Spirit Hollow Golf Course

Overview: Spirit Hollow is a dramatic parkland course in Burlington's Mississippi River Valley, where rolling hills, mature oaks, rock outcroppings and natural streams shape the playing experience. Rick Jacobson's design uses elevation change and the existing landforms to create a varied sequence of holes rather than flattening the property into a uniform resort layout. The directory lists the course at 7,550 yards and par 72. Wide views from the high ground give way to more enclosed valleys, and the combination of water, tree-lined fairways and risk-and-reward choices asks players to vary both club selection and strategy.

History: Randy Winegard acquired a 400-acre cattle ranch in 1991 after spending years exploring the property and imagining a golf course there. He interviewed three architects and selected Rick Jacobson, whose design approach preserved the site's natural topography, elevation changes, specimen oaks, valleys and streams. The resulting course became the centre of a golf resort with lodging, dining and practice facilities, and its reputation grew through Iowa Golf Association events and collegiate tournaments. Spirit Hollow's official history lists Iowa Amateur, Senior Amateur, Match Play, Mid-Amateur, State Four-Ball and women's amateur events among the competitions held on the course. Its setting and tournament record have helped make it one of Iowa's most recognised modern layouts.

Did You Know? More than 15,000 trees line the fairways, a tribute to Winegard's father and his love of forestry. The natural streams bring water into play on 11 holes, while the course's elevation changes repeatedly shift the golfer's view of what comes next.