The best courses you can play in Iowa
Course Vaults is a golf course logging app where members have logged 1,498 rounds in Iowa and rate what they played. These are the 21 highest-rated public courses across Iowa, ranked by those community scores.
Lake Panorama National Golf Course
Panora, IA, USAPublicDick Watson
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
Great layout of a track, good shape. Some holes feature good water locations and strategic bunkers. Overall can’t say anything bad about it, but also nothing really blows you away.
Written by
@Kw3
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Putting area
Amana Colonies Golf Club
Amana, IA, USAPublicWilliam J. Spear
- 3.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- 1.0Facilities
- Must play
- Fast greens
Bent Tree Golf Club
Council Bluffs, IA, USAPublicJeff Brauer
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.8Layout
- 4.2Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 2.6Facilities
Enjoyed my time out at Bent Tree. Just outside Omaha and across the state line into Iowa, Bent Tree shows off its rolling hills with a ton of up and down tee shots and approach shots. Greens are solid and the layout is pretty fun.
Written by
@DuaneL21
- Driving range
- Must play
- Hidden gem
Tournament of Iowa
Tournament Club of Iowa
Polk City, IA, USAPublicArnold Palmer
- 3.8Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.8Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Strategic
- Challenging
- Driving range
Finkbine Golf Course
Iowa City, IA, USAPublicRobert B. Harris
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Blue Top Ridge
Riverside Casino & Golf Resort
Riverside, IA, USAPublicRees Jones
Coldwater Golf Links
Ames, IA, USAPublicTripp Davis
Honey Creek Golf Club
Boone, IA, USAPublicBradford Benz
Otter Creek Golf Course
Ankeny, IA, USAPublicDonald Ripple
- 4.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
Legacy Golf Club
Norwalk, IA, USAPublicJeff Brauer
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Shoreline Golf Course
Carter Lake, IA, USAPublicPatrick Wyss
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 3.5Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
- Driving range
- Putting area
- Walkable
The Ridge Golf Club
Sioux Center, IA, USAPublicJerry Slack
South
Beaver Creek Golf Club
Grimes, IA, USAPublicJerry Reible
- 3.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
The Falls
Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort
Larchwood, IA, USAPublicBryce Swanson
- 3.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
Fun course. Pretty easy, but for a vacation round it’s a plenty fine resort course. Wide open fairways and big greens.
Written by
@Colinarmi
Waveland Municipal Golf Club
Des Moines, IA, USAPublicWarren Dickenson
- 2.0Conditions
- 2.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- Underrated
- Great value
Whispering Creek Golf Club
Sioux City, IA, USAPublic
Veenker Memorial Golf Course
Ames, IA, USAPublicPerry Maxwell
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Pristine
Terrace Hills Golf Course
Altoona, IA, USAPublic
- 3.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
Championship
Jester Park Golf Club
Granger, IA, USAPublicDick Phelps
- 4.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
West
Beaver Creek Golf Club
Grimes, IA, USAPublic
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Dodge Riverside Golf Club Club
Council Bluffs, IA, USAPublic
- 3.0Conditions
- 2.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 2.5Scenery
- 2.3Facilities
- Walkable
Explore more Iowa rankings
How we rank
Course Vaults ranks public golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public or guest-friendly courses. State pages include public golf courses across Iowa. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
FAQ
Common questions about public course rankings in Iowa.
The top public golf courses in Iowa on Course Vaults are led by Lake Panorama National Golf Course with a Course Vaults score of 8.0. This page ranks 21 courses, including Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Amana Colonies Golf Club, Bent Tree Golf Club.
Course Vaults ranks public golf courses by Course Vaults Score (CV score), a community rating from golfers who have played and rated each course. Only open courses with at least 5 explicit ratings qualify, and this list is limited to public or guest-friendly courses. State pages include public golf courses across Iowa. Rankings refresh about hourly as new ratings come in; each page shows when it was last generated.
Yes. The Iowa list ranks public golf courses across the state that meet Course Vaults eligibility (open, public or guest-friendly courses, and at least 5 explicit ratings).
Lake Panorama National Golf Course is currently #1 among public courses in Iowa on Course Vaults at 8.0 out of 10.
This ranking was last refreshed Nov 12, 2026, 3:37 AM EST. The page revalidates about every hour as golfers add new explicit ratings that meet the 5-rating minimum.
