Backbone a nice course -- people and place

STRAWBERRY POINT -- A wonderful nine holes of golf, a cozy clubhouse with burgers and beer and nice people. That is why Backbone Golf and Country Club is doing just fine, thank you very much.

Located on the border of Backbone State Park, the Backbone G&CC is sort of a hidden little gem about an hour northeast of Cedar Rapids. The 60-plus year-old course features plenty of mature trees, which you'd expect with the Backbone State Forest nearby.

Backbone attracts vacationing campers from the park. It also does well with discount golf cards, regularly drawing golfers from Cedar Rapids and from as far as Des Moines.

Jess Jarman, club president, said Backbone carries a little debt but overall is doing well. This season, 85 to 90 members enjoy this hilly and somewhat tight layout.

Backbone enjoys a rich history. On one bulletin board, there's a clip from the July 9, 1964, Strawberry Point Press-Journal, trumpeting the grand opening of the course. And then, behind the bar, there's a sheet asking for donations for a replacement rough mower. That's the kind of esprit de corps that makes Backbone so enjoyable.

All the folks here seem to care about their course.

Small golf clubs like Backbone stay solvent by offering a good golf experience. Backbone is certainly that.

Superintendent George Darland had the place tournament-ready on a late-June morning. The fountain wasn't working, but that might have been noticed only by local die-hards. The visitor from Cedar Rapids enjoyed the quick greens and pristine fairways.

No. 3, a 504-yard par 5 with a little curve to it, got my attention. Trees line the fairway, but if you clear the slope you'll have an uphill approach and a chance to make the green in two from about 200 yards. I drove to within 195, but missed a 7-wood to the left, very nearly going into deep woods and gone.

I let three gentlemen pass me on No. 4, which they claimed was Backbone's signature. It's just 260 yards, but it's a chute off the tee with state forest on both sides. Also, you're teeing over a drop-off to an elevated green. There is some bailout right, just beyond the woods. That's where I put my 5-wood.

I finished with a 43 and a great burger and conversation with clubhouse manager Sharon Schulte.

This is why I'm going back. Backbone has a welcoming feel. I've been to courses where the staff treats you as if you're an interloper, like they're doing you a favor.

Backbone is the opposite of that.

The lowdown on Backbone Golf and Country Club

Toughest hole- No. 8 is a bit of a tester. A mature tree greets you not far off the tee. It's not a real obstacle, but it'll grab a line drive and ruin the hole pretty quickly. The fairway doglegs to the left and is a bit elevated from the tee. The green is on the small side but has no trickiness to it. I hit a high drive (maybe that tree got into my head) with absolutely no fade (luckily) and ended up in the fairway and about 145 yards out. I hit a 9 iron within 12 feet and missed the birdie putt.

Easiest hole- At 236 yards, No. 6 is one of the shortest par 4s around, but it's not without danger. Go left off the tee and you're gone, in a field with a pair of horses in it and toward a pleasant countryside home. Go too far right and you bring the pond into play. I decided to hit driver (why not?) and landed it just left of the green about pin high. I just missed an 8-foot birdie putt.

Overall impression- Backbone Golf and Country Club is a sweet nine just outside Backbone State Park. It's a pleasant, welcoming place that doesn't just exist to take your money and shove you on your way. Great little clubhouse. If I lived in Manchester or thereabouts, I'd seriously consider my first golf membership.