In late 1998, ISU graduate Dickson Jensen dreamed of building a landmark golf course in the state of Iowa.

A community where people could live and where people could play golf.

Mission completed.

The Harvester, near Rhodes, just off Highway 330 has fit the description perfectly.

A beautiful course that is loaded with rolling hills, sand traps, water, and thick prairie grass, The Harvester gives a great name to Iowa golf.

Jensen, who is the owner of the course, hired architect Keith Foster to help in designing the course.

Foster has done work on such esteemed golf courses as The Quarry in San Antonio, Sun Ridge Canyon in Arizona and The Tradition Course in Texas, which is ranked as one of the top 10 public golf courses in 1999 by Golf Magazine.

Add The Harvester to his list of masterpieces.

Already beautiful, the course will become better with age. It has only been open since July 1, but it looks like it has been there for years.

Jensen chose farmland in Marshall County that the course fit into perfectly.

At most new courses, the trees aren’t fully grown, and the grass is still thin.

At The Harvester, these problems do not exist. Mature oak trees and thick prairie grass create instant hazards at this new wonder.

And it is not even done yet. Only the first nine have been completed, with the back nine scheduled to open later this year.

“The course is not yet 100 percent today; it will probably be another year,” said Director of Marketing Michael Despard.

The course already has a championship feel to it, but the good thing about it is that it is built for all golfers, from pros to below average. From the professional tees, the course is an astounding 7,240 yards, but from the white (middle) tees, the course is a shorter 6,465 yards for 18 holes.

Some holes aren’t too difficult, but none are easy. Each one tests a golfer’s skill and decision making. In some cases, a great looking shot could be ruined by landing in deep rough or a sand trap.

The first hole is a great example. Basically a straight shot 410-yard par four, but if you don’t hit a drive a little to the left, you will end up in deep rough.

This hurts chances of being on in two, unless of course your name is Tiger Woods and you could be on the moon in two.

Hole five is another fine example of the course’s challenges.

It looks like an easy 300-yard par four, but if the ball isn’t in the fairway, it is in big trouble. Thick prairie grass and fluffy white sand sit, waiting to make a decent shot look like something out of a golfer’s worst nightmare.

The sand is to the left and right of the fairway, and the rough is incredibly thick and can overpower even the best of swings.

A virtual beach in front of the green sits innocently, waiting for a ball to be hit even the slightest bit short.

The first par three, called “Humble Crossing” may eat a few of your golf balls; a 175-yarder over a lake, one has to be right on the green.

If a shot is short, long or to the right, wading boots will be required to find it.

And just to make sure a golfer doesn’t go too far left, a carefully placed sand trap awaits to gobble up errant balls.

A hole that exemplifies the beauty and the challenge of the course is hole six, called “Holy Cow.” A long par 5 that reaches over 540 yards, a golfer must be strong and accurate.

A good drive is required to reach the fairway, as wild flowers and prairie grass cover the ground in front of the tee box. Then an accurate but not too long second shot is needed if one thinks of reaching the green. Sitting in front of the green is a lake, and adding more difficulty is a sand trap in front of that.

If a second shot goes too far, one could be in the sand and looking at a nearly impossible 100-yard shot over water to the green.

A word of advice: Bring more balls than normal — they may come in handy on this hole.

Every hole on this course has its own challenge; none of them are a sure thing for an average golfer. Some of them are just plain hard, no matter what kind of a golfer you are.

But The Harvester is a special golf course. The Cyclone golf team thinks so, as it will be their new home. The Big 12 Conference must also be impressed, as the new course will host the women’s Big 12 Conference Championship this coming year.

Dickson Jensen has accomplished something that he can take pride in.

And in the years to come, if this majestic course draws a PGA or some other type of event, the whole state can be proud.

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Jeremy Gustafson is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Ogden.