Waveland Municipal Golf Course

Overview: Waveland Municipal Golf Course is a historic 18-hole parkland course in Des Moines, where rolling fairways, tight lies and mature trees create a traditional shot-making test. The directory lists the course at 6,516 yards and par 72. Its character comes from the combination of early golf architecture and a much-used city setting: the fairways follow old parkland contours, the surviving greens and tees retain links to the original course, and the Drake University Observatory adds an unusual landmark within the grounds. It is a course of angles, placement and local history rather than a modern resort spectacle.

History: The land was deeded to the Des Moines Park Department by Fannie Mae Ingersoll in 1894, and Waveland was officially dedicated in 1901 with a design by Warren Dickinson. The course is recognised by its operator as one of the oldest municipal courses in the country and the oldest municipal course west of the Mississippi River. Over time, many original greens, fairways and tee areas remained in use. The 1960s MacVicar Freeway project took nearly 25 acres from the southern edge, altered Golf Creek and required new holes, but the course retained its historic identity. The site has also hosted National Public Links qualifiers, city championships and state high-school championships.

Did You Know? Waveland's grounds once included a large elk paddock, and remnants of a trolley-car rail track are still visible near the University Avenue entrance. The brick clubhouse and the Drake University Observatory add further layers to the park's unusually rich history.