Jester Park Golf Club

Jester Park Golf Club's Par-3 course is located within Jester Park, a Polk County recreation area northwest of Des Moines near Granger, Iowa. The facility sits along the shores of Saylorville Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Des Moines River. Dick Phelps, a regional golf course architect active in Iowa and the upper Midwest during the latter half of the twentieth century, designed the layout. The course serves as an accessible introduction to the game and a practice venue for experienced players working on their short game. The routing takes advantage of the park's wooded, rolling terrain characteristic of central Iowa's glacial landscape. Holes play through mature hardwood stands and across modest elevation changes, with several offering views toward the lake. The design emphasizes variety in distance and shot requirements, with holes ranging from short pitch shots to longer iron approaches that test club selection and trajectory control. Natural features and strategic bunkering provide challenge appropriate to the format. Jester Park Golf Club functions as a public facility within the broader park system, which includes camping, trails, and other recreational amenities. The Par-3 course complements the property's regulation eighteen-hole layout, offering a quicker playing option for families, beginners, and golfers seeking focused practice. The setting integrates golf into a multi-use outdoor recreation destination serving the greater Des Moines metropolitan area.