Saddleback Ridge Golf Course

One group that went off early--7:00AM or so--held up the entire course and nothing could be done. I've played here a number of times and ran in to the same thing. A couple of our group members said they'd never come back because of that exact reason--pace of play and no remedy. They've continued to bump up the rates and frankly they've gotten out of hand for what the course offers. Yes, everyone needs to cover expenses, but with no bunkers on the course, it's basically mowing and watering. And the clubhouse prices for snacks/beverages are borderline offensive. $6 for a soda and candy bar?

Love the layout and the staff is always great (other than the older gentleman who checks in folks on the weekends is easily confused and takes twice as long as he should), but this place is pricing themselves--and pacing themselves--out of our rotation pretty quickly.

PACE: The one group that I caught let me play thru... Thank You!

CONDITIONS: Excellent. Tees, green, and rough were great. I did not see any bunkers on this course... but I didn't realize there weren't any bunkers until I thought about it.

STAFF: Friendly and helpful.

VALUE: Good deal... hope to play again and would recommend you give it a try to.

LAYOUT: The course goes up and down, and across, a big ridge (Saddleback Ridge). This creates a challenge for walkers (which I did), but this course can be walked. It's really fun the way the course uses the ridge to create challenges. I played this course on a day with no wind, but the whole time I thought about how difficulty it would/could be with a 15mph wind.

I had a lot of fun playing this course. Go give it a try.

Played here the day after the derecho hit Iowa. Driving to the course, it was evident power was still out and the same was true when we arrived. However, the staff was willing to take cash and sent us on our way. After seeing the destruction from the storm, we weren’t expecting much. But kudos to the superintendent and his team. After the storm passed, they were immediately out on the course cleaning up damage and by the next morning, despite no power, the course was in great condition though there was still damage cleanup to do on the boundaries.

The course itself is a delight and interesting to play. Only spotted two bunkers and minimal water, but thick rough provides plenty of penalty for wayward shots.

Six par 3s, 4s and 5s provide numerous scoring opportunies.

Front 9 is generally rolling with the short par four 3rd being the course’s outstanding hole. A large dead tree sits in the middle of the fairway, providing a challenge to avoid off the tee to set up a clear angle to the green. The par five 5th and 7th both require accurate second shots to set up approaches to greens sharply angled off the fairway line.

The back nine takes full advantage of the “Ridge” with all holes but one playing down the ridge, up to the ridge or along the ridge. The short par four 10th plays straight uphill to a pinched green. Back to back par fives 15 (downhill) and 16 (uphill) again have greens angled offset to the fairways. The course finishes with a short downhill dogleg par four which provides a good opportunity for a birdie finish.

Overall conditions were outstanding. Greens are quite interesting with a lot of movement and good speed.

Returned the next day (still no power) and warmly greeted by owner and staff. Enjoyed the course just as much, if not more, the second time around. Highly recommend.

Played the day after the derecho hit Iowa. It was clear driving to the course that power was still out in the area. When we arrived, the course was also without power, but they were happy to take cash and off we went.

First, have to complement the superintendent and his team. Even though many courses in the area were closed for several days after the storm, the crew had gone out immediately after the storm passed to do cleanup and the course was in great condition.

The course is entertaining and challenging. Six par 3s, par 4s and par 5s provide plenty of scoring opportunities. Only spotted two bunkers on the entire course, but thick rough provides plenty of penalty for wayward shots.

Front nine is relatively flat with only a couple holes playing either uphill or downhill. Thought hole 3 was the outstanding hole on the course. A short par 4 with a dead tree in the middle of the fairway that must be negotiated off the tee to provide a clear angle to the green. Par fives 5 and 7 both require good second shots to set up correct line to greens that are angled off to the left of the fairway.

Back nine makes great use of the “Ridge” with all but one hole playing up to, down from or along the Ridge. Short par four 10th plays straight uphill to a pinched green site. Back to back par fives on 15 (downhill) and 16 (uphill) again make use of angled offset greens to make the holes more challenging. Course ends with short downhill par four that doglegs hard left, but without hazards It sets up a great birdie chance to finish.

Greens were interesting and often challenging, but usually quite fair.

All in all, it was our favorite Iowa course on the trip.

P.S - played it again the following day and the course was still without power. Nonetheless, the owner and shop staff happily welcomed us back and we enjoyed it just as much, if not more, the 2nd day. Would definitely play it again.

This is my 2nd review of Saddleback. You can see my first review, posted on 5/4/2018. I wanted to post an update mainly to include some pictures, but also to make a few comments on current conditions.

The greens at Saddleback are absolutely perfect! They are rolling fast and true. The two main defenses for this course are the greens and the wind. When the greens are rolling quickly, the opportunity for 3 putts becomes a reality, but so does the opportunity to make some putts given how true they roll!

Just can't say enough about Saddleback Ridge. And at $34 to walk on a Friday morning, it's a great value. Pace of play is exceptional too. Our group finished 18 holes in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

Definitely add Saddleback Ridge to your must play list if you're in Eastern Iowa!

I've played Saddleback numerous times since moving to Eastern Iowa, but other than scrambles, it had been a few years since I played it.

With the late spring we're having here in Iowa, I was a little worried about the course conditions, but I shouldn't have been. Saddleback is in immaculate condition, as always. The greens were maybe a touch slow, but rolled very true. As the lady in the clubhouse told me, a little fertilizer and a little water works wonders.

Saddleback is unique in that there are 6 par 5s, 6 par 4s and 6 par 3s. The course meanders it's way up and down and across the ridge that runs through the middle of the course. The layout is very linksy, though it doesn't roll/bounce like a links course. The green complexes are huge and challenging. If you get on the wrong side of the greens, you'll have a difficult 2 putt.

The best thing about Saddleback is it's playable for all skill levels. In our 4 some we had 2 single digits and 2 bogey+ golfers. We all picked the right set of tees for our games and we all had some highlights and none of us left feeling bad about our round.

Off course, they have a nice range and a putting/chipping green. The bar inside has typical drinks and hot dogs/brats, but no real dinner service. And there is no on-site pro shop, though they do sell a few different types of golf balls and of course tees.

I highly recommend Saddleback Ridge if you're looking for a fun round of golf with friends.