Belle Plaine course homey, happening

BELLE PLAINE -- I love it when I see kids on a golf course. Yes, even when I have to play in their wake.

This late June day, I found myself behind a fivesome of preteen girls at the Belle Plaine Country Club. Turns out, it was the town's public golf league. Five boys were ahead of the girls. A teenage city rec employee carted between, making sure everyone didn't need a calendar to measure their round.

Just before I caught up to the kids, a father-son twosome pointed their University of Nebraska-themed golf cart toward 13th Avenue, turned left and carted home. A little while later, while I dealt with a short tee shot on No. 2, an older gentleman also drove his cart down 13th Avenue. The No. 3 fairway is lined by homes, with no fences between the backyard barbecues and your second shot.

The Belle Plaine Country Club is a homey and happening place.

This was a weekday round about midmorning. You had the kids and probably 10 or more other groups on the course. Belle Plaine Country Club is off to a good start this season.

Last season was lean, clubhouse manager Vicki Pierce said.

"The economy really got us last year," Pierce said. "It was hard to justify spending money on recreation. This year, we're doing really well."

Belle Plaine's first three holes stay fairly level, but the hills are the mark of the Plaine. You go straight up a hill on No. 4, a 320-yard par 4 that plays closer to 420, and you seemingly never come down.

No. 6 is a deceptively long 372-yard par 4. You're teeing from an elevation into a flat. Big, old trees on the left can bite a fade/slice drive. On the right, the rough slopes down into the fairway. The green has a fairly nasty shelf to make things that much more interesting.

No. 8 green is devilishly elevated. It's only a 296-yard par 4, but it'd be a tough reach if you tried to roll one on. The green rises some 10 feet from the fairway. I left my approach just short and it was no picnic to get up and down.

No. 9 leads to the front porch of a great clubhouse with a nice, little bar/food area and a bigger upstairs for weddings and gatherings. It's a 172-yard par 3 that slopes downhill.

I found out the hard way that the green quickly goes from fringe to thick rough. I missed off the tee short and left and chipped right to this intersection off the fringe. But I lucked out and putted in to save the par.

Belle Plaine also offers a small driving range that leads up to the town water tower. And it does take credit cards, a big deal for the course, Pierce said.

If you play

For greens fees and other course details, call (319) 444-3113 or visit www.belleplainecc.com

The lowdown on Belle Plaine Country Club

Toughest hole- The card says No. 4, a 320-yard par 4 that proves Iowa isn't flat at all. Trees line both sides of a generous fairway that climbs and climbs and climbs to a smallish green that's a little bit humped just to add insult to a second shot that demands length and accuracy. I hit what I thought was a pretty decent drive, curling a fade to the middle of the fairway, but I still had an uphill 150 that looked farther away than it really was. I overdid it with a 9-iron and my ball drifted right, which was, unfortunately, the No. 6 tee box (I think it was 6). I chipped close and parred, but I got lucky. Usually, I don't live to tell from a tee box over.

Easiest hole- No. 3 is interesting. It's a graciously short 445-yard par 5 with a dogleg right that tucks the green behind trees and backyards. The fairway is massive, so it's almost impossible to miss. On the second shot, you have to decide if you have the gas to go for it or lay up where the dogleg bends. I took a 5-wood and left it about 20 yards short. The raised and sloping green added some bite and led to my bogey.

Overall impression- The carts taking to the streets of Belle Plaine told me right away that Belle Plaine Country Club is very much of the town. It's an elegant country course with hills and old trees (lots of ash trees that will, unfortunately, take a hit from the ash borer) and a lot of personality. Plus, they take credit cards, so don't worry about hitting an ATM in Keystone. I finished with a 6-over 42 mainly because of a solid sand wedge.