It’s July and we are in Iowa prepping for RAGBRAI. What is RAGBRAI you ask? Well RAGBRAI is an acronym that stands for the Register’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa. Click this link for more details but basically it is the largest bike-touring event in the world that runs across the state of Iowa from west to east – covering 500 miles in 7 days!!
Since we are spending a month in Iowa riding and getting in saddle time, we thought we would kill two birds with one stone and get another state sticker added to our Golf-in-all-50-states Bucket List.
Of course the only way to do that is to play some golf!
As we drove up the road to the entrance and looked out over the farm fields surrounding the course, I immediately started humming “America the Beautiful” with….“amber waves of grain”
My breath was just taken away by the beauty of this country.
5 tee boxes to choose from
Our check-in was quick and we were at the first tee box and ready to play in record time.
While waiting to tee off, we met two groups of golfers who were eager to share tips and insights about the course with us. They pointed out the unique rolling hills and elevated greens that would pose fun yet challenging shots for us during our round. They were excited to play their home course and not bored with anything the course had to offer.
Marc getting some insider tips from the course regulars.
There was excitement in their voices as they told us about Amana Colonies Golf Course.
It is always a good sign when people love the course they play every week and even a better sign when they are excited to share their joy with us.
Our playing partner – Patrick!
We were paired with Patrick, a retired Professional Baseball Umpire, who was an absolute joy to play with.
Patrick was funny, had a lovely, solid swing and was an overall nice guy.
It is true – you meet some of the best folks on the golf course!
One of the first things I noticed while waiting to tee off was this course offered 5 sets of tee boxes, ranging from 5,228 to 6,824 yards. I usually score my best rounds at 5,000 (+/-), and seeing the forward tees at 5,228 meant this could possibly be a good scoring day for me!
(And for the record – it was!)
The second thing I noticed was the very hilly terrain, along with several elevation changes, a number of ponds, and striking scenery.
This was going to be a great day of golf!
With many of the holes having a dogleg left or right, Amana Colonies Golf Club made the fairways nice and wide where the tee shot should land. This was very helpful because, as I have mentioned earlier, there are LOTS of hills. This would then lead to a forced carry over a ravine or a well placed shot to make it to the top of the hill. If I didn’t make it to the landing area, my ball would roll back 50 feet or so.
This is not your flat, non-descript, municipal golf course. However, both Marc and Patrick commented that several holes were laid out virtually the same. The personality and difficulty of the course came from the hills and slope of the course’s design.
Truth is this is a challenging course, with many trees, tough slopes and tricky greens.
Throughout the round Marc applied his “grip it and rip it” kind of play and we all had some fun.
I thought the course was in fabulous condition, and the scenery along the way was grand. Every part of the course was spectacular. Heck, even the range has a beautiful view!
Because of the way the course was carved out of the hillside, Amana Colonies Golf Club had the feeling that we were the only ones out there. Each hole had full separation from the next. With a lot of trees and undulation. Giving the true feeling of one hole at a time.
I love this traditional type of golf course. Not feeling rushed or hurried along. Being able to stop and embrace my surroundings of the course.
Lets not forget the important additions to any good round of golf….
The Beverage Cart and Bathrooms.
Emma – the cart attendant
Beverage Cart –Emma was a great cart girl! She came around to check on us many times. And as the day grew warmer she was a sight for sore eyes…. providing us with thirst quenching beverages, ice and a great smile.
Bathrooms – The only thing that may have been lacking on the course was the facilities. There were two port-a-johns on the course (one on the front nine and one on the back nine) as well as the clubhouse at the turn. However, it would have been perfect with two more chances to relieve the pressure. Because let’s face it – It is not as easy for me to find a “tree” as it is for the boys when the pressure is on.
Saw this little fawn on the course
I can easily see why the Amana Golf Club consistently ranks as one of the top public courses in Iowa.
If you are going to be visiting the Amana Colonies area of Iowa and want to play some golf, I recommend you play the Amana Colonies Golf Club!
Based on our score card rating – I would rate the Amana Colonies Golf Club a Birdie!
Kathy & Marc,
Thanks for a great day of golf at Amana today, 7/19!
While the golf balls didn’t always go where we wanted it to, it was still
a good day to be playing! Have a great bike ride across Iowa and wonderful
summer of travel and golf!
John – We enjoyed our round with you! Our RAGBRAI ride was a “hot and hilly” one for sure! Fairways and Greens….XoXo….Kath
Kathy & Marc,
Thanks for a great day of golf at Amana today, 7/19!
While the golf balls didn’t always go where we wanted it to, it was still
a good day to be playing! Have a great bike ride across Iowa and wonderful
summer of travel and golf!
John – We enjoyed our round with you! Our RAGBRAI ride was a “hot and hilly” one for sure! Fairways and Greens….XoXo….Kath