Iowa
Waterloo & Northeast Iowa Golf Courses & Tee Times
Northeast Iowa's public golf is anchored by Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Waterloo's oldest course sits in Byrnes Park, established in 1908, and the city has hosted the Waterloo Open since 1933. Organizers bill it as Iowa's largest and oldest professional tournament, now run by the Iowa Section PGA with about 300 amateurs and pros each year. Byrnes Park also hosted the 1952 Iowa Amateur, won by Waterloo's Art Koch.
Can't get a tee time in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa? Yoink watches 11 public courses, from Waterloo, Waverly, Forest City, Dike and Cedar Falls. 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 The Legacy Golf Course at the 19 at 6,500 yards.
Who runs public golf in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa
Waterloo Leisure Services runs three 18-hole municipal courses. Irv Warren Memorial at Byrnes Park is the oldest and an easy walk. Gates Park dates to 1928 and plays 6,839 yards. South Hills opened in 1974 on old farmland and plays 6,950 yards with hills and open-country wind. Season passes are sold at the Leisure Services office and all three pro shops. Each course has a free SoloRider adaptive cart. Next door, Cedar Falls runs two municipal courses, Pheasant Ridge and Walter's Ridge.
Public courses worth knowing in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa
- Irv Warren Golf Course: Waterloo's oldest course, in Byrnes Park (established 1908). Byrnes Park hosted the 1952 Iowa Amateur.
- Gates Park Golf Course: City course established in 1928 among mature oaks and maples, 6,839 yards, par 72.
- South Hills Golf Course: City course at 6,950 yards, par 72, built in 1974 on rolling farmland.
- Pheasant Ridge Municipal Golf Course: One of Cedar Falls' two municipal courses, alongside Walter's Ridge.
Booking tee times in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa: the local rules
Waterloo takes tee times only for weekends and holidays, up to seven days ahead, online, in person or by phone. The 2026 season opened March 21, weather permitting.
Yoink
Know the rules. Let Yoink do the waiting.
Booking windows decide who gets first pick. After that, times come back one at a time as plans change. Yoink watches all 11 courses in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa and tells you when a time that fits comes back, so you're not refreshing the page all week.
11 courses in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa
Forest City
Independence
Waterloo
Gates Park Golf Course
Laid out in 1928 on rolling ground, with groves of old oak and maple and two ponds. Par 72, 6,839 yards from the back tees, and cheap to play.
Irv Warren Golf Course
Waterloo's oldest course, in Byrnes Park since 1908: an easy walk with rolling fairways, two ponds full of herons and ducks, and a wind you can't predict.
South Hills Golf Course
Built in 1974 on rolling farmland, it stretches to 6,950 yards at par 72, and the hills and unpredictable wind do most of the defending.
Why tee times in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa are hard to get
The season in Waterloo & Northeast 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
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa
Yoink
Every course in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa on one watchlist: all 11 of them
Yoink watches all 11 courses in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa for you. The open tee times sit in one place instead of a dozen booking pages, and your phone buzzes the moment one fits your day, time window and group, 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. Waterloo has 3 courses on Yoink and Waverly has 2.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Waterloo & Northeast Iowa: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Waterloo & Northeast 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 Waterloo & Northeast 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 Waterloo & Northeast 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
- Ames & Central Iowa · 15 courses
- Quad Cities · 3 courses
- Eau Claire & La Crosse · 1 courses
- Sioux Falls & Eastern South Dakota · 1 courses
- More Iowa · 17 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Rochester & Southern Minnesota, MN · 19 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- cityofwaterlooiowa.com · official
- waterlooleisureservices.org · official
- waterlooleisureservices.org · official
- waterlooleisureservices.org · official
- waterlooleisureservices.org · official
- thewaterlooopen.com · official
- iowagolf.org · association
- pheasantridgegolfcourse.com · official
Tee times in Waterloo & Northeast 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.