Cedar Rapids, where have you been all my life?
I had seen the name buried in a few Iowa rankings, but outside of that, I knew almost nothing about it. I had never met anyone who had played it. Then I pulled into the club, looked across the property and spent the next four hours wondering how I had missed it.
Holy smokes, was it fun. That is the simplest and most important thing to understand about Cedar Rapids Country Club. It is straight-up fun. I could play this course every day and be completely happy.
The golf is excellent, but the feeling goes beyond the architecture. The setting, the openness, the clubhouse and the way the course returns to the club all make it somewhere you want to stay. This was one of the most surprising golf experiences I have had in the last decade.
A few details from the day
August 22, 2026
Ross Tees (Blue)
6,700 yards
80° and sunny
Breezy · roughly one club
Riding
First visit
We drove in from Davenport after playing Davenport Country Club the night before.
It had been an unusually wet and hot stretch across the Midwest, so the course was still recovering from a few burnt-out areas. Overall, though, it looked great and was playing firm and fast.
That firmness helped bring the slopes, contours and risk-reward decisions to life—exactly how you want to experience a Donald Ross course.
Ross introduces himself
The opening hole sits directly beside the pro shop and clubhouse dining area and immediately establishes the atmosphere. Then you reach the first green and remember that you are playing a Donald Ross course. The surface slopes severely from back to front.
No. 2 climbs to the top of a hill before dropping sharply away. No. 3 is a dogleg right leading to a two-tier green with a small pot bunker positioned directly in front. The opening stretch does not beat you over the head. It simply begins presenting decisions—and quietly demonstrates how quickly an imperfect shot can create trouble.
The opening stretch
Take on the creek
No. 6 was one of my favorite holes on the course. It is a par 5 played from an elevated tee with Indian Creek cutting completely across the fairway. From the blue tees, the carry was roughly 250 yards depending on the exact line.
The safe play is short of the creek. Or you can send driver. I hit one of the best drives I have ever hit. It carried the creek by perhaps five or ten yards and left me only around 160–170 yards into the green.
That single shot captures the appeal of the hole. The aggressive route offers a massive reward, but the creek is positioned so that the decision feels real. It is risk-reward golf without gimmicks.
The round takes off
No. 8 is a dramatic downhill par 3 with water guarding the left side of the green. A ridge divides the putting surface and makes the correct section far more important than simply hitting the green.
Find the right portion, take the par and move along.
Iowa Flag and Punchbowl
The fun continues
No. 10 plunges downhill from the central ridge. The fairway slopes aggressively toward the green, turning a well-shaped drive into something much bigger. It is another example of Cedar Rapids rewarding a confident shot without allowing the player to switch off afterward.
No. 12 is a beastly par 3. The back tee stretches to 285 yards. From the blue tees, we had roughly 220 directly into the wind. There is no elaborate visual trick. The distance is the drama. This is one where par feels like a win. Take it and get out of there.
Let it run
The hole was around 380 yards when we played. I hit a drive down the middle with a small draw and found it only about 10 or 15 yards short of the green. The reward is not finished there. You are still chipping into another severely back-to-front surface.
The volcano
No. 14 may provide the defining image of Cedar Rapids. The short par 4 plays toward an enormous green perched high on a mound above the flat ground surrounding it. I called it the volcano.
The putting surface sits roughly 20 feet above the surrounding ground, with steep banks falling away on every side. There is very little fringe. It appears to be almost entirely green sitting on top of the mound.
I arrived at the hole two under par and walked away with a double, which probably tells the story better than an architectural diagram could. It is breathtaking—and an unforgettable place to make double bogey.
One more decision
No. 15 is a strong par 5 and, for almost everyone, a genuine three-shot hole. Indian Creek follows the right side from the tee before cutting across the fairway near the green. The sensible route leaves a precise wedge for the third and a legitimate chance at birdie.
Two ways to play it
No. 16 is a short par 4 with two alternate greens. The additional green was built in late 2022 and early 2023, partly to create a more walkable routing and address a difficult maintenance area. It also allows the hole to change substantially depending on which green is in use.
No. 17 is another strong par 4, with Indian Creek again influencing the strategy around the green.
One last Ross green
The final hole climbs directly back toward the clubhouse. The green might be the most intense on the property. It contains two primary tiers and what feel like four smaller punchbowl-like quadrants.
I reached the 18th tee at even par. I hit my approach long, chipped back onto the surface and watched the ball travel across the green, over the false front and roughly 50 yards back down the hill. Another double. That is Donald Ross golf in miniature.
A place designed to make leaving difficult
The round ends immediately behind the clubhouse, patio and locker-room area. Off the pro shop, the club has three indoor simulators and a bar area. Members use them for tournaments through the Iowa winter.
Sadly, we had to leave for the airport. Being a member here would be an absolute blast.
Serious without taking itself too seriously
There is something about Donald Ross courses that speaks to me. They demand good shots, but they remain playable. Most importantly, they are fun.
Cedar Rapids captures that better than almost anywhere I have played. The routing changes pace constantly. The greens demand thought without making the entire experience feel punishing. The dramatic holes arrive at exactly the right moments.