Golf in the State of Iowa
Iowa, often known as the Hawkeye State, is located in the middle of the nation's corn belt and shares borders with Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as the Missouri, Big Sioux and Mississippi Rivers. The state capital Des Moines boasts 40 of the state’s 397 golf venues, with 19 each in the smaller metropolitan centers of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, 14 in Sioux City, 13 in Iowa City and 11 each in Ames and Davenport.
Highly-ranked, championship Spirit Hollow Golf Course, Burlington, with its sudden elevation changes, will provide a challenging test of skills and discipline. Bent Tree Golf Club, Council Bluffs, has its own sudden elevation changes coupled with swirling winds on many holes providing an additional challenging feature. Historic 18-hole Spencer Municipal Golf Course is well-managed by the City of Spencer and very affordable. The 18-hole Bunker Hill Golf Course, Dubuque, is a fun course for the whole family.
Born in Iowa City, Zach Johnson won the 2007 Masters. Jack Fleck, born in Bettendorf, once beat Ben Hogan to win the US Open in 1955. Doug Dunakey, born in Waterloo, in 1998 became only the 4th player to ever shoot a 59 on a major tour. Winner of 3 LPGA tournaments, Judy Kimball, born in Sioux City, has been inducted into both the Iowa Golf Hall lof Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Bob Fry, from Keokuk, was partly responsible for creating the Quad City Open, which later became the John Deere Classic, and for a time designed and tested new equipment for Wilson Sporting Goods.