Val Brooks at Brooks Golf Club

Brooks Golf Club sits along the shores of West Lake Okoboji in northwest Iowa's lake district, a region known for its glacial lakes and rolling terrain. The course was designed by Warren Dickenson, a regional architect active in the mid-twentieth century who worked primarily across the upper Midwest. The layout takes advantage of the natural topography shaped by glacial activity, with elevation changes and wooded corridors that distinguish it from the flatter agricultural land typical of much of Iowa.

The routing moves through mature hardwoods and offers occasional views of West Lake Okoboji, one of only three blue water lakes in the world due to its depth and clarity. The property's varied terrain provides strategic interest, with doglegs that follow the land's contours and green sites that incorporate natural slopes. Several holes play along higher ground with views across the water, while others descend into more protected, tree-lined sections of the property.

Brooks Golf Club serves as a private facility and has been a fixture in the Okoboji community for decades, part of the area's summer resort culture that draws visitors from across the region. The course reflects the straightforward, playable design philosophy common to many Midwestern layouts from its era, emphasizing shot values suited to the terrain rather than artificial hazards. The combination of lakeside setting and wooded, rolling land gives the course a character distinct from typical prairie layouts found elsewhere in Iowa.