LARCHWOOD, Iowa | Not too many Siouxland golf courses end with a Par 3, No. 18 hole.
The Falls at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort does that, and goes a bit beyond. The hole asks golfers to play through the course's namesake, "The Falls."
"I like No. 18, because it's a fun way to finish," says Sharon Haselhoff, general manager at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort near Larchwood. "You finish playing through a waterfall. It's a par 3, which already makes it unique for a finishing hole. You're not struggling with your driver."
Instead, you opt for a short iron and pop the ball into the air, directing it toward the final green, one located between bunkers and the resort's lake.
"Instead of being frustrated, you have a fun way to finish," Haselhoff says.
Before getting to the finish, one must get started on Northwest Iowa's newest golf course. The 7,100-plus-yards layout had a "soft opening" late last fall. If Mother Nature goes as predicted, players might be teeing it up at The Falls come April or May.
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"As soon as the frost lifts and the grass is green, we'll be ready to go," Haselhoff says.
Golf Digest named The Falls at Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort as one of the best new courses in North America in 2014. Golf Course Architecture magazine recently featured the course and designer Rees Jones in a two-page spread.
Jones, you might know, has redesigned several U.S. Open golf courses. The New Jersey resident also designed Blue Top Ridge, the golf course owned and operated by the Kehl Management group at its sister resort, Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, Iowa.
"Rees Jones has a great vision," Haselhoff says. "He's done a great job with our layout. We're very happy here."
The 12-acre lake gave rise to the man-made waterfall. The lake was also excavated and the spoil from that area was built up, offering an area for greens on No. 7 and No. 17, twin par 5s.
Golf Course Architecture compared the rise of the No. 7 green to that found on the No. 9 green at Royal St. George's in England.
Such rises give linksters incredible panoramic views of the 150-acre site, a tract previously devoted to, and still surrounded by, Iowa corn and soybeans.
Bent grass tees, greens and fairways are featured across the layout, a plan that features five levels of tees for every age and skill level.
"Golf represents another amenity, or feature, or option for our guests," Haselhoff says. "We're here to give our guests options, whether it's the spa, or our two restaurants, or the golf course."
Of course, there are also the games of chance and a variety of entertainment options.
"The golf course is just another feature to get people to come out and experience all that we have to offer," she added.
Jason Wagamon, director of golf, has come from the Blue Top Ridge at Riverside to assume the controls at The Falls at Grand Falls. He'll command a staff of 25, divided among the pro shop side and the golf course maintenance side.
Green fees, according to Wagamon, start at $55 on weekdays, which includes cart and range balls. Fees are $65 on weekends.
Wagamon notes that play at Blue Top Ridge at Riverside came to nearly 20,000 rounds of golf per year.
Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort, according to Haselfhoff, has welcomed more than 1 million visitors annually since its opening in 2011.
