The hardest golf courses in Council Bluffs, Iowa
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Council Bluffs, Iowa, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 19 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Carter Lake.
Champions Run Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 143, 75.5 course rating, Black tees, 7,188 yds
PrivateJeff Brauer
- 4.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Grass range
Shadow Ridge Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 142, 74.8 course rating, Championship tees, 7,013 yds
PrivateTom Sieckmann
- 4.5Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 4.2Facilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Black Bird/Gray Hawk
Indian Creek Golf Club
Elkhorn, NE, USASlope rating 136, 74.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,581 yds
PublicFrank Hummel & Mark Rathert
- 5.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Happy Hollow Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 136, 73.8 course rating, Gold tees, 6,802 yds
PrivateBob Lohmann & Rick Jacobsen
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.7Scenery
- 4.5Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Grass range
Omaha Country Club
Omaha, NE, USASlope rating 135, 74.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,801 yds
PrivateJohn Van Kleek & Keith Foster
- 5.0Conditions
- 5.0Layout
- 4.2Scenery
- 4.7Facilities
Omaha CC is a grand Golf Course. A ton of up and down rolling hills with bunker protected greens. You gotta hit fairways cause the rough is lush and difficult. If you’re ball striking is off, you’re in for a tough day. Really good routing and property.
Written by
@DuaneL21
- Challenging
- Must play
- Caddies
Tregaron Golf Course
Bellevue, NE, USA
Slope rating 131, 72.3 course rating, Gold tees, 6,508 yds
Bent Tree Golf Club
Council Bluffs, IA, USA
Slope rating 130, 74.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,022 yds
Eagle Hills Golf Course
Papillion, NE, USA
Slope rating 130, 71.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,515 yds
Shoreline Golf Course
Carter Lake, IA, USA
Slope rating 128, 72.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,639 yds
Tara Hills Golf Course
Papillion, NE, USA
Slope rating 127, 70.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,160 yds
The Knolls Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 125, 70.7 course rating, Championship tees, 6,149 yds
Benson Park Golf Course
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 123, 73.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,799 yds
Dodge Riverside Golf Club Club
Council Bluffs, IA, USA
Slope rating 123, 71.1 course rating, Black tees, 6,474 yds
Johnny Goodman Golf Course
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 121, 72.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,928 yds
Bay Hills Golf Course
Plattsmouth, NE, USA
Slope rating 121, 71.5 course rating, Blue tees, 6,411 yds
(Lakeshore) Council Bluffs Country Club
Council Bluffs, IA, USA
Slope rating 121, 70.4 course rating, Black tees, 6,348 yds
Miracle Hill Golf & Tennis Center
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 119, 70.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,431 yds
Pacific Springs Golf Club
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 112, 68.7 course rating, Blue tees, 5,979 yds
Elmwood Park Golf Course
Omaha, NE, USA
Slope rating 98, 62.0 course rating, Back tees, 5,003 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Council Bluffs, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Champions Run Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Council Bluffs, Iowa at Slope 143 (75.5 course rating · Black tees · 7,188 yds). 19 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Council Bluffs, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Council Bluffs, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:26 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
