Dacotah Ridge Golf Club

I've traveled to Dacotah Ridge for a round or two for 6 years now. I must say when I played yesterday the course was in beautiful shape, maybe the best ever. From the tee boxes, to the fairways to the greens, the course was in immaculate condition. Greens in great shape and fast, fairways like a carpet.

This course is in fantastic shape, the fairways are truly as nice as the greens and the greens are true as can be.

Dacotah Ridge Golf Club is a truly interesting and challenging “prairie style” course. That is, while there are few trees and the green layouts lend themselves to run-up shots, it's really not a links style course. The course is set in a spot of rolling terrain with a creek meandering through the property and a lake in play on five holes. The fairways are wide and hard. This is both good and bad, because you'll get a lot of roll on your tee shots, but because many of the fairways are sloped to one side or the other a tee shot in the middle of the fairway may roll off into the rough. And you don't want to be in the rough on this course. One member of our group noted that being in the rough just off the fairway was costing him at least a half stroke per hole. And if you go a little farther off the fairway you'll find yourself in knee high prairie grass, which will cost you at least one, and possibly more, strokes if you find the ball and try to hit it out. Every member of our group agreed that the greens were the fastest he had played this year, and they were also some of the hardest to read. Four-footers were missed much too often. We played the “Regular” tees, 6,217 yards, 70.7 rating, 138 slope. The course is visually very appealing and the layout of many of the holes made it clear how you are supposed to play them. Of course, doing this is easier said than done. Some of the best holes on the course are the ones that wind around the lake, beginning with the 145 yard par 3 4th. From an elevated tee you see a deep green with the lake on the left and a large bunker on the right. Club selection is complicated by the wind that I'm told is always blowing. Take a deep breath and trust your swing. The 5th is a 354 yard par 4 that hugs the lake as it doglegs to the right. A long bunker on the right will save some sliced tee shots from going into the lake. A ridge on the left will catch balls that are pulled or hooked in an effort to avoid the water. The 138 yard par 3 11th is all carry over the lake. If you go long, hope that the ball finds the bunker, otherwise you may go into the deep prairie grass. The par 4 12th plays 352 yard with the lake all along the right side. There is no real advantage gained by challenging the lake, so the smart play is to the left side of the fairway. At the end of the round, no one in our group scored as well he is used to. But all of us agreed that we'd like to return and try to do better.