Favorite Golf Courses

enisthemenace

Well-Known Member
Dec 5, 2009
12,932
8,614
113
Runnells, IA
Playing Bos Landen? In Pella here shortly. Anyone play there before? I've heard good things and $25 for 18 and a cart can't be beat.

A lot of blind shots, but a good track for the most part.

1. Relatively straight par 4, but tee shot is blind. There is a little pond to the right of the landing area, but still a little room there...not much, but a little. Green is guarded by a bunker in the front.

2. Par 5 with another blind tee shot. It doglegs right as you go down the hill. If you hit a decent shot off the tee...playing out to the left side of the fairway, you can reach in 2. Better to be able to try and run it up, because going over the green leaves a pretty tough pitch/chip

3. Short par 3 that is straight downhill. Pretty cool shot, because your tee shot will be in the air a long time. If you hit the green, you will hear a good "splat".

4. Tough hole. Unless you're a big hitter off the tee, you will have to layup short of a creek that runs through the fairway, leaving a long iron into a shallow green. Long of the green is dead, and a bunker covers the front left.

5. Long par 5. It's a 3 shot par 5 for most. Pretty straight forward though. Just play down the left side, because trees down the right

6. Nothing special par 3. Green can be tough though, depending on pin placement

7. Short, dogleg left. You don't want to hit it through the fairway, because there isn't much room before you fall straight down to the area around the 4th green, but you want to hit it far enough so you don't have to negotiate trees on the left side of the corner for your approach

8. Straight forward, uphill par 4. The 2nd can be tough to judge. I usually bailout right, and come in with a middle iron.

9. Straight forward par 4. Put your tee shot at the top of the hill, and you have a wedge/9I into the green

10. I've actually come close to driving this hole, and I've also put up a big number or two. The tee shot is very important, as there is trouble both sides. Hit something you can keep in the fairway, and there shouldn't be many problems

11. Straight away par 5. Grip and rip. Trash left, but I've played out of it, and it's not terrible

12. Dogleg right around a pond. Birdie opp IMO, because you should be able to have a short iron into a pretty receptive green

13. Par 3 over the pond your playing around on 12. To me, it's always been deceptively longer than it looks off the tee. Big green.

14. Get ready for "the stupid". The one hole that makes absolutely no sense on this course. You have no choice but to layup off the tee, but you can't layup too far back, because there is a lot of trash to fly on your 2nd layup, to a relatively small landing zone. The green is elevated so much you probably won't be able to see the pin, so make sure you take a mental note of where it is during your 2nd shot. Green slopes severely back to front, so going long on your 3rd is trouble. Left and right of the green are both "dead". If you're going to miss the green, short is the best option, but that's not even good, becaus the slope up to that green is so steep, they hardly ever mow it, so you're chilling out of long grass. A 6 is a really good score here, IMO

15. Sweeping dogleg right par 4. If you can hit a high shot off the tee, you can cut a lot, and I mean A LOT, of the corner. I've left myself 60 yards into this green multiple times. Playing straight out isn't a bad play though. Just leaves a longer approach

16. Longish par 3, over trash in front. Pretty cool looking hole.

17. A bit gimmicky. I've seen guys drive this hole, but that is really risking. To the point of making no sense. Hit a hybrid or high fairway wood straight out to clear the cart path, and you'll have a 2nd into another elevated green to the left.

18. There is a lot of trouble on this hole, but a pretty accessible landing area if you use the right club off the tee. Take one extra than you think you need to clear the skinny creek, and you have a manageable 2nd over a pond into the green

Have fun. It's a really good track, except #14. One of my favorites.
 

cloneu

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2007
4,674
293
83
Urbandale
www.golfdsm.com
What is Hazeltine like? Do you belong there?

Not a member and haven't played there since a high school tournament in 2002. It was the first time I played a course where you got "penalized" almost every bad shot you had. Also the tee boxes were cut lower than the greens I was used to playing in northeast Iowa.
 

jbindm

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2010
13,073
7,604
113
Des Moines
Bump. Looking for a recommendation for next week on a rare day off. I can get 2-for-1 greens fees for Copper Creek, Toad Valley, or Terrace Hills. I've played Toad Valley once before and it was OK. Are they all more or less the same or does one stand out in terms of difficulty?
 

cyclonespiker33

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
Jan 19, 2011
14,733
7,945
113
Favorite Played:

1: Des Moines Golf and Country Club (North Course)
2: Ames Country Club
3: Jester
4: Elmcrest Country Club
5: A.H. Blank

#HumbleBrag
 

BillBrasky4Cy

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 10, 2013
15,397
28,034
113
Bump. Looking for a recommendation for next week on a rare day off. I can get 2-for-1 greens fees for Copper Creek, Toad Valley, or Terrace Hills. I've played Toad Valley once before and it was OK. Are they all more or less the same or does one stand out in terms of difficulty?

I would go with Copper Creek. Don't leave the ball above the hole!

I played Terrace last year for the first time and it is kind of a hidden gem. Very reasonable green fees and the course was in really good shape. The greens were a little on the slow side but other than that i really enjoyed the course.

Toad Valley has come a long ways over the last 10-15 years or so. Greens are still really slow but the course is in much better shape. Anyone remember when you could BYOB because Toad didn't have a liquor license? That place was a **** show!
 
  • Like
Reactions: enisthemenace

enisthemenace

Well-Known Member
Dec 5, 2009
12,932
8,614
113
Runnells, IA
I would go with Copper Creek. Don't leave the ball above the hole!

I played Terrace last year for the first time and it is kind of a hidden gem. Very reasonable green fees and the course was in really good shape. The greens were a little on the slow side but other than that i really enjoyed the course.

Toad Valley has come a long ways over the last 10-15 years or so. Greens are still really slow but the course is in much better shape. Anyone remember when you could BYOB because Toad didn't have a liquor license? That place was a **** show!

BYOB was the only reason to play there back in the day. Basically just a cow pasture with a little bit shorter grass in some places. It is where I learned to play though, so there is some sentimental value. Back to the point...it was great when they didn't have a liquor license. "**** show" is 100% accurate.

Of the 3, Copper is by far the best. Two completely different courses. Front is wide open and "long"er until #9. #9 will give you a 'gulp' moment when you get to the tee box if you've never played there, as it is completely blind.

The back is much tighter, with the exceptions being 11, 13 and 14, but it is very short by comparison. Can really experiment with club choices, and still score. #15 is a really short par 3 that used to be damn near impossible...at least for me. Plays about 100 yards (or less), and it used to have a really tall tree about 20 yards short right that hung over the sight line. Back then, there was really no good way to get it close if the pin was in the front. A few years ago...someone had had enough of that tree. Poisoned it with roundup (or at least that is the urban legend). Good course.

Terrace is OK too. They've done a little work in the last few years, but it's basically been the same for 30+ years. Pretty big, flat greens (for the most part). A couple challenging holes, but nothing too crazy. #10 is the #1 handicap and it's a straight away par 4 that's not particularly long. There is OB left, a group of trees right that is about as far as an average player hits to (jail), and 2nd shot is usually blind (unless you hit a solid one off the tee) to a relatively narrow green.

Here I go again...
 

cyfan92

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2011
7,393
11,757
113
Augusta National Golf Club
The Harvester Golf Club is getting a redesign and moving from public to private.

Source is the owner Dickson Jensen:


It looks like the architect that is referenced likes to put in a lot of bunkers and native areas. Should be interesting to follow
 
Last edited:

FerShizzle

person/genius
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Feb 5, 2013
10,645
13,018
113
Des Moines
The Harvester Golf Club is getting a redesign and moving from public to private.

Source is the owner Dickson Jensen:


It looks like the architect that is referenced likes to put in a lot of bunkers and native areas. Should be interesting to follow

At $150 a round, it was already practically private.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: PlanoClone

TheJackWePack5

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2011
10,075
9,299
113
Ankeny, IA.
The Harvester Golf Club is getting a redesign and moving from public to private.

Source is the owner Dickson Jensen:


It looks like the architect that is referenced likes to put in a lot of bunkers and native areas. Should be interesting to follow

Played there on opening weekend in 2017. Very, very fun course.

Would be quite a bummer if they switched to private. I mean, it's already $120 for 18/cart.
 

3TrueFans

Just a Happily Married Man
Sep 10, 2009
59,378
53,367
113
44
Ames
The Harvester Golf Club is getting a redesign and moving from public to private.

Source is the owner Dickson Jensen:


It looks like the architect that is referenced likes to put in a lot of bunkers and native areas. Should be interesting to follow

I guess there are enough people that would pay to be a member even if they don't live near the course? Seems like it's smack dab in the middle of nowhere.
 

FerShizzle

person/genius
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Feb 5, 2013
10,645
13,018
113
Des Moines
I guess there are enough people that would pay to be a member even if they don't live near the course? Seems like it's smack dab in the middle of nowhere.
This is what always made me SMH. If they had built it between Bondurant and Ankeny, it would have been comparable to Glen Oaks, but instead they put it where they did.
 

Help Support Us

Become a patron