Originally founded in 1896 as the Marshalltown Country Club, Elmwood is proud of its rich history serving central Iowa. Its first nine holes were built along the Iowa River and due to prominent flooding and poorly draining soils, the decision was made to relocate the club around 1918. The land selected sits on the southern side of town and features many rolling Hills in two streams. The new course was laid out by one of America’s greatest golf pioneers, Thomas M. Bendelow. Bendelow used the rolling terrain to his advantage, when designing Elmwood, by making the player focus on how they would hit every tee shot. Play the percentages and hit safely two spots could leave yourself blind approaches with deep bunkers or be aggressive and have short wedges into greens if drives were executed in the fairways. At 5750 yards the course was defined by these choices and execution as well as the green complexes.
In 2017 the club embarked on the path to restore, renovate, and modernize the club course. Already many fairways have been widened, collection areas around the greens have been implemented and several new tees have been built, the back 9 greens have been regrassed and much more is planned to ensure Elmwood will be a blast to play for years to come. The longest set of tees currently play at 6100 yards and once again requires precise shots into greens to score well. New strategically placed bunkers will challenge players of all skill levels and wide inviting fairways allow paths and angles for all to navigate throughout the round. The current Master plan is on schedule to be completed by the year 2024.
We welcome everyone out for a round of golf and to see what Elmwood has to offer!
