Newton, IA Outdoor Activities

Pleasantville Golf & Country Club's nine-hole course blankets the Marion County countryside with a circuit of tree-lined fairways. Originally opened in 1965, the course boasts the trademarks of a mature layout, with well-defined greens, tall timbers, and fairways that are starting to show flecks of gray. The semiprivate club also encompasses an outdoor swimming pool and Bogey's, a grill with a full-service bar and a menu of sandwiches, burgers, and other casual eats.:

After selling his farm-equipment business in 1972, Dale W. Brady sought the counsel of his three sons to determine what should be done with the 200-acre plot of land originally used for testing out his new products. The three resolved to turn their land into a golf course. After a test green survived the winter and they earned the blessing of the region’s lawn-mower king, son Tom devised a layout from an aerial drawing and the team set to work, sculpting the rugged earth and opening the course in August 1973. A family-run enterprise ever since, the course bobs and weaves over 6,224 yards of rolling terrain that feature sparse tree lines, water hazards in play on five holes, and scenic views of the verdant landscape.

Since its relatively humble beginnings, Toad Valley Golf Course has grown to include a full-length driving range and the Field of Greens Mini Links, an 18-hole miniature-golf course that challenges players with realistic putting surfaces, including bunkers, water hazards, and contoured greens. The range’s grass tees offer practice on an organic surface similar to course conditions, and the putting surfaces emulate the tricky slopes of real greens and even include rough, sand traps, and water features that add to the scenery and allow putters to bob for wayward golf balls.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 71 course

• Length of 6,224 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 69.1 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 114 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options

• Link to scorecard

Cedar Pointe Golf Course’s 18-hole layout unfurls across 6,647 yards of pristine fairways cleaved into a landscape of mature trees and rough-side waterways. The course eases golfers into the round with eight relatively straightforward holes before testing swings at the ninth hole, where tee shots must clear a pond on their multishot journey to a windswept flagstick 543 yards in the distance. The intervening water at the end of the front nine foretells an upsurge in aquatic obstacles in the course’s second act, where a slender pond runs between the 12th and 13th holes and two ponds loom menacingly at the junction of the 10th, 11th, and 18th holes, tempting many hydrophobic golf balls to forge doctor’s notes allowing them to stay in the dry bag. An adjacent driving range prepares players and gun-shy three-woods before the round, and a revamped clubhouse and bar await just beyond the 18th green, where pin-hunting posses can recap their round over a frothy beverage.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• Length of 6,647 yards from the farthest tees

• Course rating of 71.1 from the farthest tees

• Slope rating of 120 from the farthest tees

• Four tee options

• Download scorecard

Open for just one month every autumn, The Pumpkin Ranch seems more like a scene from a child’s dream than a family-run business. But that’s the way the Handsaker family planned it, hoping to create a family-friendly hub that celebrated their love of all things autumn. They began by cultivating their 9-acre cornfield into a complex maze, incorporating 12 checkpoints that make sure guests are on the right path and offer clues to the ranch’s Farm Scene Investigation mystery. Alongside the maze, the Handsakers have built up a 10-acre patch of pumpkins and gourds, where squashy specimens wait to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns or stomped into wine.

The hayrack ride transports guests to and fro on the ranch, speeding up walks so guests can spend more time reveling in the play zone’s bounce houses, climbable straw bales, and tire towers. For more exhilarating pastimes, the ranch offers tennis-ball launchers that send the bright orbs soaring at water-based targets, exhilarating zipline courses, and fire pits to warm up chilly fall afternoons. Inside the concession stand, staffers sell steamy cups of specialty ciders and hot chocolate alongside homemade baked goods, giving guests a taste of fall, and outside, vendors serve up larger bites such as grilled and smoked meat to fuel the outdoor fun.

Pilot and local network meteorologist John McLaughlin has logged more than 7,700 hours of accident-free flight time in both fixed wing planes and rotorcraft. He draws on that experience to lead flights and tours around Iowa such as agricultural and crop condition surveys and holiday lights sightseeing tours. The flights soar over farmland and wilderness, and he also zips over Des Moines for panoramic views of the skyline and river. John also provides flight training and examinations, teaching burgeoning pilots the fundamentals of flight and the best mouth noises to make during takeoff.

Dense tree lines and encroaching out-of-bounds areas form tunnels of narrow fairways at Oskaloosa Golf Course, which has stood as a verdant playground for golfers since 1920. Players must keep tight control over drivers and putters en route to conquering the course’s par of 72, highlighted by accessible par 5s and shorter par 3s with greens that are reachable from tee shots or by flattery whispered into fringe. At just 446 yards, the par 5 fifth hole forges a straight path between two straddling fairways, opening the door for eagles and birdies. This linear hole design is somewhat of a rarity, however, as half of the holes feature a dogleg turn of some degree. After putting and strutting through the labyrinth of undulating greens, golfers can retire and refuel at Dr. Salami's restaurant and patio.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Total length of 6,382 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 123 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole:m]]