Bos Landen Golf Resort

The rolling farmland thirty miles southeast of Des Moines provides an unexpectedly dramatic canvas for this Dutch-themed layout, where water hazards mirror the region's agricultural heritage while challenging every level of player. Designer Michael Hurdzan crafted elevated tees that showcase Iowa's surprising topography, particularly on the signature par-3 14th that plays over a scenic pond to a peninsula green guarded by native prairie grasses. The conditioning rivals any private club in the Midwest, with bent grass fairways that reward precise iron play and greens complex enough to make you forget you're paying public rates.