Golf Guide: Ames - IA

As most university towns do, Ames, Iowa, features plenty of cultural attractions to keep residents and visitors occupied and smiling. Home to the Iowa State University Cyclones, Ames is located in the middle of the Hawkeye State and regularly hosts musical acts of nearly every variety, as well as being home to theater productions, Ciccotti Art Glass Studio, the Iowa Arboretum, the Main Street Cultural District and the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad.

And Wallaby's Bar and Grille has recently been named one of the best sports bars in the country by CNNGo.com. In other words, golfers visiting the Ames area should be able to keep themselves entertained when not playing the region's courses.

Veenker Memorial Golf Course is home to the Cyclone's men's and women's teams and features undulating fairways and abundant trees. Coldwater Golf Links plays to a forgiving 120 slope from the tips and can be walked during the summer for $30 on weekdays. Golfers who only have time for a quick nine should visit the north part of Ames to tee it up at The Oaks, which plays shorter than 3,000 yards, or they can play nine at Homewood Municipal Golf Course. And for those golfers who know a member or who can talk their way on, Ames Golf & Country Club is the region's ritziest course.