Lakeshore Golf & Country Club

Our annual mantrip brought us to the small town of Afton, Iowa. With a beautiful Saturday and not much to do, we heard there was a best shot tournament at the Lakeshore Golf and Country Club. As a late entry, we were the last team to get in for the event. A short drive in to town and we arrived at the Lakeshore Golf and Country Club. As we pulled in to the parking lot we noticed the course was packed, not what we expected for such a small town. Check in was well organized and beer was well priced at around $2 per can. I opted for the usually Bloody Mary which was more or less a Bloody Mary bar, and needless to say I make a pretty good Bloody.

Out on the course I asked some of the locals what to expect. Everyone I spoke to said there wasn’t a flat spot on the course, and they were right. The course is a nine-hole par 35 made up of two par 3’s and one par 5. The fairway was like playing in the first cut and the greens were small but well maintained. Lakeshore Golf and Country Club is built on lots of hills with big elevation changes leaving lots of sideway lies. There is also a handful of holes where water comes in to play adding to the difficulty. Club selection at Lakeshore is key as on nearly every shot you must take yardage, lie, cut and elevation in to consideration.

Lakeshore is your average small town rural course, but more challenging. I had a great time playing golf here, but I think the best part was playing with my buddies and some of the locals. The clubhouse staff was very friendly and accommodating, and ran the tournament without any hiccups. That being said, it didn’t hurt turning in a score card that yielded a third place finish and $124.

All in all, Lakeshore is a fun course that presented more challenges than expected. You can bet I’ll be back again as its just down the road from our mantrip camping spot.