Blue Top Ridge course at Riverside resort in Iowa is ready to host top golf tournaments

RIVERSIDE, Iowa -- When the floods of 2009 ravaged Iowa, the front nine of Blue Top Ridge looked more like another outdoor swimming pool at the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, located 20 minutes south of Iowa City. Original architect Rees Jones returned to reroute holes 2-6 away from the nearby Iowa River, allowing the 7,400-yard course to eventually reopen in 2011.

The millions of dollars spent during the original construction and redesign proves just how important a tournament-caliber golf experience is to the resort. Everything about Blue Top Ridge, ranked third among the best public golf courses in Iowa by Golfweek, was created with hosting top players and events in mind.

The big greens, severely undulating, have multiple pin locations. Most holes have some sort of design element that requires risk to take on a bunker or a dogleg. The back nine climbs high above the hotel, providing great scenery and even more dramatic holes. The longest hole in the state, the 665-yard, par-5 16th, drops to a valley before climbing over a creek to an elevated green. There's even ample space for galleries and hospitality tents and bleachers around the 18th green.

For those of us not ready for tournament golf, the Riverside Performance Studio, home to three indoor hitting bays, is one of the best on-course teaching/club-fitting facilities in the country.