed actually collapsed into this deep creek and just creates this incredible little landform that you wouldn’t see anywhere else, certainly in the area and probably not anywhere in the Midwest. We actually ran a golf hole over and through that break in the rail bed,” Chatelain explained.
They liked the story of the abandoned rail line so much, they named the course after it. The club became Lost Rail.
“So, we got it to work, and after about two months of trying to get the word out that we were going to do this, COVID came, and threw a little bit of a wrench in the plans,“ Chatelain said. Then, the pandemic brought people outdoors and golf experienced a resurgence. Long waits for tee times required reservations several days in advance.
“We really wanted to be a small club that people wouldn’t have a hard time getting out and playing. They wouldn’t have to get on a list seven days in advance to get a tee time, they could basically just drive out and show up at the first tee and play 18 holes or play six holes and have dinner and go home,” he explained. The limit for members is currently set at 250.
“We want to make sure that that promise we made to everybody of accessibility, a wide open golf course essentially, is fulfilled—that’s the highest priority.” Chatelain said. The clubhouse won’t have banquet rooms or host wedding receptions. There are no plans for pools or tennis courts, just golf. Omaha finally has a destination course all its own.
Chatelain believes the best amenity is the peaceful nature of the Nebraska pastureland. He lives about four minutes away and comes out to the course often. “It’s just a beautiful place to walk. It’s good for the soul. It’s peace and quiet. You really have a hard time believing that you’re only two miles from 204th Street. I think all those things will make it a really special place,” he said.
Construction should be completed this summer. Lost Rail currently has a waiting list for members.
Visit lostrailgolf.com for more information.
