The last round on my golf binge was at Elmwood Golf Course, one of the city courses in Sioux Falls. There are 27 holes here, making up two different courses. I played the eighteen-hole Championship course (the West and North nines) but didn’t have time to try the nine-hole course (the East nine) on this trip.
I worked a half day and then headed to Elmwood for my 12:50 PM tee time. I considered canceling because it was supposed to rain but since there aren’t many tee times for singles available, I didn’t want to pass up a chance to golf here. As it turned out almost everyone else cancelled and I walked the course in about 3 hours. Plus, it only rained on one hole – I’ll take it!
Elmwood’s Championship course turned out to be quite the test of golf. That’s probably the one thing that stood out to me after my round here. I played the blue tees which are 73.0/124/6750, although the tips stretch to 7,200 yards.
Elmwood is a parkland-style course with tree-lined fairways and narrower playing corridors. Think plenty of charm. If you don’t drive the ball well, you’ll be in for a long day. Even though the course is flat, plenty of mounding resulted in uneven stances – even on those holes where I found the short grass. The greens are small and perched up above the fairways so only great iron shots result in a birdie putts. I didn’t expect it to be so challenging.
What I enjoyed most about Elmwood was its visual appeal, even on a cloudy day. Holes are separated by trees and tall grass. This time of year the tall grass has a yellow color to it which would make the colors pop on a sunny day. Mature trees overhang the fairways, giving off a neat vibe. Elmwood is also close to the airport so if you like planes then you’ll get your fill of jets taking off.
Most of the holes at Elmwood have a similar feel to them and there wasn’t a signature hole, at least in my opinion. The par-3 4th -183 yards – was my favorite hole on the front. Water lurks to the right and a false front means that a long iron needs to land well into the green. On the back nine the difficult par-4 16th and 17th holes standout. The 16th tee shot plays through a chute of trees while the 17th is 445 yards and three trees left of the fairway can block a look at the green.
The conditions at Elmwood were great. Everything was lush. For $40 the course is a good deal – a theme in the Midwest it seems. The fairways were full and cut down. The greens were fast and pure. My putts just kept trickling past the hole. The rough was cut down and playable.
Elmwood’s Championship course was a great find and a course I’d recommend if passing through the area. I’d put it towards the top of the courses that I’ve played within an hour of Sioux Falls. The only downfalls I see are the noise from the airport and I do wish there were a couple short par-4’s.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):