WELLMAN

For almost every rule, there is an exception.

Take, for example, the greens on a golf course. The ‘green’ is defined as the area of the golf hole with the shortest-cut grass surrounding the golf cup. This is where you break out the putter and, you know, putt the ball in.

Except in Wellman. At the Wellman Golf Club, the ‘greens’ are made of sand, not short grass or synthetic turf.

Now the obvious question is, why would anyone use sand for the green? Well, back in the 1920s and 30s, drought conditions prevailed (see ‘dust bowl’ in your history textbook) and getting grass to grow was a luxury. Thus, sand greens.

The Wellman Golf Course was born exactly during this time, in 1925. Unlike almost every other century golf course, however, it never updated the greens. This is what makes it special and rare.

If you want to fall down a rabbit hole that takes two weeks to climb out of, ask this question: How rare? How many sand green golf courses remain in Iowa?

Seems no one is quite sure. Comically, a 2022 story posted online titled, “Only Four Iowa Golf Courses Remain with a Very Unique Trait,” says “if you play at any one of the four golf courses in the state of Iowa,” you’ll be surprised by sand. The Wellman Golf Course is “one of only three courses in Iowa that still have sand greens,” and then, after mentioning three additional courses, says “These two Iowa gems are rare indeed.”

So, what the fluff? How many courses, four, three or two?

The thing is, it’s not just the numerically challenged author of the internet story who will give you that two-to-four range in answer. No one actually knows. The reason for that is that these four candidate courses are all volunteer-run in very small towns. They don’t have websites to visit or phone numbers listed, and for one, you can’t even find an address.

And times change. Yesterday’s sand could be today’s turfgrass.

This reporter decided it was time to learn the truth.

Pierson Golf Course in Pierson, Iowa is located a bit east of Sioux City and is home to about 366 people at last count. City Clerk Jeanette Beekman was able to confirm that the course does, in fact, still have sand greens. She knew because she had just mown around them.

Humeston Lakeside Golf Club in Humeston, Iowa is south of Des Moines, not far from the Missouri border, population 461. We contacted City Hall; they were closed for the week. We called again during open hours, but still got voicemail. Finally we got through and were put in touch with the golf club’s treasurer, Peggy Gwinn; yes, she said, Humeston still has sand greens.

Coon Hunters Golf Course near Scotch Grove, Iowa is located a bit southeast of Monticello; about 309 people call this place home. As there is no city government, Jones County Conservation fielded our call, and then they fell down the rabbit hole too.

Eventually, a day later, they turned up a member of the golf course’s board; when we called him, his voicemail greeting said not to bother leaving a message because he wasn’t good at listening to them. Hmm.

We called at different times of day over the course of a week and he never answered.

We circled around. Newspaper staffs are well-informed, right? How about the Cascade Pioneer, do they know? They referred us to the Monticello Express. The Express gave us the number of the same guy who doesn’t answer his phone or listen to messages. Gah!

But, they told us, the newest Jones County Visitor’s Guide says the course has sand greens.

Do we trust this information? Given the fact that this course is so obscure and unreachable, it is reasonable to assume they have not upgraded their sand greens recently.

So the answer, as of July 2024, is: four sand greens golf courses currently exist in Iowa.

That was a tough one.