blue top ridge at riverside

[adamjstl]

new holes?

I noticed in another post something about the course having 4 new holes... i was just wondering if they were 4 brand new holes or if they were just redone due to the flooding they've suffered?

Also, is the course is great as advertised/

thanks

[harleygolfer43]

Don't know about the 4 hole situation, but the course is very nice, Elavation changes and fast greens. Comparable to the Amana Colonies Course but better than Finkbine.

[adamjstl]

[quote name='harleygolfer43' timestamp='1303273766' post='3169794']
Don't know about the 4 hole situation, but the course is very nice, Elavation changes and fast greens. Comparable to the Amana Colonies Course but better than Finkbine.
[/quote]

how do blue top and amana compare to spirit hollow or the harvester?

[GoHawks]

Played Blue Top earlier this month and it was in fair condition for this time of year. They are building 4 new holes to play at the course. I played the old original routing but you could see the new holes and they looked ready to play. Blue Top is a lot of fun to play with some severe elevation changes for Iowa. It is very comparable to Harvester. I haven't played Spirit Hollow and was wanting to play it on my trip through the area but it isn't opening until May 1st.

[theironhorse]

harvester very nice. fairly open and each hole is very different imo. of the 4, probably the best of them.

spirit hollow nice as well, i didn't find it to be anything special. worth playing once or twice a year, but nothing to die for.

i play amana about 10-15 times per year. hate it actually. of the 14 holes that are not par 3's, probably 12-13 are dog leg's left. most approach shots are uphill, usually a good 2 clubs, and you are either in the fairway or off the map. very difficult and punishing course imo.

blue top is nice. little bit less intimidating than spirit hollow and harvester. bunkers EVERYWHERE. something like 170+ of them on the course.

in order, i would play Harvester, Blue Top, Spirit Hollow, Amana.

[harleygolfer43]

Since I have never played Harvester....I would go Spirit Hollow, Blue Top then Amana IMHO. Spirit Hollow is by far my favorite. Also don't overlook the TPC at Deere Run in the Quad Cities, a fine course also!

[adamjstl]

[quote name='GoHawks' timestamp='1303501429' post='3177178']
Played Blue Top earlier this month and it was in fair condition for this time of year. They are building 4 new holes to play at the course. I played the old original routing but you could see the new holes and they looked ready to play. Blue Top is a lot of fun to play with some severe elevation changes for Iowa. It is very comparable to Harvester. I haven't played Spirit Hollow and was wanting to play it on my trip through the area but it isn't opening until May 1st.
[/quote]

other courses should try to emulate SH.... it has it all- reasonable price, excellent conditioning, a variety of holes, risk-reward shots, and beautiful scenery.... my friend has played SH and THE HARVESTER and preferred SH... he said it has a more interesting design and more variety

[Lexicographer]

Yes, the new holes are due to the flooding. Couldn't keep the 4 near the river dry. The new holes are on much higher ground.

[BlueTopPro]

The new holes are open and ready to play! It's my "home course" (I'm aPGA Apprentice there) and I was a little disappointed that I was losing 2 of my favorite holes on the course (#5 and #8). However I couldn't be happier with the new set up. Reese did a great job on designing the new holes to fit in with the rest of the course.

The old holes are going to be used mainly for practice from here on out which IMHO is great and a unique practice facility to go along with our Performance Studio. Make sure to come on out and play this summer!

[ajhuntsman]

After hearing so many great things about Blue Top Ridge at Riverside Casino, a golf buddy and I decided play it a few days ago. Unfortunately, we were both very disappointed. My buddy said he wouldn't even go back for the twilight rate.

[b]Conditions: C-[/b]
As I pulled into the parking lot, and eagerly gazed at some of the holes, I instantly saw lots of brown grass. Once you're on the course, there are a lot of torched areas on the majority of holes, on the fairways and green fringes (not the actual greens). In some cases, there is no grass left; only dirt.

[b]Course Design: D[/b]
Maybe I'm not a Rees Jones fan, but [b]this course is amazingly boring[/b]. My buddy said, "It has zero imagination." I never had to make a single decision. Here's what you do [b]every hole[/b]: pull up to the tee box, get the bunker yardages to decide which bunkers to hit over, hit your driver over the bunkers you chose, go to your ball for your second shot.

Almost every hole is straight; the "dogleg" holes are very mild directional changes. Hole 12 has you hitting up a ski hill, which some may call gimmicky. Holes 15 & 17 are almost interesting. Hole 18 has a very cool tree on the left side, which is the only interesting feature. The par 3 holes aren't interesting at all. The only time water is in play is the #10 green, and maybe one of the tee boxes when playing the tips.

[indent][b]Tee Boxes: A[/b]
The tee boxes are perfect: square and level. 5 sets of tees offer plenty of distance options.

[b]Bunkers: A[/b]
There are a ton of bunkers, and they are the only standout feature of the course. The sand quality is easily one of the best in the state; very consistent, not rocky at all (unusual for Iowa). They are well-sculpted, well-placed, and certainly are the only aspect of personality for each hole.

[b]Water: D[/b]
Is there water on the course? Water could easily add challenge and risk to many holes, if they put in some ponds.

[b]Greens: A-[/b]
They are readable, roll true, decent size, and some have a shelf which makes you choose front or back for your chip. The grass on the greens is "thin" and somewhat sparse, so the grass feels anorexic instead of healthy and "grassy".[/indent]
[b]Practice Facilities / Performance Studio: A+[/b]
One of the best in the country. No joke. It's a standalone building on the left side of the range, with 3 bays, where you hit onto the range from inside the bay. There is a plasma TV on the wall, showing you from the view of 3 cameras, including a ceiling-mounted camera. The ceiling camera is [b]incredibly[/b] useful for showing head, shoulder, & hand position during the takeaway and downswing. Launch monitors, plenty of training aids, club heads and shafts everywhere. They do advanced fittings for Nike, Callaway, and Titleist. Bryan Haas is the head pro, and is extremely professional and knowledgeable. It might be impossible to find a single fault with the Performance Studio.

"Disappointing" is the operative word. I was really hoping Blue Top Ridge would be a top-tier course close to my home, but it's not. I can't imagine which holes you would look forward to playing. It's safe to say that Blue Top Ridge is nowhere near the caliber of The Harvester, Tournament Club of Iowa (TCI), Amana, Hunters Ridge, or Finkbine.

If you need a club fitting, I would definitely go to the Performance Studio at Blue Top Ridge, without reservation. Yes, it costs more than other shops, but it really is an amazing experience.

[theironhorse]

not going to argue with you really, but it is a bit unfair to point out some dead spots on Iowa courses right now imo. every course has been destroyed to a certain extent by the ridiculous heat we had for 3-4 weeks. it was 90++ for a very long time. not saying it is a great course, but nobody within 50 miles of riverside is free of dry dead spots.

[Carl smith]

Played BTR this last Sunday. The course is a lot different then pre-flood. I will have to say the course is in great shape. The greens were wonderful, rolled true and loved the elevation changes. The Tee boxes were perfect. The sand traps killed me though. I'm used to Iowa hard packed sand it I think they musy have filled in the sand recently since I literally had to dig down about 2 inches to secure my feet in the sand. Then again it could be my frustration since I hit 3 shots in a bunker on #16.


Overall I would say that this course has recovered nicely. As for the water comment, it is the water that comes into play on the front and the elevation on the back 9. There is water in play on #4, #6, #7 and #10. You could count #16 if you count the creek on the bottom of the hill. Artificial water I think would distract from the course layout IMHO.

Ill still say this is the hardest course in Eastern Iowa. I think it is a tad expensive for my tastes, but then again, I'm not a gambler. Given the players on the course when I played I just assume they stay busy by gamblers, because the other foursomes on the course were not golfers. Then again, I tossed a fat 12 on #16 so I have no room to talk. It has recovered though nicely.

[dpc]

Just played this course yesterday. The course was in immaculate condition. A+ to the maintenance staff. Beautiful looking course, but I have to agree with ajhuntsman's post from last Aug. I wouldn't be quite as harsh, but the course is a bit monotonous from a strategic viewpoint. In defense of the design though, I would say the bunkers were very effectively placed; you had to account for them on every tee-ball. So the choice was take on the bunkers, or avoid them and deal with prairie grass/ trees on the other side. The problem was, and this gets to aj's point, this is the only decision you have to make off of every tee. And the obvious landing areas left you with 155-165 yards frequently. I think I used 7-iron on 7 of the 10 par 4s for approach.

 

My friend who's played the course multiple times over the last few years remarked that it doesn't have what could be termed a "signature hole"; other than the love it or hate it up-hill ski slope par 5 12th which only asks the question, "how good are you at up-hill lies?"

 

My personal favorite is the dog-leg left 17th. It has a bit of a forced carry, but if that's an issue you're playing from the wrong tee. You can take long iron or hybrid and play to a generous landing area on the right, but you'll probably have to use the same club on your approach. If you wish to shorten your approach and play a fairway wood or driver to the left, the landing zone shrinks and there are bunkers to contend with. If you're a big hitter playing from the regular tee it is reachable if you can carry a 25 yard draw 270 yards and land it on a tennis court.

Here's a picture from Rees Jone's website:

 

 

The green is just beyond the left most bunker.

 

Overall, it was most definitely an enjoyable round. If you were traveling to the area and looking for a course to play you would be pleased with the quality of the course and the value you receive. But for regular day trips with buddies to play different courses this one wouldn't crack the yearly rotation, but I'll be back if for no other reason than to play the 665 yard 16th from the tips just for fun/punishment.

 

As to the comparison to other top Iowa public courses I would place The Harvester solidly above this one. The condition of both courses is first rate, and BTR has hands down a better practice range; however, The Harvester has 5 or 6 memorable holes. To be fair to BTR though, the old holes wound around a lake and had the Iowa river nearby so they certainly had the setting to be memorable if they had been able to be kept in playable condition.

 

I'd be curious which holes at BTR were added to replace the flooded ones. Does anyone know? BlueTopPro? Thanks.

 

-dpc