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kchacker said:
Then I'll stick with my recommendation of Gold Canyon/Dinosaur Mountain....or you can take Cyclone.TVs answer. Join the blue hairs for a good time.

Other options in that area (< 15 minutes) that are closer but not as good as Dinosaur Mountain are...
- Las Sendas (a decent course with some nice mountains, but you'll get some really strange bounces...course knowledge matters)

- Red Mountain Ranch (I actually don't care for this place, or really, any Pete Dye layout)

- Longbow (a good course. Very flat. It does get a lot of tournament play and tee boxes change the course difficulty drastically)

Any other public course in the east valley should be avoided.

Tempe, which is between you and TPC has...
- ASU Karsten (I think this is one of the most overrated courses in the city...go elsewhere)

- Papago (not a bad course, this is where the ASU golf teams are moving to)

You're already playing two very nice tracks. Scottsdale golf will be an absolute zoo surrounding the tournament so I won't recommend any of those courses, same for Fountain Hills. There are also some good courses out west but those would be 45-90 minutes, so I've left them off the list. If you were staying elsewhere, I would make some different recommendations.

All of the courses above will be cheaper than Troon/WeKoPa. Dinosaur is close, the rest should be significantly cheaper. Longbow may be around $150.
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Thanks man. As it ended up, because we procrastinated, we are playing one Troon course each afternoon and playing Legends Trail and Longbow in the morning as we kind of had to take what we could get for times that would work into getting us to troon in time. We will likely play Las Sendas and/or Red Mountain Sunday before we head out.
 
isu_ce said:
I think they're finally addressing the BS #11 and possibly putting a new tee in on #17.
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#11 is a complete horse **** hole. Glad they are addressing it.

A new topic probably could be “the most poorly designed holes (golf) in Iowa.”

That would certainly be on the list. There are many that could challenge it though.
 
BillBrasky4Cy said:
Interesting. I will be curious to see what they do to #11. Possibly move the tee boxes up and just make it a par 4?
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I want to say they were making the pond to the left smaller and extending the fairway so there is a larger landing area. Don't hold me to that though.
 
HardcoreClone said:
Anyone know how the transition to new management has gone at Jester? I believe Jester, Blank, Waveland, and Grandview are all under the same umbrella now?
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I think you're right. I know that the season passes allow you to play all three city courses and Jester. $900 (walking) for a season pass isn't bad for 4 courses.
 
Tre4ISU said:
Thanks man. As it ended up, because we procrastinated, we are playing one Troon course each afternoon and playing Legends Trail and Longbow in the morning as we kind of had to take what we could get for times that would work into getting us to troon in time. We will likely play Las Sendas and/or Red Mountain Sunday before we head out.
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You're still doing good. Tee times during February get crazy and during the TPC is peak craziness. WeKoPa has a more relaxing feel than Troon and the fairways play wider. Troon has more "miss the fairway by a few yards and the ball is gone" holes.

Given the choice between Las Sendas and Red Mountain, I'd play Las Sendas. Red Mountain is generally a bit more challenging, while the tee boxes you choose on Las Sendas make a big difference on the difficulty of the course. Las Sendas has some snoozer holes, but also has some very memorable ones.

A few years ago I went Tin Cup on a hole on the back nine at Red Mountain. Hit five balls off the tee, took a 13. It wasn't a good day. That may have something to do with my opinion of the course. Did play it twice a couple of months ago. It was in good shape. Haven't played Las Sendas since November, just after overseed.

I've never played Legends Trail so you can report back to me on that one. :)

One thing I left out - I played Dinosaur last month and it was in good shape, except the bunkers were awful. They hadn't been turned or groomed in forever. Price were still cheap then and I'm guessing they've cleaned them up by now. I hope.
 
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Cyclone.TV said:
Is that really how that hole was? Never played that course, but I hate that type of setup.
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If you are strong with the driver you can fly the pond but it takes a pretty good poke. An east wind takes that shot out of the equation though. If you can get over you are inside 200 yards on your approach shot though.
 
Just catching up:

Local courses -
Did not enjoy Waveland the one and only time I've played it. Blind shots and awkward lies galore. But I'm the guy that didn't know about Broheims until this thread, so who am I to judge? (Have played at the new Range + Grill, as been to several Top Golf locations.)

Veenker is my home course, although I'd blow up #7 and start over (or at least move the green up to just across the creek, and move the tee back by #6 green and still keep it a manageable par 5).

Stoked to hear Jester may finally be fixing what may be the worst designed golf hole I've ever played. Some mentioned it as a par 5, but I thought it we always played it as a 4 which is insane the way it is set up.

Beaver Creek is too gimmicky for my taste. Prefer Legacy in Norwalk if I'm ever down there. Done Harvester, TCI, Otter Creek, Coldwater, bunch of other muni's and CC's in the region.

Always hear good things about Finkbine, never been due to proximity to TOE. Also want to try Riverside.

Destination courses:
Haven't played too many that would be consider bucket list. When I play during work trips it usually seems to be at places most people wouldn't know (Del Monte, for example). Most memorable I would say has been Wolf Creek in Mesquite, AZ and Mississippi National in Red Wing, MN. Iron Horse in NE was pretty cool, as was Phantom Horse near Phoenix. Have been to (but not played) Augusta, Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach / Spyglass / Monterey 17-mile drive, Hazeltine. Want to get to Hawaii someday.

Man, now I'm jonesing to play!
 
What are some stay & plays you guys have done within reasonable driving distance of DSM?

We did Harvester last year and while it was fun, we'd like to try new places.
 
BillBrasky4Cy said:
If you are strong with the driver you can fly the pond but it takes a pretty good poke. An east wind takes that shot out of the equation though. If you can get over you are inside 200 yards on your approach shot though.
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Yes, but it's all uphill so 200 plays much longer. No reward for the risk off the tee, which is why it is so dumb.
 
TheJackWePack5 said:
What are some stay & plays you guys have done within reasonable driving distance of DSM?

We did Harvester last year and while it was fun, we'd like to try new places.
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It was mentioned a little earlier (not saying that to be a **** at all, just put it out there for those who have seen it), but here is a “stay & play” I would recommend. Did this last summer.

- Des Moines to Burlington to Riverside

Buddy and I did this and played 90 holes in 2 days. Left Des Moines really early and played 36 at Spirit Hollow. After Spirit, drove to Riverside and stayed at the casino. Woke up and played 54 at Blue Top Ridge.

Our original plan was to hit Amanas on the way back home, but they had an outing, so we just played extra at BTR instead.

Although exhausting, it’s a good time.
 
enisthemenace said:
It was mentioned a little earlier (not saying that to be a **** at all, just put it out there for those who have seen it), but here is a “stay & play” I would recommend. Did this last summer.

- Des Moines to Burlington to Riverside

Buddy and I did this and played 90 holes in 2 days. Left Des Moines really early and played 36 at Spirit Hollow. After Spirit, drove to Riverside and stayed at the casino. Woke up and played 54 at Blue Top Ridge.

Our original plan was to hit Amanas on the way back home, but they had an outing, so we just played extra at BTR instead.

Although exhausting, it’s a good time.
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Thanks, not sure how I missed that since I've read most posts.

Never played at BTR or Spirit Hollow so definitely am interested.
 
enisthemenace said:
It was mentioned a little earlier (not saying that to be a **** at all, just put it out there for those who have seen it), but here is a “stay & play” I would recommend. Did this last summer.

- Des Moines to Burlington to Riverside

Buddy and I did this and played 90 holes in 2 days. Left Des Moines really early and played 36 at Spirit Hollow. After Spirit, drove to Riverside and stayed at the casino. Woke up and played 54 at Blue Top Ridge.

Our original plan was to hit Amanas on the way back home, but they had an outing, so we just played extra at BTR instead.

Although exhausting, it’s a good time.
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54 in one day is just too much golf for me. The last 18-27 are just more of a grind than they are enjoyable.
 
SayMyName said:
Yes, but it's all uphill so 200 plays much longer. No reward for the risk off the tee, which is why it is so dumb.
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No Reward? I've hit as low as an 8 iron on my second shot on that hole. If the course is dry I always take driver off the tee but if it the course is soft I will just lay up. I hate that layup shot though I don't know what it is but it just messes with me.
 
SayMyName said:
Yes, but it's all uphill so 200 plays much longer. No reward for the risk off the tee, which is why it is so dumb.
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Speaking of dumb but I've played in golf outings where they move the mens tee up to the ladies tee to help with pace of play. The hole still plays as a par 5 even though you can dang near drive the green from that tee box.
 
Have Played:
1. Wolf Creek (Mesquite, NV)
2. Arnold Palmer Oasis (Mesquite, NV)
3. Devil's Tower (Hulett, WY)
4. DMGCC
5. Lake Panorama National (Panora, IA)

Want to play:
1. 3 Crowns Golf Course (Casper, WY)
2. Teton Pines (Wilson/Jackson, WY)
3. Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club (Jackson, WY)
4. Powder Horn Ranch & Golf Club (Sheridan, WY)
5. The Harvester (Rhodes, IA)

Bucket/Wish:
1. Augusta (GA)
2. Pebble Beach (CA)
3. Old Course St Andrews (Scotland)
4. Royal Melbourne (Australia)
5. Pinehurst No. 2 (NC)
 
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