Mt. Vernon, IA

Cornell College

Permanent course
2.335(based on 6 reviews)
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2 0
BriMar
Experience: 10.4 years 30 played 17 reviews
1.00 star(s)

Is this even a course? 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Oct 9, 2017 Played the course:once

Pros:

-Course built in front and along side a beautiful college campus
-Course is in Mt. Vernon, IA which is a great town to hang out in

Cons:

-No signage
-No markers
-No concrete tees
-No tees at all
-Tough to play or find parking when school is in session

Other Thoughts:

I had a lot of problems with this course. There really is very little direction in how to play it or even where to start due to the lack of info provided. Couldn't even find tees 7-9, but there's construction going on now so they may be out of commission for the time being.

I really got the sense that this was just a diversion of a course for the students and the occasional passer-by. It's very cool to play this course because of the scenery, especially in the fall, but that's about it. You do have to deal with a busy road that runs along the north side of the course and student traffic that lines the south part. The baskets seem newer, based upon past reviews I've read, so that's nice and you don't need a lot of disks to play this course. I used maybe three.

If you do play it, park closer to the west end of campus, that's near to where 1 starts. Could be part of a fun day if you incorporated it into a group of area courses to play, but that's really the only way I'd recommend it.
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2 0
cmax25
Experience: 22.5 years 76 played 8 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Slightly Dissapointed 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Sep 15, 2015 Played the course:once

Pros:

The proximity of the course surrounds historic Cornell College as it winds through the campus providing a modest nine hole challenge for disc golfers of all skill levels. Most holes were distanced around 300 ft, ideal for the par 3 player. Most holes were there for the taking with regards to birdie or par chances. Slight elevation changes on holes #7, #8, #9 give you an additional challenge. Hole #9 was my favorite hole as your forced to throw across a pond; uphill, at a basket placed about 11:00. Beware--- Holes #3, #4, have the potential to strike a car or house if your disc goes off course to the left where a street encompasses the campus. Golfers get a taste of the college atmosphere as evidenced by the architecture of buildings and swarms of students that frequent the campus and surrounding course. If you're a people person that enjoys attention; then this is the spot. Surely, your likely to encounter a diverse range of people.

Cons:

Virtually, no signage exists anywhere. Furthermore, their are no tee pads anywhere! Rather, there are patches of dirt that serve as makeshift tee pads. As a result, I spent about an half hour trying to decipher the course layout to no avail. I ended up having to ask a couple of students after becoming increasingly frustrated. Hole #5 had no visual tee box forcing you to judge or make up a spot to throw. Hole #6 abruptly ends near the street but gives no indication where hole #7 is. Hole #7 is on the other side of the campus as I later found out. Few amenities are present on campus such as: benches, water fountains, restrooms. This makes the course feel unwelcoming to "tourists," or "outsiders," that aren't students.

Other Thoughts:

This course has so much potential! It would be a great asset to the college campus and Mount Vernon overall, if the student population or powers that be,get their act together and properly facilitate this course with the property it needs to be fully functional. Otherwise, if you do plan on playing; then go with some friends that have played here before to avoid being a "deer in the headlights." Bring some spikes because you will slide on the dirt throwing service causing many throws to go straight into the ground.
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2 0
MidwestZest
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 24.4 years 103 played 73 reviews
2.00 star(s)

Solid college campus 9-hole 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jul 20, 2014 Played the course:once

Pros:

- BEAUTIFUL campus. Historic college buildings with large, old trees.
- Easy to get to, ample parking on the street or in the main commons circle.
- Some good hole designs, and nice variation on holes 5 - 9.
- #4 is a medium-length hole, requiring a good, straight, threaded drive.
- #9 is easily the most memorable hole on the course, driving across a road right to left, skirting the edge of small pond, with the basket guarded by a row of tall trees. Miss to the left, and you're not likely to land directly in the pond...but if you hit a tree and roll down the hill, you could end up wet. Great finishing hole, uphill and curved flight path means it plays more like 280 or 290 instead of the listed 256.

Cons:

- Tees are heavily worn, and probably detract from the rest of campus, actually. The back sides of the tees have been mulched in the past, but the follow-through area of each tee is heavily worn dirt. Makes some of the tees look 15 feet long.
- Some shots play across walking paths, as the first 4 or 5 holes are essentially on the front lawn of campus. Played on a Sunday afternoon in the summer, and had no issues. However, I bet these are normally pretty busy areas, especially on 3, 5, 6, and the road on 9.
- Not the easiest course to navigate - especially when you're looking for brown dirt/mulch patches instead of tee signs. Without a copy of the map, you might not ever make it from #6 basket to #7 tee, which is a jaunt down the hill. #5 to #6 wasn't the easiest, either.
- The first 4 holes are very similar, sloping downhill right to left, with just variations in distance. This also can bring the road into play for offline RHBH drives that skip down the hill.
- For not being overly wooded, really just one hole (#7) where you can just let it rip and bomb it. Even so, it's only 285 feet. Plays 15' uphill though.
- #8 is a little janky, requiring a short flick to the right. The basket is in the back yard of an old historic house on campus. After playing through I could see that the correct line is probably driving straight past the basket, and then putting back up the hill.

Other Thoughts:

- Solid college campus 9-hole. Wonderful scenery and decent design. Course would be most-helped by revamped tees with some sort of marker, even if it was small and just had # and distance.
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5 1
Iowa420DG
Bronze level trusted reviewer
Experience: 13.7 years 457 played 41 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Confusing 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Apr 4, 2012 Played the course:2-4 times

Pros:

This course has nice usage of mature trees. There are also many attractive flower trees located all over campus. They're currently blooming and they smell sweeter than any flowers I've smelled in my entire life.
There's also decent variation for a 9 hole course. Holes #5, #7, #8, and #9 all make good use of elevation change. #5 is a fairly steep uphill shot. #7 is a distance shot over a long sloping hill, near the top. #8 is a rather creative shot... it requires a medium anhyzer (rhbh). Its a short but tight shot up a small slope; you must avoid hitting a thick squad of trees and a small house on the right side of the fairway in order to park a birdie. Hole #9 is a "valley" shot next to the lake.

Cons:

This course is very confusing for a newcomer. The tee pads are mulch so they don't stand out as much as concrete. There are no tee signs. A lot of tee pads are right next to the basket where the previous hole finished, with a few big exceptions however. After hole #5, I wasn't quite sure where to go and I spent a minute or two glancing around before I spotted the next tee pad. After hole #6 I was COMPLETELY lost. Its very unclear where to go for hole #7. TIP: Continue straight from tee pad-basket path, down steep hill to the street corner at the bottom of the hill. The tee pad for #7 is located there on the corner underneath a pod of trees. Hole #8 is a little tricky to find but not terrible.
There are too many people. Hardly anyone else was playing but students, joggers, and faculty members were traveling the concrete paths that wind throughout the first 6 holes. The majority of holes also play near fairly busy roads and houses. A griplock or early release could easily end up hitting a car or house.
Oh yeah... and concrete in the fairway or anywhere near the fairway is a big negative. I absolutely hate scuffing my discs up and ruining them, and nothing does it better than concrete.
The first 3 holes are pretty much the same.
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8 0
Gflap
Silver level trusted reviewer
Experience: 21.3 years 423 played 33 reviews
2.50 star(s)

Charming College Campus Course 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Jan 29, 2010 Played the course:once

Pros:

Setting is on a small college campus with 1st 4 holes in front of school buildings on a hillside with road OB to the left on each hole. DGA mach 5 baskets. Mature trees used creatively as obstacles on each side of fairway. Moderate elevation changes throughout.

Cons:

Difficult to locate teepads as there are no tee signs. When I played there was about 4 to 5 inches of snow. There may have been markings in the ground however they were not visible. Fortunately, I had a map printed from this site which made it easy to guess where each teepad was placed. Sidewalk pedestrian traffic could be an issue on some holes. Some buildings come into play on hole 6 and 8. !st 4 holes are very similar.

Other Thoughts:

Overall, the round here was very enjoyable as the holes range in distance from 217 to 352 feet with interesting lines to the baskets. Favorite hole for me was #8 the shortest hole uphill with a huge cedar tree on right and the BACO house to the right of the pin with trees guarding the left approach. Cornell College is about 1 mile north of US 30 12 miles east of Cedar Rapids.
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5 0
wolito
Gold level trusted reviewer
Experience: 17.7 years 88 played 87 reviews
3.50 star(s)

Great 9 holes 2+ years drive by

Reviewed: Played on:Dec 17, 2009 Played the course:once

Pros:

Located on the Cornell Campus surrounded by giant trees and wonders about the old campus buildings makes for a unique and enjoyable experience. Baskets are brand new Mach 5's, so no problems with those. Good mix of left and right shots. Trees come into play on a majority of the holes. No straight shots here. Mainly hilly with few holes that are flat. Basket placement was well thought out, requiring a few different types of shots. Good flow from one hole to the next. A quiet, relaxing environment.

Cons:

No teesigns or markings that I could see, though the map that you can print out is excellently drawn. Since it wonders throughout the campus, be prepared to wait for others as the walk about. A couple of the holes go next to buildings so watch out, especially on number 8 where a building is right on the fairway. There is a slight walk between 6 and 7 that takes away from the flow a little bit. Most holes seem to be fairly close in length.

Other Thoughts:

This course because of it's setting makes it feel very different, but in a good way. Enough of a challenge for the pro level player, but would also work for a beginner. One of the best 9 hole courses I have played and would love to come back here again.
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