Elmwood Country Club

I've been hearing about Elmwood Country Club for the past few years on Twitter. This old school Tom Bendelow design has a loyal following, and with updates being made under the watchful eye of David Hoekstra, Elmwood is definitely a must play in Iowa!

The first thing to know about Elmwood is it is very difficult. The greens are fairly severely sloped, and while not crazy fast, they are fast enough to be challenging. In addition to the slopes, many of the greens have false fronts or runoff areas. You need to stripe your irons well, or have your best short game to play well.

While short on the card at only 6168 yards from the back tees, Elmwood plays much longer than it's yardage. Tee shots are often landing into slopes and gathering into collection areas. I expected to hit wedges into several greens and that really wasn't the case.

The vibe around Elmwood is really cool and relaxed. You can tell the members are proud of their course, but also very welcoming to guests. There are Clam Shell style chairs and various locations around the course, which just adds to the relaxed vibe.

The pace of play is great. We walked the very hilly layout and still played in under 4 hours. We were never rushed, and never had to wait. It's not an easy walk, but with short distances from green to tee it is doable. That said, next time I'll probably take a cart.

Elmwood is a really tough, but fair, golf course. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're able. I