Golf held in high regard at Jackson Heights

JACKSON JUNCTION -- By the amount of cards in their hands, I'd say the fellas in the Jackson Heights Golf Course clubhouse had a mean game of gin rummy going. It looked like the world's most relaxing day -- golf, gin and a nice, quiet clubhouse on a rainy Monday afternoon.

One guy wore an old "Amana" tournament hat. Ah, the high times of Iowa tournament golf.

Play a few holes on Jackson Heights and you know right away the game is held in high regard here.

The rolling hills, mounding and picturesque northeast Iowa farmdom blend well with gorgeous manicured fairways and immaculate greens.

No. 2, a musculed-up 396-yard par 4, gives you everything you need to know about Jackson Heights, a 9-hole course just off County Road V64.

The train tracks run along the left side of the hole. You could high five the engineer on a wicked pull. If you pull your tee shot, don't go into the brush near the tracks. Thankfully, that brush comes with a sign that says "poison ivy." Good to know.

When I got to the green, I could hear from the farm in the distance the sound of a rooster "cock-a-doodle-doodling." It was late afternoon, so I'm forced to question that rooster's work ethic.

The Jackson Heights suggestion came from a reader I was supposed to meet for my round this rainy Monday in early June.

The reader had something come up, which was a good thing. I was nearly 45 minutes late after my round at Pleasant Valley Sports Club in Clermont.

I don't know this part of Iowa as well as I should and ended up following whatever the Tundra's compass said.

The rain made it a quiet day on the course.

By No. 4, that trickle from the roof of my cart had turned into a gusher.

Before I knew it, my left shoulder was my wet shoulder. The rain was right at the edge the entire day, which is something all Iowans are in tune with this spring/summer.

Every course has a water story this spring. The pond between Nos. 1 and 9 at Jackson goes out of its banks and claims fairways. The Monday after I played Jackson, the course's Monday night league was called off because of rain and a wet course.

The bunkers were wet but playable. I found one on No. 4 and it held up well after a day's rain. There was no standing water and the roughs weren't U.S. Open gnarly. In fact, two course employees were in full rain gear driving their mowers down the No. 5 roughs.

The course hosts a busy tournament schedule, about one a week throughout the summer. The course also had a hand in producing Turkey Valley High School's third-place finish in the Class 1A girls' state golf tournament this season. A picture of Coach Bob Huinker and his team is taped to the clubhouse door.

As always, it's too late for me, but make sure you check out the card. You'd think I'd know this after however many years of playing golf at different courses. I forget, every time.

The pump house on No. 1 is free relief if it interferes with your stance, swing or ball flight. Same goes for the portable toilets around the course. Stay out of the wildflower area on No. 2. The "no mow" area on Nos. 6, 7 and 9 is a lateral hazard. The rock-based plantings on No. 9 are played as ground under repair. Also on 9, if a ball crosses the white line that extends from the pond to the clubhouse, pick it up and go to the rough just over the white line.

All good to know. Not quite as important as the "poison ivy" sign, but still good to know.

The lowdown

Toughest hole - The hard part about No. 3, a 143-yard par 3, is the uphill. The green rises probably 5 to 10 yards from the tee, so club selection can be a little tricky. Any pulls are gone into a farm field of dandelions if you don't catch the mounds. A push can be saved with a decent bailout on the right. The green has a couple of twists to it, but is large. I played the hole from the white (143 yards) and blue (188). It was a rainy day and no one was behind me, so why not? I pushed the 143 yarder and bogeyed. I put a 5-iron on the green from 188 and parred.

Easiest hole - No. 6 is a straightforward par 4, 322 yards from the white tees. The only trouble is a pull. Miss left and you bring some brush and trees into play. Why do that? I drove to about 40 yards and stubbed a sand wedge, so I still finished the hole with a bogey.

Overall impression - I know I mentioned this with the Pleasant Valley review, but a group of guys from our area could put together a fun day or weekend of 9-holers in this beautiful part of the state. Jackson Heights falls right in line with the prettiest courses up here. Just by playing the course, you can tell there are people who love and respect the game here. Call first before coming. You know the headlines. The weather has whupped it up around this part of the state. You'll want to make sure all systems are go. I think I'll blame my wet grips for the 8-over 44 I hammered out during my visit.