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The Preserve on Rathbun Lake
Layout & design
Atmosphere
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Course conditions
A tough test
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About The Preserve on Rathbun Lake
The Preserve on Rathbun Lake sits within Honey Creek Resort State Park near Moravia, making it the Iowa DNR's only combined resort and golf destination. The course winds through 850 acres of rolling terrain bordering Rathbun Lake, roughly 90 minutes south of Des Moines.
Opened in the fall of 2008, the layout offers five sets of tees and bentgrass playing surfaces, with greens and an overall routing intended to suit golfers across a range of ages and ability levels.
At a glance
- Access
- Public · Semi-Private
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,987 yards
- Tees
- 4 tee boxes
- Course rating
- 73.2 / 130 slope
- Architect
- Herfort Norby and Associates
- Opened
- 2009
- Difficulty
- Harder than most
Scorecard
| Tee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Out | In | Total | Par | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 36 | 72 | ||
| Handicap | 1 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 6 | |||||
| Black | 560 | 520 | 243 | 420 | 536 | 420 | 170 | 410 | 165 | 401 | 354 | 365 | 210 | 545 | 440 | 470 | 205 | 553 | 3444 | 3543 | 6,987 | 72 | 73.2/130 |
| Green | 535 | 505 | 207 | 401 | 511 | 405 | 162 | 390 | 153 | 387 | 330 | 345 | 185 | 515 | 410 | 440 | 185 | 532 | 3269 | 3329 | 6,598 | 72 | 71.3/127 |
| White | 505 | 485 | 181 | 392 | 485 | 385 | 151 | 375 | 147 | 368 | 312 | 335 | 160 | 495 | 395 | 405 | 168 | 525 | 3106 | 3163 | 6,269 | 72 | 69.8/122 |
| Gold | 460 | 470 | 165 | 374 | 447 | 365 | 137 | 350 | 134 | 336 | 285 | 320 | 140 | 470 | 360 | 375 | 148 | 490 | 2902 | 2924 | 5,826 | 72 | 67.6/117 |
Tee and scorecard data retrieved from the USGA GHIN course database
Course handicap at The Preserve on Rathbun Lake
How many strokes you get from each tee, by handicap index.
| Tee | Rating | Slope | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 73.2 | 130 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 43 |
| Green | 71.3 | 127 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 40 |
| White | 69.8 | 122 | -2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 30 | 37 |
| Gold | 67.6 | 117 | -4 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 27 | 33 |
Work out your exact course handicap here, or calculate your handicap index.
Golf courses near The Preserve on Rathbun Lake
- Appanoose Country ClubCenterville · Private · 9 holes · 9.1 mi7.6
- Albia GolfAlbia · Public · 9 holes · 13 mi8.0
- Lake View Golf & Country ClubChariton · Private · 9 holes · 23 mi7.9
- Bloomfield Country ClubBloomfield · Public · 18 holes · 29 mi7.4
- Ottumwa Golf and Social Club & Finnegan's RestaurantOttumwa · Private · 18 holes · 30 mi8.8
- Cedar Creek Golf CourseOttumwa · Public · 18 holes · 30 mi8.1
- Pine Knolls Golf ClubKnoxville · Public · 9 holes · 31 mi7.4
- Harvest Point Golf CourseOskaloosa · Public · 9 holes · 31 mi7.9
Updated October 2026 · Best golf courses in Iowa ›
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