A beautiful course for Everyman

CLERMONT -- The longest hole at Pleasant Valley Sports Club is 521 yards from the back tees. There are no railroad ties, no island greens, no forced carries and no elephants buried under the greens.

Carved out of some of the state's most beautiful valley country, Pleasant Valley Sports Club and Golf Course is one for everyone.

On a Monday in early June, the nine-hole Pleasant Valley got the bulk of its play from guys wearing T-shirts and tennis shoes, seniors with pull-carts and a few juniors sharpening their games for the state coed tournament. You won't find many sweater vests, copper bracelets or cell phones here.

That's a huge plus for me.

Not every course has to be TPC Deere Run. I don't want that every time out. I'm more at home changing into my spikes in the parking lot, grabbing a sandwich (amazing cashew chicken this day) at the turn and trying not to take myself, or my game, too seriously.

My group, Pleasant Valley members Keith Krentz and Jim Johnson and Jim's son, Ryan, helped me with that task. This is the way to take in a course for the first time, playing with knowledgeable club members who can tell you about the $80,000 it took to hold the Turkey River in its banks on No. 8 and the Indian burial grounds in the woods near No. 3.

Pleasant Valley was built on rolling hills and valleys. It has wide (and wonderful) fairways. The greens are huge and sometimes slightly elevated. There's water on Nos. 5 and 9 and bunkers dot most greens. Trees are in the equation, specifically on No. 8, the flat, 521-yard par 5.

The only real traffic this day is the Monday senior league, a fairly robust group of players.

Pleasant Valley was designed by Lowell Erdman and opened in 1993, which shows up in some of the younger trees on the course. Built just on the edge of town (nicknamed "Brick City" for the thriving brickmaking industry in the second half of the nineteenth century), Pleasant Valley measures 3,238 yards from the blues and just less than 3,000 from the white tees. Par is 36.

The Turkey River flows along the far left edge of the No. 8 fairway. A 2005 flood, when a quarry pond overran the dike on No. 7, took 40 feet of land off the far edges of No. 8. The repairs cost $80,000, a pretty good chunk of money for a small-town course with 140 members.

What jumped out at me was Pleasant Valley's greens. They're not run-of-the-mill country course. They are huge and beautifully manicured. Some are flat, but more than a couple, at least three, have a rib that runs the length. That can lead to some devilish pin placements, especially on No. 9, a tricky uphill par 4 with a blind tee shot.

Don't take the yardage lightly. While there are two par 4s in the 320-yard range, there also are two of 350-plus with some slight turns and doglegs that bring mature trees into play.

Nos. 8 and 9 just sit there waiting to put a dent in your round.

No. 8 is a 505-yard par 5 with a tree-lined fairway that leads into a slightly elevated green with new trees and sand. No. 9 is shortish at 329 yards from the white tees, but your tee shot is uphill to a blind landing area, the No. 5 fairway, if you're lucky.

You could easily put together a tour of nine-hole courses in northeast Iowa (27 holes in one day, totally doable). You'd have to include Pleasant Valley.

The lowdown

Toughest hole -- The card says No. 8, and I have to agree. From the tee box, you're not sure where the safest place is for your ball. The fairway is narrow, by Pleasant Valley's and a lot of other standards, and is lined by trees on the right and left. Straight off the tee, you see a big tree and a grove of a few others. Just off the right rough is a bank with high grass and big trees. Go in there, you're not finding your way out. The first time through, I blew a perfect tee shot with a horrible approach but saved par. The second time, I knocked down a 45-footer for a bogey.

Easiest hole -- No. 4 is a short par 3, 130 yards from the white tees. The only danger is long. If you miss the green, you're looking at a tricky chip shot you could easily throw past the hole and, potentially, off the green. I did just that on the first time through for a bogey. I was within 20 feet the second time and parred.

Overall impression -- Pleasant Valley Sports Club and Golf Course is a gorgeous course that really captures what northeast Iowa is all about, rolling terrain, river and timber. The atmosphere is laid-back. If I were planning a tour of northeast Iowa courses, Pleasant Valley would definitely be a stop. I checked in with an 84 (43-41) if you're scoring at home.