The golf course is flat on the front 9 and hilly on the backside. The layout is a traditional parkland style with many of the fairways and greens tucked into very nice residential neighborhoods. Many of the holes are lined with trees and in the fall, the roughs offer natural hide-and-seek excursions with your golf balls.

The course measures in excess of 6,600 yards from the back tees. Some of the fairways have bunkers with plenty of sand to deal with. Bunkers around the greens, mostly on the back 9, are loaded with thick sand to make the shot onto the green difficult to achieve. Carts previously had GPS but have since been removed because most players have their own distance determining devices. The course has good signage and adequate distance markers. On the back 9, you may want to drive up the fairway before hitting from the tee box to get a better view of the hole design. For example, on hole #17, it is recommended that you take your drive to the left about 220 - 230 yards to get on the shelf so that you can carry your second shot over a large bunker surrounding the green. Hole #17 is definitely a signature hole. In fact, there are several signature holes on the course that support the overall description - premier.

Customer service is excellent. The pro shop is a complete stocked shop full of clothing, shoes, clubs and all of the essential golf products. There is a bar and grill within the clubhouse, as well as a space to accommodate group events. A quick lunch recommendation would be the "Boji Boy." It is a ground beef sandwich that is very tasty.

Pace of play was a little slow but nothing out of the ordinary. You are, after all, in tourist country. A number of group outings are held throughout the year at Emerald Hills which adds to the overall popularity of the course. Many of the regular patrons to the golf course are "snowbirds." They spend their summers in the Lake Okoboji area and head south for the winter.

Lake Okoboji is scenic and picturesque with many good golf options. Emerald Hills is a delightful golf course set into this scenic area of northwest Iowa. Tee times are recommended as this course is consistently busy throughout the golf season. Make a special trip to play Emerald Hills. You'll enjoy it!

Latest Update: 3/12/2011