A buddy of mine and I tried this exact trip last summer. Amana had an outing the day it made sense logistically for us though, so we ended up only playing Spirit Hollow and Blue Top. I have played Amana though, so do have an opinion.
All 3 courses are great, as far as I’m concerned. I would put Blue Top Ridge above the other 2, but not by much. What puts it at the top for me is that it has always been immaculate when I’ve played it. There are also 5-6 sets of tees you can play, and you will get a different course from each set. We played 54 holes one day, and 3 different tees...had a great time.
I think Amanas would be #2, but it’s a course that can vary considerably depending on when you go. It has been mentioned, but it is cut out of a lot of trees. When you play that course, you feel like you are all alone on each hole. It really is great. There are really cool holes too. Now...some of the negatives:
- it is low lying, and does not drain well. If there has been rain in the area, it will be soggy...really soggy in a lot of places
- Mosquitoes can be down right thick there...again, depending on time of year and recent weather
- they sometimes don’t take care of their bunkers like they should. I’ve played it before where you simply couldn’t play out of them without risk of breaking your club or your back
- the greens can be rough, simply because the trees are so thick, some don’t get enough sunlight
Don’t let those “negatives” discourage you though. It really is a great course.
As for Spirit Hollow...I rank it 3rd, but that may be because I’ve only played it a couple of times. There are some really, really cool holes. There are also some though that look like you’re playing Otter Creek (not horrible, but not what i would expect from what is billed the best course in Iowa by some publications).
In short...this would be a great golf road trip. You should do it.
