Pros:
- Nice and secluded. Lots of mature trees, and a decent amount of obstacles. #6 - #11 are quite scenic.
- Not used very much for anything other than disc golf, that I can tell. Although there are tons of benches and grills.
- Two pin placements for all the holes. Some provide different looks, others are just longer. Reasonably well done, and thoughtful.
- Porta-john and a shelter on site. Trash cans EVERYWHERE, which is nice.
- #2 has a nice, long pin position that I would like to have played. However, the short pin was in. It probably can only be played in the dry, anyhow.
- #7 has a funky hole layout. It looks weird on paper, and weirder from the tee. It has a straight away, uphill, 150'-175' drive, into a property fence, followed by a 90 degree left turn, followed by another 150' or more to the basket. As dumb as it looked and felt, it actually requires a lot of skill. If you don't hit the layup area, which is probably 30' x 30', then you won't have a good look at the basket, and won't get a 3. Quite challenging.
- #10 is a fun, short, wooded, uphill shot. In the short position, it's a fun but challenging ace hole.
- #15 has a cool looking long pin placement, guarded by two mature trees.
Cons:
- As I see other reviews have noted, this course was very wet when I played. It's in a creek basin by the looks of it, so that's not surprising. I had to tip-toe and hop all around the course, and still there was no avoiding getting soaked to the bone.
- The bridge from 5 to 6 (and back from 11 to 12) is really a concrete spillway. It was under water when I played, so I played 6-11 after driving around and parking on the street.
- There really are just too many holes here. It's evident from the re-numbers on 12-21 that the course used to just play on the east side of the creek. 6-11 are a wonderful addition, but that has not remedied how tight the layout is on the east side. Baskets very near tees, fairways that are quite close. Not to mention picnic benches and grills all around.
- Wood pallets and other boards have been put out on the course over places the obviously stay wet a lot of the time. It's a nice gesture, that I appreciate. However, it almost just goes toward making the course feel more janky.
- #15 very much brings the parking lot into play, particularly in the long position.
- #18-#21 feel quite repetitive.
Other Thoughts:
- Playing this course when wet is a bear. Obviously, if this is just an infrequent occurrence, then it shouldn't affect the rating. However, between the state of the course, the makeshift bridges, and seeing some reviews on here, it's obvious that it is perhaps more frequent than not.
- I had a good time on a Sunday morning, even though I got quite wet. The course actually took me a long time to play, between taking my time walking around water, and a few navigation issues.
- Only course in Ankeny, and perhaps worth visiting if you're staying in Ankeny. Otherwise there are plenty of other great courses within 15-30 minutes that are much more worth your time.