River Valley Golf Course

22927 Valley View Trail, Adel, IA 50003, USA

Address:	22927 Valley View Trail, Adel, IA 50003, USA
Phone:	+1 515-993-4029
Site:	rivervalleygolf.com
Rating:	3.5
Working:	9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM 9AM–5PM

Location

Photos 13

Reviews 8

Jim Halligan

Clubhouse is nice, price is nice, course is not. I came down here for business and decided to play one of the courses in the area. When I got here, there was literally one other group on the entire course. I paid my $15 and teed off on #10 to play 9 holes after I got off work. Layout is extremely easy. Another review below says its for beginners to almost-tour players. Its not. Its for beginners. Wide open. Greens roll pretty true. Fairways were absolutely fried and what grass there was looked to be in rough shape. Ground was extremely hard too, but that might be an Iowa thing. Overall, it was a decent experience though. Nice relaxing round on an easy track with the course to myself after a long day of work. Ill take it. OH, I almost forgot. This is for the owners of the course. #12... this hole is absurd. You cant have a blind par 3. There are 8-foot tall weeds that block any view of the green, so if you dont have a cart (I didnt) and youre playing it for the first time, you have to go by the distance and the picture on the sign. I ended up taking my 155-yd club from the blacks, hit it WAY off the toe, and still ended up on the very back of the green. TRIM THOSE WEEDS and redo the yardage on that hole. Theres no way its more than 130 yds.

Jim Dandy

This course has come back quite a bit after the mismanagement of the past few years. I actually made it a point to avoid this course the past 6+ years because the owner simply seemed not to care about the conditions nor the high end prices he was charging. Gave in and played it twice this year in tournaments and once as a foursome and the changes are very noticeable. The fairways are back to being very lush, the greens are in great shape, the green fees were more than reasonable once again and the staff was extremely pleasant and helpful. With the direction that things seem to be going I will have no problem bringing my business to River Valley in the future. My only real complaint would be the season pass pricing - $1400+ for a seven day pass when I can get the same pass at Panorama National (one of the top public courses in Iowa) for $625 and an extra 10 minutes of driving seems way out of line. Even the Des Moines courses are around $1000 for the same pass. If the pricing were to come down to something reasonable I would have to give River Valley some serious consideration as I have always enjoyed playing the course.

Jamey S

Played in their first Chilli Open this past weekend and had a good time playing. However, the group that I played with ended up winning the Open and we received $30 each in pro shop money and a sleeve of callaway golf balls. I felt cheated to get this prize considering we paid $45 each to enter the tournament. Whenever Ive placed at other tournaments with groups the winnings at least cover your entrance fee and normally are over $100 each. There were 31 groups (which is a large amount) playing which means the course received $5580 (31x4x45), not including concessions. Four flights got paid out with two places each. So at most I would think they paid out $880 ($120 x 4, $100 x 4) in pro shop money. and likely it was less. We did have some other course contests with prizes and got some chili for dinner, but still seems cheap overall. I would only recommend it if you dont care about prizes, just the group experience. Overall, the course was in okay shape. Its nothing special and the $40 (18 holes w/ cart) weekend price tag seems high for the quality.

Kevin H

We had a great time over Labor Day weekend! We get together with high school buddies once a year for a golf weekend somewhere in the Midwest. This year we were in Des Moines, so we chose River Valley for our Saturday round and we are glad we did. It was hot as blazes outside and the Iowas first game of the season was on. The owner and staff went out of their way to make us feel at home. They even re-arranged the couches to better see the tv and brought us drinks while we watched the game before we started our round. The course was in great shape and it made me wonder why I had not played there in a while. There are a lot of great holes on the course but #5 is always a fun challenge. Lay up or go for it? The 18th green is hard to describe but never land it on the upper tier unless the pin is up there. Even then the middle tier is a safer bet. The course is well worth the short drive not matter where you are in the Des Moines area. Thanks for allowing us to "take our time" and visit while we played. See you soon!

Kyle Pieper

Way to give a 5 star rating by saying we; obviously the owners.mgmt. Place is a dog track. Pace of play is always slow and course is horribly maintained. Some of the most inconsistent greens I have ever seen. Tee boxes and fairways are like a decent courses rough. Cant even tee a ball on the par 3s. Fescue grass and weeds run the course! Way over priced for what you get compared to anything else in the area. Up keep is always way behind and you can tell everything is done half assed. Sand bunkers are more like water holes or dirt piles. I would say its a hackers paradise but its too pricey for them. Beer/pop is over priced for the facility you get. Good place for a event if you want bottom feeders or have no budget. Only way I would play again is if it were paid for and then I would still hesitate! Only thing abover average is the housing lots.

Tom Temple

First group off. We were told the person that mowed the greens lived a long way a way so the greens would be mowed sometime. Played 18 holes and only number 9, 10 and 16 were mowed. It was very humid so long putts were impossible becasue of all the dew on the greens. If you are going to send people off and charge $40 then you should have the course ready to go at that time. Most of the fairway bunkers were nothing but mud and they were roped off as ground under repair. I havent played this course in some time and I dont think I will be back any time soon.

Scott Wright

We played a 4 person best shot, for the Earlham Freedom Fest, the course was in perfect shape even after a heavy rain, the greens mowed perfectly, the fairways drained exceptionally well considering the rain fall before our tournament. The staff was very friendly. The meal after was very good food. This course has always been a favorite of mine. Definately will be back ,and advise other golfers to come play this course, you wont be disappointed.

A Private User

River Valley Golf Course is a family run establishment that has a very friendly feel. We strive to maintain a fun environment for all of our players from beginners to those almost ready for the tour. I personally enjoy playing at River Valley and due to continue growth and changes to the course it never gets old. I recommend coming out to see for yourself.