Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort
Riverside, Iowa
7,505 yards, par 72
Green fees: $55-$80
877-677-3456, riversidecasinoandresort.com
This is golf's answer to
Field of Dreams — a
sporting oasis in the
middle of an Iowa
cornfield. Blue Top Ridge
is a brawny Rees Jones
design that boasts
remarkable variety, with
three different landforms.
The front nine begins in a
prairie before descending
at the 4th to a river plain
(a trio of holes are set on
the Iowa River). The back
nine is carved into a
hillside that boosts the
requisite drama quotient.
There is a wonderful ebb
and flow to the course, but
the finishing stretch will
resonate, especially the
gargantuan 665-yard 16th
hole, where a creek splits
the landing areas.