Golf Courses Near Ames, IA

Ames, located 35 miles north of Des Moines in central Iowa, is most famous for being the home of Iowa State University and its Cyclones sports teams. Golf may be overshadowed by wrestling, basketball and football at ISU, but Ames offers a number of tee time options, including Veenker Memorial Golf Course, which is owned and operated by Iowa State. Veenker is a tough test thanks to its elevation changes, abundance of mature trees, and target -style holes that bring a creek into play. Coldwater Golf Links is a unique links-style layout with lots of water, tall grass, and forced carries. Homewood Golf Course, Ames’s nicely varied but short 9-hole muni, is well suited for all levels of players, as is River Bend Municipal Golf Course, another 9-hole layout that rambles over flat terrain in nearby Story City. Keep an eye out for Hot Deals at River Bend and at Otter Creek Golf Club, a highly regarded 18 in Ankeny. In Boone, Honey Creek Golf Club has a rousing back nine.

Ames is a small city that is dominated by Iowa State University. The campus is beautiful, especially in fall when the tree foliage bursts with color. ISU boasts a number of museums, the largest murals by the famed Iowa artist Grant Wood, and the Reiman Gardens, one of the top public rose gardens in the nation. Iowa State’s basketball and wrestling teams play to big crowds on campus at Hilton Coliseum. Nightlife in Ames has a college-town flavor and is concentrated close to campus. To enjoy a full range of city attractions, Des Moines makes for a nice day trip.