Roughing it, golf style. The greens are usually well groomed. You can, for the most part, be yourself. Winter rules year-round. Clubhouse has a bar and snacks.

Roughing it, golf style. No valet parking, no restroom attendant. Clubhouse is a bit rundown, but it works. Fairways can seem more like the rough. Not professionally landscaped. Winter rules year-round.

The Rolfe Golf Course proves that you don’t need sand traps and water features to have a challenging round of golf. This 9-hole course is one of the oldest golf courses in the area, and the many trees show for it. Two old brick pillars greet golfers at the driveway that leads one right to the middle of the golf course, where the clubhouse sits among the tall evergreens that frustrate even seasoned golfers at the seventh hole. A public golf course, this property was originally a dirt race track. You can still see some evidence of the old track on holes #2, #3, #4, and #8, which create unique challenges for golfers. The golf course was later donated to the city of Rolfe with the stipulation that young golfers (high school age and younger) could golf free. The first hole features four bunkers that surround and guard the greens quite nicely, normally with tall grass growth at the bottom of the bunkers. Golfers should note that the fairways on the first and second holes are bisected by the driveway to the clubhouse, and need to watch for traffic before driving their ball from the tee box. Driving from the second tee box, one has to watch their slice, lest they lose their ball to the gravel road on the right. Just passed the driveway is the first evidence of the old race track and can stop balls from advancing if they get little air. In May of 2004, a tornado took out many of the mature trees around that area of the fairway that would grab balls out of the air and almost literally throw them back at you. Surveying the scene from the tee box at hole #3, you might be able to notice that prior to the May 2004 tornado that this fairway doglegged to the left with a small forest of trees almost squarely in front of the tee box. This patch of trees was sucked up in the tornado, along with destroying the cart garages just to the north. The fourth hole is a 3-par with a large men’s tee mound and a smaller women’s tee area. The men’s tee mound previously had best shade in the whole course prior to the 2004 tornado. This hole is unseemingly tricky, because if you over-shoot and your ball is seen flying past the large columnar trees behind the green then the cornfield (or bean field depending on the year), has eaten your ball. You can also get suck in the dips and valleys of the remnants of the old race track if you hit the ball too short on this hole. The fifth hole is a par-5 with the nasty cornfield to the right, so aim toward the clubhouse if you have a mean slice. This is as straight and flat, and least hazardous as you can get for this course. The biggest obstacle is the golf ball magnet in the cornfield. If you are straight shooter and can stay away from that, you can birdie this hole easily. The quaintness of this course can be seen at the tee boxes for holes 6 and 8, where a small, weathered gazebo and archaic water faucet can be found. The perfect way to cool off on a hot day of golfing is to splash yourself with the rusty essence of this fountain. Teeing off towards the sixth hole (look east, the 8th hole is to the north), you won’t be able to see the green because of the small gradual hill facing you, but it is right there on the other side. If you hit hard worm-burners and can get your ball over the hill, it’ll help your ball get closer to the green. The big hazards here are the gravel road and its accompanying deep ditch to the right and the forest of trees to the left. The green is set up on a rather high mound, so if you have to chip your ball, you don’t want it to roll or you will be weaving a basket with all the running back and forth across the green. The seventh hole can be a challenge for just about anyone. The fairway is a very narrow area of play between two evergreen forests. It may not even be considered much of a fairway, since the heavy overgrowth limits grass from growing and exposes much of the coveted black topsoil that makes Iowa such a fertile place. Like large water ponds at other golf courses, people can easily lose balls on this hole. The trees have a way of grabbing balls out of mid air and making it close to impossible to find under the darkness of their shade. Once you get to the seventh green, don’t get confused with the practice green that lies right next to it. The eighth hole is a bit of a walk to the left of the seventh green, and if you are not driving a cart, it is customary to park your clubs just to the west of the seventh green, and take your driver, tee and ball to the eighth tee box (which is shared with the sixth tee box mound. Sometimes after a good hard rain, there is an unintended water hazard in the depression right in front of the 8th hole tee box, and at other times this area is so parched that the ground is crispy and rock-solid. Most of the time, you do not want to whiff your ball off this tee box. The green is just on the other side of the race track remnant and it slopes gradually toward you, but is mostly flat—just don’t let it fool you. The ninth and final hole is a nice, short 3-par shot with the green right next to the clubhouse. Again, be careful of the car and cart hazards on the driveway that intersects this fairway. The green, as with the fairway, on this final hole is straight-forward and easy to read. A breather after the many obstacles this course has presented in the previous holes. For those looking for beautiful professional, landscaped vistas at a golf course, this one will not satisfy you. But if you are looking for a diamond in the rough with an interesting layout, uniquely challenging hazards, and a very laid-back feeling, you’ll find it at the Rolfe Golf Club. Green fees are very, very reasonable. About five years ago, you could golf a round for $9 or golf the whole day for $27.

Customer Service

Roughing it, golf style. If you ask, they will get you what you want, but don't expect them to pamper you.

Similar Products Used:

This is located just outside a declining small town in rural Iowa, and considering, this is a wonderful facility for the locality and an asset to the community.