Waveland

Set out on hilly, wooded terrain four miles to the west of downtown Des Moines, Waveland Golf Course was established in 1901, with local amateur champion Warren Dickinson routing eighteen holes around municipal property known as Waveland Park. Soon after, the layout was expanded to twenty-seven holes.

In the early 1930s, Des Moines Parks Department acquired New Deal and Public Works Administration funding which allowed a new clubhouse to be built and civil engineer Paul Coates – who had just finished the design of Keller in St. Paul – was engaged to refurbish the golf course over a period of two years.

The new I-235 road in the mid-1960s led to the loss of holes 7, 13 and 14. Larry Packard redesigned the layout, fitting new holes into the reduced acreage. Holes 2-4 are the result of his work, along with two new par threes at #10 and #13 (replacing the old 1st) and changing the current #14 from a par three to a par four hole.

The lightly-bunkered course isn’t that long at just over 6,500 yards but the tree-lined playing corridors demand accuracy off the tee and with the approach shot. Because of the sloping terrain, only around 30% of the 40,000 annual rounds on the course are played by walking golfers.

Interestingly, a solar observatory nestles in amongst the holes. Built in 1920 and still operated by Drake University, it’s home to the Des Moines Astronomical Society and is dedicated to Dr. Daniel Walter Morehouse. The observatory houses an 8½ inch refracting telescope and is open to the public on Friday nights during the spring.

The signature hole at Waveland arrives early at the 585-yard 3rd, rated stroke index 1. Nicknamed “The Tunnel,” this tough par five is tight all the way from tee to green. The drive demands precision to find the fairway then the second shot requires even greater care as the landing area narrows between two water hazards. For many, it’s a relief to finally reach the green on this hole.