via GoogleDes Moines
Des Moines is the Midwest's most underrated cheap-golf secret, with four legitimate championship courses. Palmer, Rees Jones, and Jacobson designs all under $100 peak, across 7 courses in our catalog, $ pricing, DSM airport, best played April through October.
Iowa's sleeper value trip. Tournament Club of Iowa (Palmer), Spirit Hollow (Jacobson), Blue Top Ridge (Rees Jones), and Finkbine (UI) are legitimate championship courses for sub-$100 peak. Not a classical trip, but 4 days of cheap quality golf.
What are the top golf courses in Des Moines?
7 courses
Des Moines has 7 courses in Scramble's catalog, anchored by Tournament Club of Iowa, Spirit Hollow Golf Course, and Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino. Multiple of these are nationally ranked. Each plays as a destination-quality round on its own. All three play within a normal trip itinerary out of the same lodging base.
$Tournament Club of Iowa
Arnold Palmer (2003)
$$Spirit Hollow Golf Course
Rick Jacobson (2000)
$Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino
Rees Jones (2008)
$Finkbine Golf Course
William Langford (1952), 1990s redesign
$$Otter Creek Golf Course
Rees Jones (2003)
$The Meadows at Mystique
Jerry Matthews
$$Honey Creek Resort: The Preserve
Tom Clark (2007)
Photos by Google
How much does a 3-round Des Moines golf trip cost?
A 3-round, 4-golfer trip to Des Moines runs about $1,006 per person with mid-range ($$) lodging. That covers 3 peak-season green fees, lodging at roughly two golfers per room, and a daily food + ground-transit allowance. Flights are excluded since they depend on your home airport. Adjust the round count, group size, or tier on the trip calculator to see how the number moves. See the full breakdown →
Where is Des Moines and how do I get there?
Des Moines sits in Iowa. The closest major airport is Des Moines (DSM), which serves as the primary hub for most visitors. Most groups fly into DSM, rent one or two SUVs, and base out of a single resort or hotel for the entire trip.
What's the best month for golf in Des Moines?
The strongest months for golf in Des Moines are Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, based on 20-year playability scores combining temperature and precipitation. Des Moines averages a 30°F high in January and a 86°F high in July, so playable conditions cluster in the shoulder months. Book early in those windows. Rates and tee-time inventory tighten as the season firms up.
Best months: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Des Moines data is part of Scramble's catalog of 128 destinations and 971 independently researched courses. Weather data from 20 years of Open-Meteo; awards compiled from Golf Digest, Golfweek, and state-level rankings.
Published June 2026. Updated when the data or Scramble’s recommendations change.