Brooks Golf Club (Val Brooks)

Overview: The Val Brooks Course is the original nine-hole component of Brooks Golf Club in Okoboji, in the heart of Iowa's Great Lakes region. Its parkland character comes from mature trees, bentgrass fairways and the rolling, lake-country setting. The directory lists this course at 3,434 yards and par 36. The original holes remain the historic core of a larger 27-hole facility, with tree-lined corridors and a traditional rhythm that contrasts with the newer nine-hole additions. Accuracy and position matter, particularly where the older fairways narrow between established trees.

History: Brooks Golf was originally constructed as an 18-hole layout by Val Brooks in 1932. The course became part of the Okoboji summer golf scene and attracted exhibition matches involving Sam Snead, Walter Hagen and Babe Didrikson Zaharias; it also hosted the Iowa Open. In 1999, the property expanded to 27 holes, and the Blue Course, now associated with Val Brooks, retained all of the holes from the original design. The club's modern history continues through the Dakota Tour Okoboji Open Pro-Am and charitable events, while the property has maintained its parkland identity and habitat work. Brooks has held Audubon International certification since 2003.

Did You Know? The Blue Course is named for Val Brooks and contains the holes from the original 1932 design. The course's exhibition-match history includes three major champions: Walter Hagen, Sam Snead and Babe Didrikson Zaharias.