Golf Course Overview: The Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort By Brian Weis

Golf Course Overview: The Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort

Insights From An Insider With Rick Bartlett, Golf Operations Manager

By Brian Weis

Local and traveling golfers love to research courses before playing them, whether it is to gain some local knowledge or to set an expectation before their upcoming round. Below is an interview with Rick Bartlett who shares some valuable insight about the property, its most talked about holes and the signature dish/drink to consume at the 19th hole.

How Does Your Course Differ From The Others In The Area?
The Falls Golf course is a links style course designed by the legendary Rees Jones. Spanning over 7100 yards the world class golf course offers panoramic views of the pastoral countryside and includes a 30-foot waterfall that flows into a 12-acre lake, resulting in a memorable golfing experience for golfers of every ability level. It is the only golf course in the area without a single tree on it. Simply stated, there is nothing else like it in the tri-state region.

For someone who has not played the course in awhile, has there been any new changes/renovations to the course or property?
The Falls Golf Course was built in 2014 so we are pretty new and have not made any change/renovations at this time.

What is your course's answer to Amen Corner? (Describe your best/hardest 3 back/back/back holes)
The Falls holes 12, 13, and 14 can be a real challenge. Hole 12 is a lengthy par four playing 480 yards from the tips and usually into a prevailing NW wind. It is essential to hit a long straight ball off the tee followed by a solid fairway shot for a chance at par. Hole 13 is a great par 5 playing 525 yards with fairway bunkers both left and right again hitting a straight tee ball is necessary, playing slightly down hill makes this a possible birdie hole but you better hit it straight. Hole 14 is a risk reward par 4 with a creek running through the fairway from 220 to 250 yards, with a big tee ball its a half wedge and a putt for a birdie, laying up here makes it a challenge with a slightly downhill lie, you need to stay down on the ball or you can blade it right into the creek. Have fun and hit it long and straight.

What is your course's claim to fame, or is there a little known fact that golfers should know about the property?
The Falls Golf course has bent grass Tee boxes, Greens and Fairways so we can mow to a height that gives you a perfect lie every time, all you have to do is keep it in the short grass. "Best New Golf Course of 2014" Golf Digest

What tournaments/events have you (recently) hosted or will be hosting?
2018 US Mid-Amateur qualifier, 2018 US Junior Boys and Girls Amateur, 2020 USGA Senior Amateur qualifier, and the South Dakota State College Invitational.

Besides golf, what other amenities do you offer if a golfer wants to spend most of the day at your facility?
Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort is just that, we have exciting casino gaming, culinary delights, luxurious hotel rooms, top notch entertainment, a relaxing spa and one-of-a-kind shopping. There's nothing else like it in the area.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
We currently have 97 rooms varying in price depending on the day of the week ranging from $104.95 - $214.95. We are in the process of adding 66 more rooms which will give us a total of 163 total rooms when construction is finished. We also have Stay and Play packages ranging from $219 to $299 depending on the day of the week and availability.

Signature sandwich or drink?
The Big Drop Café offers the - Rosta Dog Basket

1/4 lb. All Beef Hot Dog with Sautéed Onions and Sauerkraut Served with Fries

Social Media Links - Follow The Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort

Contact Course
The Falls at Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort
1415 Grand Falls Boulevard
Larchwood, Iowa, 51241
712-777-7808

GrandFallsCasinoResort.com

Revised: 12/19/2019 - Article Viewed 14,897 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.