Ed. note: Some courses were omitted from our rankings because they did not receive enough votes.
The best golf courses in Iowa (2022/2023)
1. Davenport CC (Pleasant Valley) [1]
Colt & Alison is a legendary name in golf-course design but most golfers don’t realize that Harry Colt never returned to North America after 1914. Therefore, many Colt & Alison courses in the U.S. actually are solo Alison designs, like this one, which opened in 1924. Similar to Milwaukee Country Club and Kirtland outside of Cleveland, this river valley property was blessed with a stream (an off-shoot of the Mississippi River) that runs through it. Alison took maximum advantage of the water feature at such holes as the par-5 9th, where the stream runs the length of the hole; the dramatic one-shot 10th, which plays diagonally across the river valley; and the famous downhill 16th, at which you cross the stream from the elevated tee. Though set on higher ground, the course’s best hole might be the 440-yard 7th, a showpiece in how to drape a hole over interesting landforms.
2. The Cedar Rapids CC (Cedar Rapids)
3. The Harvester Club (Rhodes)
4. Wakonda Club (Des Moines)
5. Des Moines Golf and Country Club – South (West Des Moines)
How we rank our courses
For GOLF’s course rankings lists, each panelist is provided a list of hundreds of courses and “buckets,” or groupings. If they believe the course to be among the best in its category (World, U.S. Value, etc.), they check the corresponding box to place it in a specific bucket. Panelists are also free to write in courses they felt should have been included on the ballot. Points were assigned to each bucket; to arrive at an average score for each course, we divide its aggregate score by the number of votes. From those point tallies, the courses are then ranked accordingly.
The key to the process is the experience and expertise of our panel. Hailing from 15 nations and all the worldwide golf meccas, each of our 115 handpicked panelists has a keen eye for architecture, both regionally and globally. Many of our panelists have played more than 1,000 courses in 20-plus countries.
Because we don’t prescribe a set method to assess courses as other ranks do, no one opinion carries the day — our rank is a democracy. Some panelists believe that enjoyment is the ultimate goal, and thus prioritize design attributes such as width and playing angles, while frowning on upon having to constantly hunt for balls in thick rough. Other panelists value challenge and the demands of hitting every club in the bag. Still others consider a course’s surroundings and overall environment of paramount importance, thereby emphasizing the setting and naturalness of the course. In the end, allowing raters to freely express their tastes is what produces the desired eclecticism in our Top 100 lists.
Panelist integrity is vital. Voters with any ties or associations to eligible courses must flag such conflicts. Panelists also know not to let the quality of their play influence their ballot — same for a luxe experience or clubhouse. While opulence may make for a more a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s course lists are about. Our focus is on design and architecture. We study the course, not the trappings around it.
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