Pleasant Valley Golf Course

I first reviewed Pleasant Valley back in 2017, and I wanted to provide an updated review because I’ve noticed some changes upon recent playing that golfers should be aware of.

First off, the greens have gotten very slow. I recall playing this course and being nervous to get above the hole, but that isn’t the case anymore. I am not a fan of lightning fast greens, but I do think greens should run fast enough to make some putts scary. If the Pleasant Valley greens were 1 to 1.5 feet faster, they would be perfect.

Secondly, the trees, which are abundant, have become overgrown in many places. The worst case is on hole 3, where the evergreen trees on the right encroach upon the tee shot from the back tees, really forcing a player to start the ball left off this tee. Another example is how often trees scrape the cart roof while driving on the cart path.

While on the topic of trees, there is a large tree in the middle of the fairway on the par 5 11th hole. This tree has gotten so large that it is even affecting well played shots. It appears to have been planted to keep longer hitters from going for the green, but with current technology, long hitters can still reach in two, but shorter hitters are now being punished on their layup.

Lastly, there are several minor maintenance things which seem to be getting ignored. The entire course could use some weed trimming, and there was a piece of maintenance equipment left on the 14th hole that required one of our players to take a drop.

On the positive side, the bunkers are well maintained and the sand is very consistent.

I still recommend playing this course as it can be fun. But frankly there are better options in the Iowa City area for your money.

Course staff was very helpful and friendly. Was well maintained. Lots of trees and grass. Very affordable if you are looking to play a round while in Iowa City.

Course Layout is nothing special with plenty of trees and water sprinkled thru relatively flat terrain. No really outstanding holes and only one bad hole (#5). Greens had enough movement to be somewhat interesting. Course is easily walkable. All aspects of the course conditions were good. Don’t expect to be impressed with the layout, but it’s a good value and a fair walk.

I've played Pleasant Valley, probably 6-8 times in the 15 summers I've spent in Iowa. This course never fails to deliver a challening, yet fun round. It is a course that you can score on, but will get you if you're not on your game.

At 6472 yards from the tips, Pleasant Valley is not long. It has a nice mix of short par 4s and mid length par 4s. It lacks a long par 4. The par 5s are all 510 to 525 yards. What I like best about Pleasant Valley is the variety of par 3s, which today ranged from 142 yards to 192 yards.

The holes are tree lined to some degree and water comes into play on about half the holes. I think the ads say 14 of the 18 holes, but you have to be really wild to get in the water on some of the holes. However, there is a little room to spray it and you can recover.

The greens at Pleasant Valley roll very fast and very true. This is great, but also limits where pins should be placed due to extreme slopes in the greens. When I played it today there were 4 or 5 pins that were borderline unfair.

The fairways and the bunkers are maintained very well. It's clear the maintenance staff really cares about the course. Even on a Monday in late October, the maintenance crew was out clearing leaves and mowing.

The value at Pleasant Valley is incredible. Today I paid $24.68 for 18 holes walking. It is a very walkable course with short distances between holes and very few significant elevation changes.

The clubhouse lacks some amenities, such as food on this day. I showed up hoping for a hot dog or something, but was told my choices were limited to a handfull of snacks.

Overall though, I highly recommend Pleasant Valley. It's never disappointed me.

Great value for a public course, greens in great shape and are fast.

Pleasant Valley is a fun course for all skill levels. It's flat and not too long, but the course is usually in great shape, there's a lot of water and you can make a big number on a few holes if you're not careful. The only elevation is your second shot on No. 5 and the tee shot on No. 6. So, you can easily walk this course.

The greens are somewhat unique. They have some odd shapes and are fairly sloped around the edges, but it's usually flatter in the middle and you can have some easily makeable putts as well. Bunkers often surround the greens.

There are plenty of options at the snack bar. The staff is friendly and accommodating. They have a few best shot tournaments throughout the season, and those are always fun to bring a group too (there's a buffet of food included that's pretty good).

If you haven't played here before, you're in the Iowa City area and looking for something fun, yet simple, Pleasant Valley is a great choice.

We have played here a few times when we are visiting from Tennessee ! Bring your best putting game.