Iowa
Ames & Central Iowa Golf Courses & Tee Times
Central Iowa golf outside Des Moines centers on Ames, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown and the county seats between them. The best-known public course is Iowa State's Veenker Memorial in Ames. Perry Maxwell laid it out in 1937, in the same run of work that produced Southern Hills and the first nine at Prairie Dunes, and the Works Progress Administration built it the next year. It hosted the 1949 NCAA Championship, when Arnold Palmer of Wake Forest was a medalist.
Can't get a tee time in Ames & Central Iowa? Yoink watches 15 public courses, from Ames, Marshalltown, Storm Lake, Grinnell and Boone. Pick your courses, set the day and time you want, and get a notification when a tee time opens, cancellations included.
The longest layout here is Fort Dodge Country Club at 6,512 yards.
Who runs public golf in Ames & Central Iowa
Public golf here is a mix of university, county and city courses. Iowa State University owns and runs Veenker Memorial, home of the Cyclone golf teams and host of the Iowa Masters every year since 1938. Hamilton County runs Briggs Woods, an 18-hole, par-72 course inside a 550-acre county park two and a half miles south of Webster City, with camping and a 70-acre lake. In Storm Lake, King's Pointe Resort has Sunrise Pointe, a redesigned nine-holer on 40 acres.
Public courses worth knowing in Ames & Central Iowa
- Veenker Memorial Golf Course : Perry Maxwell design built by the WPA in 1938, owned by Iowa State. Golfweek listed it among America's Best State Public Access Courses in 2003. Host of the 1949 NCAA Championship and the Iowa Masters since 1938.
- Briggs Woods Golf Course: Hamilton County's 18-hole, par-72 course in Briggs Woods Park near Webster City, 6,500 yards.
- Fort Dodge Country Club: Hosted the 1989 Iowa Amateur.
- Sunrise Pointe Golf Course: Redesigned nine-hole course on 40 acres at King's Pointe Resort in Storm Lake.
15 courses in Ames & Central Iowa
Ames
Fort Dodge
Radcliffe
Storm Lake
Story City
Other
Briggs Woods Golf Course
Hamilton County's course since 1971, above the Boone River Valley: tree-lined going out, ponds and creek beds coming home. Par 72 at about 6,500 yards.
Fort Dodge Country Club
A club course since 1911, on gently rolling ground with all-bentgrass greens. It hosted the 1989 Iowa Amateur, and Hagen, Armour and Sarazen played here.
Why tee times in Ames & Central Iowa are hard to get
The season in Ames & Central Iowa runs roughly from spring to late fall. The first warm weekends in spring and the cool, dry weekends of fall are the hardest to book.
Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.
When tee time cancellations happen
Booked-up doesn't mean gone. Plans change: groups cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline (often 24 to 48 hours out), players drop when the forecast turns, and a group that shrinks leaves an open spot. Those times quietly come back on the booking page, usually for minutes, not hours.
How to get a tee time in Ames & Central Iowa
Yoink
Watch all 15 courses in Ames & Central Iowa. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink checks all 15 courses in Ames & Central Iowa every few minutes, so every open time is in one place and you're the first to know when one that fits your day, window and group appears, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Ames has 3 courses on Yoink and Marshalltown has 2.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Ames & Central Iowa: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Ames & Central Iowa?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Ames & Central Iowa?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Ames & Central Iowa?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Iowa
- Eastern Iowa & Quad Cities · 19 courses
- Omaha, Lincoln & Des Moines · 19 courses
- Waterloo & Northeast Iowa · 11 courses
- Quad Cities · 3 courses
- Eau Claire & La Crosse · 1 courses
- Sioux Falls & Eastern South Dakota · 1 courses
- More Iowa · 17 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- en.wikipedia.org · wikipedia
- golfnewsstoriesonline.com · media
- mycountyparks.com · official
- mycountyparks.com · official
- kingspointeresort.com · official
- iowagolf.org · association
Tee times in Ames & Central Iowa, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.