Tanna Farms GC - Geneva

From what I knew of Tanna Farms (www.tannafarms.com) in Geneva, I was anticipating that I would not care much for the course, given my usual disdain for sub-division layouts. Wow, was I wrong!!! From the par 3 island green 1st hole to the tricky little par 4 18th, this quirky par 71 layout kept me totally engaged with a variety of scenic, challenging & well maintained golf holes in the “prairie” style (translation: not a lot of trees). I almost felt guilty for paying only $25!! (special spring twilight rate w/coupon).

Tanna Farms designer Roy Case thumbed his nose at the traditional course configuration (4 each par 3’s & 5’s, 10 par 4’s), and instead went with a unique 6 par 3’s, 7 par 4’s, 5 par 5’s layout that winds around the edges of the Mill Creek sub division. The holes range from a couple of “let it rip” 600 yard par 5’s to an extreme “hit an iron off the tee between two hazards” target golf par 4. Water or wetlands comes into play in one way or another on all but 3 of the holes, and there are a couple of forced carries on the par 3’s (#’s 1, 3 and 16) that could frustrate higher handicappers, but overall there is ample room to play away from the hazards on most shots.

Although I’m not sure that I’m a big fan of a par 3 (much less an island green!) to start off the round, it is a beautiful little hole. The 4th hole is another winner, a short par 4 with water on the left and out of bounds on the right, with the hazard sneaking up in front of the green to mess with your approach. This was the only hole that I felt a little nervous of bouncing my tee shot off a house, but the driver should be left in the bag, anyway. The 5th hole is a short par 5, but the fairway is pinched on both sides by ponds about 100 yards from the pin, and 3 large bunkers fronting the green make it difficult to reach in 2 and provides a tough 3rd shot for golfers like myself. The 7th and 8th holes are 2 rugged par 4’s, #7 with wetlands left and prairie grass to the right and a steep climb to the green, and #8 with a great view from the tee looking down at a fairway studded with bunkers.

The par 37 back nine features the 2 long par 5’s, with #13 a slight dogleg right that steadily rises to the green (which appears to be about a mile away from the tee), and #17 featuring a rolling fairway with 3 bunkers (2 right, 1 left) that finally arrives to a small, elevated green with a pond just off the left side to catch any errant approaches. #12 is the afore mentioned target golf hole, a 360 yard par 4 with a tee shot over the wetlands to a triangular patch of fairway, and the 2nd shot over more water to a long, narrow green. Not my favorite type of hole, but very well laid out and not at all out of place here. But my favorite hole on the course is #14, a hard dogleg left with a great view from the elevated tee and an intimidating approach shot over a ridge that fronts the green.

I don’t expect course conditions to be prime when playing in April, but Tanna Farms was in fantastic shape. The fairways were plush carpets of green, the sand traps were near perfect (I was in enough of them to know), and the putting surfaces were receptive and rolled very true. The regular morning weekend rate is $65 w/cart (can’t really walk the course, a bit too much space between some of the holes), drops to $55 after 11 am, and down to a super value of $35 at 2:30, plenty early enough to get 18 holes in.

There is nothing fancy about the clubhouse, a renovated red barn, and there is no driving range and only a tiny little putting green to help you warm up. The carts don’t have GPS, although the yardage is well marked and the scorecard provides very detailed descriptions of each hole. But I’m most interested in the course, and that was a total A-1 golf experience. I will definitely be returning to Tanna Farms in the very near future!




Mr Z Rating


Layout - 7.5
Playability - 7.5
Conditioning - 9
Aesthetics - 7.5
Amenities - 6
Value - 9


Total Score - 79