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Circ Hill Disc Golf Course
Pros:
Amenities. Pro Shop with a select choosing of discs, a great place to pick up some Millennium plastic, might as well be direct from the headquarters. Not a huge selection of other discs.

Score Card and Map. Provided at pro shopt.

Friendly Staff. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with the staff here, I had a very entertaining chat and a great time hanging out there.

Rugged. I love a course that makes me feel like I’m “out there” or hiking through a wilderness area. I love making “object courses” in places just like this, it’s amazing to have a course in place, a very enjoyable hike.

Signage. Great Houck design signs on each hole.

Navigation. It was never difficult to find my way around by paying attention to the next tee arrow and reading the map. Occasionally I did end up throwing at the wrong basket or spent time searching for a basket, just pay attention.

Challenging Variety. A wide variety of shots and lengths of holes create a very challenging round, some holes did frustrate me, but in the best way. Houck displays some of his finest.

Beauty. Wildflowers blooming and incredible views from the top of the plateau created an amazing experience.

And hole 18 – really, who doesn’t like to throw off the top of a mountain, be prepared to want to throw 5 drives, but I wouldn’t suggest it, you’ll spend 5 hours looking for them.

Events. A variety of minis and some of the state’s largest tournaments couldn’t have a better home.

Never crowded. I felt like I had the course to myself most of the time.

Cons:
Only open on specific weekends. This course doesn’t work with your schedule unless you’re willing to pay the price.

Conveniences. Minimal benches and trash cans available.

Tees. Can be rough in places, but I mostly felt they were acceptable for this rugged course, concrete tees would almost feel out of place.

Other Thoughts:
Great way to spend a day – pay the $10 and spend a day full of great disc golf on 36 of the finest holes in the state.

Pros:
Amenities. I haven’t actually been in the college itself, but I hear it has bathrooms, there’s a map available and there’s plenty of parking.

Tees. Dual concrete tee pads offer a change of distance while keeping the lines fairly similar.

Signage. Beautiful signs at the pro tee show a map, hole number and distance to hole.

Well Maintained. Occasionally the fairways get a bit overgrown, but the campus maintenance usually keeps the fairways crisp and the course is almost always looking clean and nice.

Length. A decent variety of hole lengths offer a decent challenge, from a couple of short ace runs to many grip and rip long bombs. Most holes required a distance drive from me at about 400 feet or so.

Beautiful. The course always looks nice, with several nice ponds, one with a fountain in the middle of hole two, and some nice views of the surrounding wooded areas.

Elevation. The course makes decent use of the elevation, with several blind shots over hills, valley crossings, some downhill bombs and a few uphill crushers.

Cons:
Trash Cans. Only one trash can on hole 4 results in trash being left at many tee boxes, campus maintenance must clean this up fairly regularly, as it usually ends up well kept.

Navigation. Without a map, and not having paid enough attention to these reviews – I skipped holes 7-9 the first two times I played the course, I’ll mention it again because I was lost – hole 7 is just before the “Christian Ministries” building on the left right when you enter campus. Hole 1 is way down to the right of the first parking lot where I usually park, and hole 3 is across the road from hole 2.

Thick Rough. Several holes have thick brush, watch out on the right of hole 7, that’s one area that eats discs. But the worst is the thick grass that is over my head on several holes. Be prepared to spend time searching for discs, the worst offender is hole 16 – schedule a half hour of searching just for this hole, this hole eats discs for breakfast.

Variety of Shots. Most of the holes require no line shaping or technical shots, mostly I reached for my destroyer and threw it as hard as I could, not too challenging. Holes 1-6, 10 and 17 were the only holes that required any thought, but not really any difficult line shaping skills, a high hyzer or a straight low shot was all that was really required.

Water. I like water on the course, I just think it could have been used better – none of the water was a threat to me, except maybe the small pond behind hole 9 if you overthrow. The other water looks nice but would require a horrible shank to lost a disc. If you did happen to land a disc in the ponds, it is some nasty schwag – good luck getting it back out.

Other Thoughts:
A great enjoyable course that I claim as my “local” course, come check it out – it’s definitely worth a play if you’re in the twin cities area, I’d go out of my way to play this one.

Oakwood Park

Pros:
Variety. For a pitch and putt course, there was a reasonable amount of trees and other objects (like a water tower or a fence) strategically placed throughout the course to provide an adequate challenge, the most interesting of which was a 10 foot fence immediately in front of 8 tee.

Signage. A map of the entire course and of the particular hole is provided at the start of each hole making navigation relatively straightforward. It took me a few moments to find hole 3 basket (just to the left of the water park entrance) and hole 4 tee (across the parking lot from the water park) and hole 8 tee (back across the entrance road for the water park).

Well maintained. Very clean park, well mowed and well kept, makes it impossible to lose a disc and is a relatively nice looking park.

Ace Runs. Nearly every hole has an ace opportunity and at least a chance to birdie.

Nice Baskets and level tee areas.

Amenities. Bathrooms and a large parking area at the beginning, with plenty of shade to park in. A water park is available for a quick swim after you work up a sweat through the round.

Not crowded. I had the entire course to myself, and don’t foresee this course gathering huge crowds.

Cons:
Short. Hole 8 provided the only length to the course at ~350′, every other hole was quite short.

Though the course had a decent variety in shots, the majority of the holes were open (4-7 and 9).

Hole 3. I skipped this hole because it plays directly through the entrance area for the water park, there was people going in and out constantly, along with a pile of bicycles, I wasn’t about to hit a kid, this is a ridiculous layout for this hole when the water park is open.

Hole 8, I rather enjoyed the challenge but could be considered gimmicky with a 10 foot fence immediately in front of the tee box (this fences off the ball park, if anybody was playing ball there, holes 8 and 9 would have to be skipped).

Holes 4-7 are criss crossed through a wide open field providing minimal variety, and a close quarters number of holes, if there were many others playing it could get dangerous.

Other Thoughts:
A decent pitch and putt course, worth the stop if you’re in the area, I wouldn’t go out of the way for this course.

Sunset Park

Pros:
Don’t expect this course to blow you out of the water, but for a pitch and putt course, it was quite enjoyable.

Tees. Level grass tee pads marked by a plank in front with hole number and distance, suit this course just fine, anything more would be overkill on a quaint 9 hole course as this.

Baskets. All in good shape.

Amenities. City park with ample parking, tennis courts, bathrooms, picnic tables and a shelter.

Variety of Shots. Holes 5, 4 and 8 are wide open and nearing 300 feet. Hole 1 is left to right bend around some trees, 2′s basket is directly behind a large evergreen, 3 has numerous obstacles presenting an opportunity for some nice line shaping or an overhand shot, 7 is a slight left to right bend through the trees and hole 9 has a tree directly to the right of the basket.

Not Crowded. I don’t foresee this course getting a whole lot of use.

Ace/Birdie opportunities. Every hole has a potential ace run or birdie opportunity.

Fun. If this was my local course, I’d probably go crazy and quit this game, but for a single round, it was enjoyable.

Cons:
Distance. Every hole was 2-300 feet, not much variety in distance, these distances I suppose fit the park, but it is large enough that they could have squeezed in at least one long hole.

Navigation. Though relatively intuitive (most tees are immediately next to the previous basket) I had difficulty in a couple of places. Hole 1 tee is on the other side of the playground equipment from the parking lot, just in front of the bathrooms. Hole 3 tee is towards the road and the throw crosses the corner of the road (I wandered around for 15 minutes until I found that one).

No elevation or water. They worked with what they had.

Other Thoughts:
If you’re in town, check it out – I wouldn’t go out of my way for this one, but a fun pitch and putt course nonetheless.

Iowa Lakes Community College DGC

Pros:
9 baskets exist. After some searching, I eventually found all 9 baskets – all are in good shape and are perfect targets to aim at.

Fun Safari. Though there are no marked tees, I enjoyed making my own lines, and could see really getting into “building” holes on a regular basis if this was the only course I had to play. There is a variety of trees and landscape to work with here.

Clean well maintained campus area. Some of the areas were under construction, but everything was well mowed and clean – won’t lose a disc here unless you’re getting really creative with your holes.

Cons:
Navigation. Hole 1 is way behind the campus, near the dorm buildings, hole’s 2 and 3 are directly west of there, and the remaining holes wrap around to the North, ending several blocks from where you begin, the holes were difficult to find and the walk from start to end is a pain.

No tees. I mentioned that Safari is fun here, but it’s hardly much of a course without tees/maps/fairways, more of just a practice area with random baskets around.

Busy area. I was here when school was out of session and it was still busy with people walking around through the “fairways” practicing ball golf, or sitting next to a tree reading, at least I could avoid them by creating my hole away from them. I can’t imagine how busy it might be in the middle of a school day.

Other Thoughts:
A decent place to practice lines, approaches, and putting – I would probably grow to love this place if I was a local, but would not go out of my way to play this course.

Lawcon Park

Pros:
Variety of shots. A number of wide open holes interspersed with wooded holes, some shots require some mild lines left or right.

Concrete tees. On every hole, relatively level and in good shape.

Baskets. All in good shape.

Amenities. Large parking area, playground, and bathrooms.

Elevation. What elevation the park has is used relatively well.

Ace opportunites. Every hole can be reached in one by most, presenting plenty of opportunities for an ace run and every hole should be birdiable.

Beginner friendly. This would be a great place to be introduced to the sport, not too long for small arms, it would be difficult to lose a disc, and there is opportunity to learn different shots.

Not crowded. Besides the occasional person on the walking trail, I saw nobody on this course.

Well maintained. The course was very clean, the fairways were mowed, and everything was in good shape.

Cons:
Pedestrians. On a number of occasions I had to wait for *slow* pedestrians to make their way past on the walking trail.

Bathroom. Hole 6, I just imagine letting my drive rip just as someone is stepping out the door of the bathroom, they would never know what hit them.

Short. Every hole was 2-300 feet, not much variety of distance.

Other Thoughts:
An enjoyable quick 9 holes provides an opportunity for practicing short lines. I’d recommend it if passing through the area – makes a great combination day with Mound Creek, Mayflower, and Plum creek.

Lake Okoboji Camp

Pros: Baskets. Innova DisCatcher baskets were all in nice shape, 9 baskets exist.

Safari. No specified tee locations allow for creating your own holes, this can result in a nice variety in distance and there are enough trees and other obstacles to create lines and make a decent challenge.

Well kept. The camp is well maintained, clean, mowed and looks nice – shouldn’t have a problem losing a disc here.

Not busy. I never saw anybody else using the course, though I skipped holes 1 and 2 because there appeared to be a camp activity going on in that area with kids everywhere.

Cons:
Trespassing? Nobody ever said anything to me, but I definitely felt out of place with all of the crosses and praise Jesus everywhere, I felt that at any point somebody was going to approach me and ask me to leave this private property of a church camp.

Cluttered. Many baskets are near cabins, buildings or parking lots – I felt as if I was going to break a window. Several holes are near other recreation areas with a baseball field and basketball court.

No layout. A lack of signage or tee markers resulted in no real layout, just random baskets scattered throughout the property for a safari round.

Other Thoughts:
May be an ok place to practice approaches, putting or lines, but I would not stop here again, mostly because it felt awkward and out of place for me to be wandering around this private church camp.

Everly Park

Pros:
Baskets. The baskets (homemade I believe, or some off brand) are very well constructed with large numbers on top of the basket, and play reasonably well with double layer of chains – my only complaint here is that the chains seem to be too heavy, and a gentle putt will fall off of the chains and out of the basket.

Signage. Each hole is marked with a very nice looking sign with a rough map, hole number, distance and par (Hole 6 was an inaccurate distance).

Well manicured. The park seems to be well maintained with several brand new trees, clean cut grass, clean grounds – you won’t lose a disc here.

Beginner friendly. Ace runs abound, a good place to get out and practice open drives, approaches and putts.

Variety in distance. Holes vary from 150 to near 400 feet.

Nice looking. I’ve already mentioned each piece on its own, but in all the course looks very nice though young.

Not busy. No crowds here, no other patrons wandering about, as a local this would be an ok place to practice.

Cons:
Very young. All of the trees are very small and offer no challenge, give them another 15 years and this may be a respectably challenging course.

Flat and Open. As a result of the young trees, there is no variety in types of shots required, every shot is straight and open, no line shaping required here. The course is very flat, no elevation whatsoever. A lack of variety makes for a rather boring experience no matter how nice everything looks.

Heavy chains. I mentioned it before, soft putts might not stick (I had 2 fall out, dead center – just fell off the front of the basket, when I know they would have stuck on any other basket).

Other Thoughts:
An Ok DG experience, a decent place to practice, but the course itself is very boring – only worth a stop to admire how nice everything looks – otherwise I would not go out of my way for this one.

West Leach Park

Pros:
Decent variety. Several holes around 200 feet, a couple near 300 and hole 3 is 400 some feet. Several holes have some lines required, with accuracy rewarded on hole 9 – an alley shot through the trees.

Tee pads. Concrete tees on each hole is always a nice benefit on a course like this.

Signage. Each tee is marked with a map of the hole, distance, hole number and par.

Clean well maintained park.

Not busy. I saw a handful of people playing the course, and a father/son using the playground equipment, but it was not crowded by any means.

Ace opportunities. Every hole (less 3) has a possible ace run with a likely birdie opportunity if well played.

The water is not permanent. The casual standing water provided an additional challenge that I enjoy, hole 3 ended up being an awesome “island hole” despite having to play it barefoot, it would be a sweet layout to the course.

Cons:
Playground. The course plays right through the middle of playground equipment, though some of it looks cool – like the rocket slide, it could be dangerous if there was anybody using the equipment.

Wet. The low areas can be quite wet after a rain, I had to play holes 3 and 4 barefoot, several other holes had standing water.

Small. A relatively small area houses this course, several of the holes are close to each other, could be dangerous if there was many people playing.

Other Thoughts:
An enjoyable quick 9 holes worth a stop if you’re nearby, I wouldn’t drive more than 10 miles out of the way for this one.

Williams Park

Pros:
Amenities. Huge parking area for YMCA, inside has restrooms (and other great opportunities for a Y-Member).

Signage. Each tee location has a sign (no specific area to tee off from besides behind the sign), sign shows a rough map, distance, par, hole number and next tee location (some of the maps/distances are slightly off).

Baskets. Mach II baskets are showing some wear and occasionally falling apart, but perform as expected from this basket, all of them exist.

Decent Variety. (less some ridiculous obstacles and out of bounds) There is a decent variety in distance, hole 7 was near 400 I think, several holes around 300, and several around 200. The variety of trees are used fairly well to create decent lines and add difficulty to the holes.

Ace opportunities. Impossible to lose a disc. Well manicured and clean park.

Not busy. I had the course to myself and would expect similar for any time of the day.

Cons:
Tees. No specific tee location and mostly natural grass to tee off from, suits the course fine but could always use improvement.

Clustered. Several baskets are close together, and on a few occasions, ended up at the wrong basket (hole 3 I ended up at 4 basket, hole 7 I ended up at a random [practice?] basket). If there was very many people playing the course it could get dangerous.

Out of bounds/parking lots. Several holes (1,2,9) are very close to parking lots, if there’s cars parked there it could be a disaster, I had a bus as an obstacle on hole 2. These sculpted fairways are nearly “unfair” hole 9 has a very narrow lane to shoot at, though I guess the parking lot on the left isn’t marked as OB, just watch out for cars.

Wet. After rains the low areas can get very wet, I had to play half of the course barefoot.

Other Thoughts:
This course was a rather enjoyable experience on a quick stop through Algona, though I wouldn’t recommend going out of the way for this one.