River Valley Golf Course

Reviews about River Valley Golf Course

• 5 / 5

  By Kevin H
  We had a great time over Labor Day weekend! We get together with high school buddies once a year for a golf weekend somewhere in the Midwest. This year we were in Des Moines, so we chose River Valley for our Saturday round and we are glad we did. It was hot as blazes outside and the Iowa's first game of the season was on. The owner and staff went out of their way to make us feel at home. They even re-arranged the couches to better see the tv and brought us drinks while we watched the game before we started our round. The course was in great shape and it made me wonder why I had not played there in a while. There are a lot of great holes on the course but #5 is always a fun challenge. Lay up or go for it? The 18th green is hard to describe but never land it on the upper tier unless the pin is up there. Even then the middle tier is a safer bet. The course is well worth the short drive not matter where you are in the Des Moines area. Thanks for allowing us to "take our time" and visit while we played. See you soon!
  April 24, 2017
• 4 / 5

  By Jim Dandy
  This course has come back quite a bit after the mismanagement of the past few years. I actually made it a point to avoid this course the past 6+ years because the owner simply seemed not to care about the conditions nor the high end prices he was charging. Gave in and played it twice this year in tournaments and once as a foursome and the changes are very noticeable. The fairways are back to being very lush, the greens are in great shape, the green fees were more than reasonable once again and the staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. With the direction that things seem to be going I will have no problem bringing my business to River Valley in the future.
  
  My only real complaint would be the season pass pricing - $1400+ for a seven day pass when I can get the same pass at Panorama National (one of the top public courses in Iowa) for $625 and an extra 10 minutes of driving seems way out of line. Even the Des Moines courses are around $1000 for the same pass. If the pricing were to come down to something reasonable I would have to give River Valley some serious consideration as I have always enjoyed playing the course.
  January 26, 2017
• 3 / 5

  By Jim Halligan
  Clubhouse is nice, price is nice, course is not. I came down here for business and decided to play one of the courses in the area. When I got here, there was literally one other group on the entire course. I paid my $15 and teed off on #10 to play 9 holes after I got off work. Layout is extremely easy. Another review below says it's for beginners to almost-tour players. It's not. It's for beginners. Wide open. Greens roll pretty true. Fairways were absolutely fried and what grass there was looked to be in rough shape. Ground was extremely hard too, but that might be an Iowa thing.
  
  Overall, it was a decent experience though. Nice relaxing round on an easy track with the course to myself after a long day of work. I'll take it.
  
  OH, I almost forgot. This is for the owners of the course. #12... this hole is absurd. You can't have a blind par 3. There are 8-foot tall weeds that block any view of the green, so if you don't have a cart (I didn't) and you're playing it for the first time, you have to go by the distance and the picture on the sign. I ended up taking my 155-yd club from the blacks, hit it WAY off the toe, and still ended up on the very back of the green. TRIM THOSE WEEDS and redo the yardage on that hole. There's no way it's more than 130 yds.
  August 26, 2016
• 5 / 5

  By Scott Wright
  We played a 4 person best shot, for the Earlham Freedom Fest, the course was in perfect shape even after a heavy rain, the greens mowed perfectly, the fairways drained exceptionally well considering the rain fall before our tournament. The staff was very friendly. The meal after was very good food. This course has always been a favorite of mine. Definately will be back ,and advise other golfers to come play this course, you won't be disappointed.
  June 19, 2016